Deliver stable cross-border live streams with ApsaraVideo Live. This guide covers global acceleration network, edge ingest, adaptive bitrate streaming, and content encryption to overcome latency and coverage challenges.
Challenges in cross-border live streaming
Cross-border streaming presents three key challenges:
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Geographically dispersed viewers: Traditional CDNs cannot reach a globally distributed audience.
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Uncertain streamer locations: Variable locations and unstable network links degrade stream quality.
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Long and unstable network links: Long-distance transmission causes network fluctuations, buffering, and interruptions.
Architecture
Cross-border live streaming uses edge ingest and the Global Real-time Transport Network (GRTN). The streamer pushes a stream to the nearest ingest point of presence (POP), which forwards it over Alibaba Cloud's optimized private network to a regional live center for processing. The processed stream is then delivered to viewers via POPs worldwide.
Configuration guide
1. Basic configuration
Complete the basic setup in Get started with ApsaraVideo Live. When adding a domain, select the appropriate acceleration region and live center:
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Acceleration region:
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Outside Chinese Mainland: Use when all streamers and viewers are outside the Chinese mainland (including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan). No ICP filing is required.
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Global: Use when some streamers and viewers are in the Chinese mainland. Domains require an ICP filing. Use the GoChina ICP Filing Assistant for help.
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Live center: Select the live center closest to the streamer. The ingest and streaming domains must share the same live center. This setting cannot be changed after setup.
Use cases:
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Use case |
Streamer location |
Viewer location |
Live center |
Acceleration region |
Considerations |
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Ingest domain |
Streaming domain |
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Global live streaming |
Global |
Global |
Live center closest to the streamer |
Global |
Global |
Both the ingest and streaming domains require an ICP filing. This link optimizes global playback quality. |
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Streaming outside the Chinese mainland |
Outside the Chinese mainland |
Outside the Chinese mainland |
Live center closest to the streamer outside the Chinese mainland |
Outside Chinese Mainland |
Outside Chinese Mainland |
ICP filing is not required for the domains. This link focuses on POP coverage and stream ingest quality for regions outside the Chinese mainland. |
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Cross-border streaming to the Chinese mainland |
Outside the Chinese mainland |
In the Chinese mainland |
Live center closest to the streamer outside the Chinese mainland |
Outside Chinese Mainland |
Global |
The streaming domain requires an ICP filing. Otherwise, viewers in the Chinese mainland cannot access it. |
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Streaming from the Chinese mainland to other regions |
In the Chinese mainland |
Outside the Chinese mainland |
Live center in the Chinese mainland |
Global |
Outside Chinese Mainland |
The ingest domain requires an ICP filing. This link optimizes the playback quality from the Chinese mainland to overseas viewers. |
The unit price for data transfer varies by acceleration region. For more information, see Billing for standard streaming.
2. Edge ingest (enabled by default)
With edge ingest, streams are sent to the nearest Alibaba Cloud CDN POP, then forwarded to the live center over Alibaba Cloud's optimized network. Alibaba Cloud CDN has POPs in major countries and regions worldwide.
All streaming domains added after February 21, 2019, use edge ingest by default.
3. Network status monitoring
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To monitor real-time ingest status and check the streamer's network conditions, log on to the ApsaraVideo Live console. In the left navigation pane, choose Streams. On the Active Streams tab, find the target stream and click Stream Monitoring in the Actions column. For more information, see Stream management.
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You can also call an API to get the real-time frame rate and bitrate. For details, see DescribeLiveDomainFrameRateAndBitRateData.
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If you experience buffering, use the Troubleshooting tool in the console for diagnosis. For solutions to common issues, see FAQ about streaming and playback.
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You can also use GA to accelerate ApsaraVideo Live.
Advanced features
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Real-Time Streaming (RTS)
RTS delivers end-to-end latency of 200–400 ms using the ARTC protocol (WebRTC-based). Add a sub-streaming domain and enable RTS. Enable RTS.
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Content security
ApsaraVideo Live encrypts streams at the live center using Alibaba Cloud proprietary cryptography. Key Management Service (KMS) handles dynamic key management and rotation. Only authorized players can decrypt the streams. For more information, see Alibaba Cloud video encryption.
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Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR)
ABR provides multiple bitrate options. The player selects the best quality and switches to a lower bitrate when the network degrades. For more information, see Use cases.