Connect an RTSP encoder to Wowza Video using the Wowza Video REST API

Live stream workflow

1. Create a live stream

Create a live stream that receives a RTSP source, generates a player, and configures a hosted page by sending a POST request to the /live_streams endpoint.

You can use the following sample request, making sure to:

• Set encoder to other_rtsp .
• Set broadcast_location to the region that's closest to your video source.
• Change any values unique to your broadcast, using the API reference documentation as a resource. See the Endpoint Reference button below.

Sample request

Endpoint Reference

curl -X POST \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
-d '{
   "live_stream": {
     "aspect_ratio_height": 720,
     "aspect_ratio_width": 1280,
     "billing_mode": "pay_as_you_go",
     "broadcast_location": "us_west_california",
     "delivery_method": "push",
     "encoder": "other_rtsp",
     "name": "MyLiveStream",
     "transcoder_type": "transcoded"
   }
}' "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/live_streams"

Sample response

The response includes:

• An id for the live stream that you'll use in step 3.
• source_connection_information you'll use in the next step to configure an RTSP source encoder for the live stream.
  • primary_server , host_port , stream_name , username , and password .

{
   "live_stream": {
     "id": "1234abcd",
     "name": "MyLiveStream",
     ...
     "encoder": "other_rtsp",
     ...
     "source_connection_information": {
       "primary_server": "rtsp://[subdomain].entrypoint.video.wowza.com/app-6D7PK278",
       "host_port": 1935,
       "stream_name": "32a5814b",
       "disable_authentication": false,
       "username": "client2",
       "password": "1234abcd"
     },
     ...
   }
}

2. Configure your video source

Use the source_connection_information from the live stream response to configure your RTSP encoder. You'll need to refer to documentation for your specific encoder to determine where to input the source_connection_information settings, which include the stream and user credentials for authentication.

• domain_name is the ingest location of the server.
• source_port is the port (by default 1935 ).
• application_name is the application name for the stream assigned by Wowza Video.
• Stream key is the stream_name value, such as b01bda67 .
• Username and Password are the username and password values.

Different encoders might use different names in their user interface, like Address instead of URL and Stream instead of Stream key. Make sure to refer to your encoder's documentation to determine the correct locations.

3. Test the connection

Now that you have configured your source, you can test your live stream. You'll need the [live_stream_id] returned in step 1.

1. Start your live stream.

   Endpoint Reference

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   curl -X PUT \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
   "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/live_streams/[live_stream_id]/start"

2. Check the state to make sure the live stream started.

   Endpoint Reference

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   curl -X GET \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
   "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/live_streams/[live_stream_id]/state"

3. Start the stream in the RTSP encoder. How you start the encoder varies by device.
4. Fetch a URL to a thumbnail that you can enter into a browser and visually confirm the stream is playing.

   Endpoint Reference

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   curl -X GET \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
   "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/live_streams/[live_stream_id]/thumbnail_url"

5. Stop the live stream.

   Endpoint Reference

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   curl -X PUT \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
   "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/live_streams/[live_stream_id]/stop"

6. Stop the stream in the source camera or encoder.

Related API requests

• GET/live_streams — View all live streams for an account.
• GET/live_streams/ID — View the details of a live stream, including the player embed code and hosted page URL.
• PATCH/live_streams/ID — Update a live stream's configuration.

Transcoder workflow

1. Create a transcoder

In the transcoder workflow, you'll manually configure the transcoder, output renditions, and stream targets to fit your specific streaming solution.

Create a transcoder that receives a RTSP source by sending a POST request to the /transcoders endpoint.

You can use the following sample request, making sure to:

• Set protocol to rtsp .
• Set broadcast_location to the region that's closest to your video source.
• Change any values unique to your broadcast, using the API reference documentation as a resource. See the Endpoint Reference button below.

Sample request

Endpoint Reference

curl -X POST \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
    -d '{    
  "transcoder": {
    "billing_mode": "pay_as_you_go",      
    "broadcast_location": "us_west_california",      
    "delivery_method": "push",      
    "name": "MyTranscoder",      
    "protocol": "rtsp",      
    "transcoder_type": "transcoded"
  }
}' "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders"

Sample response

The response includes:

• An id for the transcoder that you'll use throughout the rest of this task.
• source_connection_information you'll use in step 3 to configure an RTSP source for the stream.
  • domain_name , source_port , application_name , stream_name , username and password .

{
  "transcoder": {
    "id": "tmd8ybp2",
    "name": "MyTranscoder",
    "transcoder_type": "transcoded",
    "billing_mode": "pay_as_you_go",
    "broadcast_location": "us_west_california",
    ...
    "protocol": "rtsp",
    "delivery_method": "push",
    "source_port": 1935,
    "domain_name": "[wowzasubdomain].entrypoint.video.wowza.com",
    "application_name": "app-B8P6K226",
    "stream_name": "b40618d9",
    ...
    "disable_authentication": false,
    "username": "user123",
    "password": "abcPassword",
    ...
    "outputs": []
  }
}

2. Add output renditions and stream targets

Complete the transcoder by adding output renditions and stream targets. For instructions, see one of the following articles, depending on whether you're creating an adaptive bitrate or passthrough transcoder:

• Adaptive bitrate transcoder — Create an ABR stream and send it to a target with the Wowza Video REST API
• Passthrough transcoder — Pass a stream through the transcoder to a target with the Wowza Video REST API

3. Configure the source of your transcoder

Use the the domain_name, source_port, application_name, stream_name, username and password values returned when you created the transcoder to configure your RTSP encoder. You'll need to refer to documentation for your specific encoder to determine where to input the stream settings and user credentials for authentication.

• domain_name is the ingest location of the server
• source_port is the port (by default 1935 )
• application_name is the application name for the stream assigned by Wowza Video
• Stream key is the stream_name value, such as b01bda67 .
• Username and Password are the username and password values.

Different encoders might use different names in their user interface, like Address instead of URL and Stream instead of Stream key. Make sure to refer to your encoder's documentation to determine the correct locations.

Configuring other ports

Wowza Video accepts streams over RTSPS on port 443 using TCP only. This port must be manually specified and not all players will play RTSPS. Testing in advance is recommended.

Examples of RTSPS over TCP with and without credentials:

With credentials:

rtsps://username:password@4b6419.entrypoint.cloud.wowza.com:443/app-t2g7RJCq/5972fb4d

Without credentials:

rtsps://12345.entrypoint.cloud.wowza.com:443/app-name/stream_name

4. Test the transcoder connection

Now that you have configured your source, you can test your transcoder. You'll need the [transcoder_id] returned in step 1.

1. Start the transcoder.

   Endpoint Reference

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   curl -X PUT \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
   "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/start"

2. Check the state to make sure the transcoder started.

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   curl -X GET \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
   "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/state"

3. Start the stream in the RTSP encoder. How you start the encoder varies by device.
4. Fetch a thumbnail that shows a frame of the playing stream to visually confirm the stream is playing.

   Endpoint Reference

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   curl -X GET \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
   "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/thumbnail_url"

5. Stop the transcoder:

   Endpoint Reference

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   curl -X PUT \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
   "${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/stop"

6. Stop the stream in the source camera or encoder.

Related Transcoder API requests

• GET/transcoders — View all transcoders for an account.
• GET/transcoders/ID — View the details of a transcoder.
• PATCH/transcoders/ID — Update a transcoder's configuration.