Get Started

Media Acceleration Live Broadcast lets you deliver live video through the CDNetworks content delivery network (CDN). To start using the product, create at least one live streaming domain, connect the domain to the assigned CNAME record, and then configure the domain features required by your live streaming workflow.

This guide walks you through the first setup flow: understand live streaming roles, plan the domain role, add an ingest or delivery domain, configure DNS routing, and identify the essential settings to review before production traffic.

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

• Access to Media Acceleration Live Broadcast > Configuration in the CDNetworks console.
• An active live streaming contract item.
• The domain names that you want to use for ingest or delivery.
• Origin server information, such as IP addresses or an origin hostname, if you plan to use Origin Pull.
• Permission to add CNAME records at your DNS provider.
• A valid Internet Content Provider (ICP) filing if the acceleration region includes Mainland China.

Important: Configure access controls, such as Referer rules, IP access control, or token authentication, before using the domain for production traffic.

Understand live streaming roles

Live streaming delivery usually includes three parts:

• Broadcaster or encoder: Produces the live stream and sends it into the streaming workflow.
• CDN: Receives or retrieves the stream, then delivers it from CDN edge servers.
• Viewer or player: Requests and plays the stream through a playback URL.

The following diagram shows how a stream enters CDNetworks and reaches viewers.

In Media Acceleration Live Broadcast, different domain roles describe where a domain sits in this workflow:

• Ingest domain: The entry point for a live stream. Broadcasters, encoders, or streaming applications use this domain to push a stream into the CDN.
• Delivery domain: The playback entry point for viewers. Players and playback applications use this domain to request and play the stream from the CDN. Delivery domains support two common delivery patterns:
  • Origin Pull: Your origin server provides the live stream. The CDN uses a delivery domain to pull the stream from your origin, and viewers play the stream from the delivery domain.
  • Ingest via Push: The broadcaster pushes the stream to the CDN through an ingest domain. Viewers play the stream through a delivery domain associated with that ingest workflow.

After the domain is created, CDNetworks assigns a CNAME record. Adding this CNAME record at your DNS provider routes requests for your ingest or delivery domain to CDNetworks.

Plan your live streaming domain

Before you add a domain, use the domain role and delivery pattern to decide what to create.

If you create a delivery domain, select the live streaming mode that matches how the CDN obtains the live stream.

Add a live streaming domain

Adding a domain creates the CDN configuration entry that you use for live ingest or live delivery.

1. Go to Media Acceleration Live Broadcast > Configuration.
2. Choose New Domain.
3. Configure the basic domain information.

4. If Domain Role is Ingest, enter the domain names in Ingest Domain.
5. If Domain Role is Delivery, select the Live Streaming Mode.
6. Configure the delivery-domain settings for the selected live streaming mode.

For Origin Pull, configure the following fields.

For Ingest via Push, configure the following fields:

• Ingest Domain: Select an existing ingest domain to associate with the new delivery domain. If no ingest domain is available, select Do not associate and associate one later.
• Delivery Domain(s): Enter the delivery domain names.

7. Configure the remaining domain settings.

• Application Name: Enter application names used in stream URLs, such as rtmp://domain.com/AppName/StreamName. Separate multiple names with semicolons. Leave this field empty to allow all application names.
• Notes: Add internal notes for this domain.

8. In Acceleration Configuration, choose how to create the domain configuration:

   • Custom Configuration: Create the domain with the default configuration. You can adjust settings later.
   • Copy from Existing Domain: Copy configuration from an existing domain, and then select the source domain from the dropdown list.

9. Review the information and submit the domain.

After the domain is created, the domain appears in the domain list with an assigned CNAME record.

Configure DNS routing

To route live streaming traffic through CDNetworks, add the assigned CNAME record at your DNS provider.

1. In the domain list, find the domain that you created.
2. Copy the assigned CNAME record.
3. At your DNS provider, add a CNAME record for your ingest or delivery domain.
4. Confirm that the domain record points to the assigned CDNetworks CNAME.

If the domain uses Mainland China acceleration, confirm that the related ICP filing is complete before using the domain for production traffic.

Example: Push a stream and play it back

The following example shows how an ingest domain and a delivery domain work together in an Ingest via Push workflow. Replace the example domain names, application name, and stream name with your own values.

In OBS Studio or another compatible encoder, configure the custom RTMP output:

• Server: rtmp://push.example.com/live
• Stream Key: demo

With this configuration, the encoder pushes the stream to the ingest domain as live/demo. CDNetworks then makes the stream available through the associated delivery domain.

To test playback, open a compatible test player and use a playback URL that matches the delivery protocols enabled for the delivery domain. Common URL patterns include:

• RTMP: rtmp://play.example.com/live/demo
• HTTP-FLV: https://play.example.com/live/demo.flv
• HLS: https://play.example.com/live/demo/playlist.m3u8

If playback does not start, confirm that the ingest domain and delivery domain are associated, DNS routing is complete, the selected playback protocol is enabled, and any access control rules allow the test request.

Configure essential domain settings

After DNS routing is ready, review the configuration areas that apply to your streaming workflow.