ApsaraVideo Live:Get started with ApsaraVideo Live

Basic concepts

Read the following topics to learn the basics of ApsaraVideo Live:

• What is ApsaraVideo Live?

• Terms

• Billing

Procedure

1. Add ingest and streaming domains: ApsaraVideo Live implements live streaming based on domain names. In this step, you will add and configure the domains for ingesting and playing back in the console.

2. Add CNAME record to enable acceleration: This step binds your domain name to an accelerated domain name assigned by Alibaba Cloud to ensure fast and stable live content delivery.

3. Associate ingest and streaming domains: A typical live streaming workflow uses separate domains for ingest and playback. This step associates your ingest domain to its corresponding streaming domain.

4. Generate ingest and streaming URLs: This step uses the URL generator tool to create URLs based on the configured domains.

5. Ingest and play a stream: This step demonstrates the end-to-end process. It shows you how to push your live feed using the demo application of Push SDK and how to watch it using VLC media player.

Step 1: Add ingest and streaming domains

To stream live, you must add an ingest domain and a streaming domain. The two cannot be the same, but can be subdomains of the same root domain. 

For example, you can use a.test.com as the ingest domain and b.test.com as the streaming domain.

1. Prepare the domain name.

   • If you do not have a domain name, register one with Alibaba Cloud Domain Names. 

   • To provide services in the Chinese mainland, you must apply for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) number for your domain name.

     Note

     • To test without an ICP filing, select a live center outside the Chinese mainland and set the acceleration region to Outside Chinese Mainland.

     • ICP filling is required only for the root domain.

2. Log on to the ApsaraVideo Live console.

3. In the left navigation pane, click Domain Names. The Domain Management page appears.

4. Click Add Domain Name.

   To add a subdomain, append a prefix to the registered root domain. The subdomain does not require separate registration. Ensure you can differentiate between the ingest and streaming subdomains.

5. Configure the parameters for your domain name.

   Important

   If you add a domain name for the first time, you must verify your ownership.

   

   Show parameters

   Parameter	Valid values	Description
   Domain Type	Streaming Domain Ingest Domain	The type of the domain name. It cannot be modified once set.
   Domain Name	N/A	Enter the domain name that you want to accelerate. Note the following: We recommend using a subdomain. Example: demo.aliyundoc.com. The subdomain must belong to the same account. Otherwise, the system returns an error when verifying the ownership. ApsaraVideo Live does not support wildcard domain names, such as *.aliyundoc.com. Duplicate domain names are not allowed. If an error message prompts you that the domain already exists, check whether it is added to other cloud services, such as ApsaraVideo VOD. ApsaraVideo Live supports up to 20 domain names. If the total average daily peak bandwidth of your domains exceeds 50 Mbit/s, you can submit a ticket to increase the quota. Make sure that the quota increase does not incur business risks. Content served from the domain must meet the compliance requirements of ApsaraVideo Live.
   Acceleration Region	Chinese Mainland Global Outside Chinese Mainland	For the ingest domain, select the acceleration region based on the host's location. For the streaming domain, select based on your audience's location. In the following cases, ICP filing is required: Acceleration Region is set to Chinese Mainland or Global. Acceleration Region is set to Outside Chinese Mainland, but the selected live center is in Chinese Mainland. For further guidance, see How to choose an acceleration region for a domain name.
   Live Center	N/A	A live center provides media processing services in the cloud, such as snapshot capture, recording, and transcoding. The live center of an ingest domain and its associated streaming domain must be the same. This parameter cannot be modified once it is set. For further guidance, see How do I select a live center.

6. Click Next. Record the generated CNAME record value for the next step.

   

Step 2: Add CNAME record to enable acceleration

Point each domain to its assigned CNAME to enable acceleration. The following procedure uses Alibaba Cloud DNS as an example.

1. Log on to Alibaba Cloud DNS.

2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Public Zone.

3. Find the domain name that you want to configure and click Settings in the Actions column.

4. Click Add Record and configure the following parameters:

   Parameter	Description
   Record Type	Select CNAME.
   Hostname	Enter the prefix. For examples, see the following table.
   Query Source	Select the default value.
   Record Value	Enter the CNAME value you copied.
   TTL	Select the default value.

   Prefix	Example domain name	Description
   demo	demo.aliyundoc.com	Resolve a subdomain.
   @	aliyundoc.com	Resolve a root domain.
   *	*.aliyundoc.com	Perform wildcard DNS resolution.

5. Click OK to complete the CNAME configuration.

Step 3: Associate ingest and streaming domains

ApsaraVideo Live uses edge ingest. You must associate ingest and streaming domains to enable end-to-end process from ingestion to distribution.

1. In the navigation pane on the left, click Domain Names. Find the streaming domain that you added and click Domain Settings in the Actions column.

2. Click the Stream Ingest Information tab.

3. Click Add Stream Ingest Information or the edit icon next to Ingest Domain, and select the ingest domain that you want to associate.

Step 4: Generate ingest and streaming URLs

Use the built-in URL generator to create signed ingest and streaming URLs for pushing and pulling live streams.

1. Log on to the ApsaraVideo Live console.

2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Toolbox.

3. Configure the following parameters:

   Parameter	Description
   Streaming Domain	Select your streaming domain from the drop-down list.
   Authentication	It displays the default signing method (Type A: authentication via timestamp and signature) and validity period. Note To modify validity period, see URL signing.
   Ingest Domain	If you have associated domains, the associated ingest domain is auto-populated. If you do not need ingest URLs, you can leave it empty.
   AppName	A unique identifier for your streaming application or business scenario.
   StreamName	A unique name of the stream.
   Transcoding Template	(Optional) Select a transcoding template if you configured transcoding. Leave it blank for original quality. The system displays transcoding templates that match the specified AppName.

4. Click Generate URLs. Copy the generated URLs or scan the QR codes to use them.

   To learn about how URLs are constructed, see Generate ingest and streaming URLs.

Step 5: Ingest and play a stream

References

• To learn more about the features of ApsaraVideo Live, see Feature overview.

• To learn how to add CNAME records at other DNS providers, see Configure CNAME resolution for a domain name.

FAQ

• FAQ about domain name management

• FAQ about live center and stuttering

• FAQ about URL signing

• Streaming protocols supported by ApsaraVideo Live

• FAQ about billing