Normal

people_icon.svg

Alix, Lou-Anne & Louise

Company

As a full-remote start-up evolving in an ever-changing and highly-innovative market, we rely on our core values to shape our culture and guide our ways of working to stay ahead of the market. These values are not just words on a page but the principles we want to live and breathe daily.

This article will explore our core values and how they help us create a positive and productive remote work environment.

large_about_us_desktop.png

medium_about_us_desktop.png

small_about_us_desktop.png

thumbnail_about_us_desktop.png

about_us_desktop.png

## Act fast

Acting fast is essential in a tech start-up environment. Priorities are constantly changing, and the speed of actions is crucial to stay ahead of the competition.

When we act fast, it creates a sense of urgency and momentum. Therefore, we encourage our team to make rapid decisions and take actions to move projects forward. While we take the time to pause, observe, share, analyze, and think, it doesn’t slow us down. We do it in productive and agile ways, allowing us to be more responsive to our market.
&nbsp;

&nbsp;


**"In the Customer Care team, acting fast is the key to ensuring that we provide timely and actionable responses to our users. In certain situations, such as during a live stream, quick and effective solutions are critical to avoid unpleasant experiences for the customer.**

**When we receive a customer request, we shift our priorities and focus on finding an appropriate answer to reduce response time and ensure satisfaction. To do so, we use our internal communication channels to identify relevant stakeholders and collaborate with them to address client issues, sometimes involving several teams to solve a single issue."**
>Joséphine, Account Manager (Bordeaux, FR)

&nbsp;
&nbsp;
## Grow through humility

By approaching our work with a humble attitude, we create a culture of learning and growth, where everyone has room to share their ideas and can be sure their voices are heard. 

We encourage feedback, seek out learning and development opportunities, and always look for ways to improve. We consider there are no silly questions, and everyone is valued for their curiosity or contribution.  

By growing through humility, we are able to stay agile and adaptable in a constantly changing market.
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

**"I can feel humility among team members when I have new ideas and approaches, which makes me feel respected and encouraged to collaborate. At the end of a meeting or call, our team can come up with innovative solutions that will contribute to our growth."**
>Diego, technical Support Engineer (Lyon, FR) 

large_Team_presentation.jpg

medium_Team_presentation.jpg

small_Team_presentation.jpg

thumbnail_Team_presentation.jpg

Team_presentation.jpg

&nbsp;
&nbsp;

## Be reliable

As a remote company, we understand the importance of reliability. Our clients and peers rely on us to deliver high-quality work, meet deadlines, and be responsive and supportive to their needs. 

What matters to us is not the number of hours worked or physical presence but rather the quality of the delivery. While we don't expect everyone to follow a traditional 9-to-5 schedule, we expect everyone to be responsive, dependable and take the necessary time to assist one another when their contribution is needed to solve issues or create value. 

This is how we build trust both internally and externally, which is essential for long-term relationships.
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

**"Joining a tech company with no technical background can be intimidating. You’re wondering if you’ll understand the product well and if you’ll be able to contribute to meetings and have an impact on operations. At api.video, it’s possible thanks to the amazing talents we have. 
&nbsp;
We are surrounded by individuals who take the time to answer any questions you may have and explain concepts you may not grasp. This support further extends in projects where team members from different teams join together to solve issues and trust in the work they each put in."**
>Louise, Head of People (Amsterdam, NL)

&nbsp;
&nbsp;
## Be transparent

As a remote company, it is even more important for us to track and share information. 

We document most of our processes and actions to ensure transparency and availability of information at any moment.

We encourage our team members to communicate their schedules and availability with their colleagues so that everyone can collaborate effectively and efficiently.

We also share our goals, progress, and challenges in and across teams and ask for help when needed. Our feedback culture is important to us: having transparent feedback helps us improve and celebrate our actions. Therefore, openness and honesty between us are key to continuous improvement and a nice place to work.

&nbsp;
&nbsp;

**"Being transparent at api.video means that whenever I ask anyone a question about anything, I receive a clear answer and an explanation of the reasoning behind it. Having more context on a topic helps me get a bigger picture and a more thorough vision.**
**Also, I can say what I really feel and be confident it will be listened to and taken into consideration."**
>Clément, System Engineer (Toulouse, FR)

&nbsp;
&nbsp;
## Be bold

In a start-up environment, it's important to maintain an innovative mindset. That's why we give our coworkers as much space as they need to be as bold as they can. Being bold doesn't mean we take inconsiderate risks, but we encourage our team to be innovative and creative in their work.

We value boldness as it allows us to challenge the status quo and find new and better ways of doing things, which is essential to differentiate from the competition.

&nbsp;
&nbsp;

**"Being bold for me at api.video means that I am not afraid to speak up, take initiatives to make things happen, own my mistakes, and sometimes take calculated risks. I feel like my opinion counts, allowing me to drive a positive change and make an impact."**
>Aya, Front-end engineer (Belgrade, SRB)

&nbsp;
&nbsp;
## Take ownership

Taking ownership means taking responsibility for our work and actions. We encourage our team to nurture accountability and drive their projects strongly. 
We trust our coworkers and encourage them to do their best. The whole team is ready to help you if you need support and coaching. 

Decision-making is supported by continuous communication on progress and outcomes across the company.

&nbsp;
&nbsp;

**"When I first started working here, we began exploring ways to better serve new customers. One of my team members took the initiative to build a new onboarding process from scratch. He went above and beyond to ensure we offer it to new customers who just signed up, in order to deliver value as quickly as possible."**
>Christian, Head of Customer Care (Canary Island, ES)
&nbsp;

&nbsp;


These values - acting fast, growing through humility, being reliable, transparent, bold, and taking ownership - guide the team in creating a positive and productive remote work environment. 

It is important to note that these values alone don’t drive the company’s culture, but it is the team members who embody these values in their daily behaviors and actions. By living out these values, api.video team fosters an environment where everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow, and make a positive impact.

If you want to know more about api.video, feel free to visit [our website](https://api.video/), and if you are interested to join us, please check out [our career page](https://jobs.api.video/)!

large_apivideo_core_principles.png

medium_apivideo_core_principles.png

small_apivideo_core_principles.png

thumbnail_apivideo_core_principles.png

apivideo_core_principles.png

Empowering through values: api.video's core principles

small_t02cw29ka-u04jtt0jcg3-549047173ac2-512.jpeg

thumbnail_t02cw29ka-u04jtt0jcg3-549047173ac2-512.jpeg

t02cw29ka-u04jtt0jcg3-549047173ac2-512.jpeg

Artem Matinian

Tutorials

It’s natural that one will think about integrating videos into their project. There are so many use cases for a video that we cannot even start to count. From user-generated content like Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, and the likes, through e-learning apps, personal trainers, e-shopping, and the list goes on and on, there’s no limit to what you can do with moving images that zoom across the fiber optics as digital signals from one place to another. 

Is there are catch, though? How easy is it to implement videos into your project, app, or website? in this article, we will look at the options, challenges, and solutions for getting video infrastructure up and running.

## The Casual Cloud Vendor ☁️

Probably, the first thought of every developer (with a mainstream line of thinking) is AWS. It comes naturally, as most of the existing infrastructure is probably set up on AWS, Azure, or the like. Who can blame you? it’s convenient, easily scalable, and…. can get quite expensive. Not only that, it might be difficult to implement as well; think about:

- Having DevOps that specialize not only in AWS but also in the video area
- If you don’t have such a team, then you’ll need to hire people for that.
- Time-consuming setup
- High price

small_So you wanted to use AWS to save costs.png

thumbnail_So you wanted to use AWS to save costs.png

So-you-wanted-to-use-AWS-to-save-costs.png

Here’s the implementation list of all the different services to deploy and setup to have video-on-demand with AWS:

large_AWS requirements.png

medium_AWS requirements.png

small_AWS requirements.png

thumbnail_AWS requirements.png

AWS-requirements.png

That’s not all; you’ll also have to build the client that uploads the videos yourself and plus all of the front-end. You can already understand the costs and time involved with this project. 

“Alright”, you say, now what? isn’t it better to just build the whole architecture myself? what’s the point of using AWS if it’s costly, complex, and resource intensive?

## The DIY solution 🛠️

Let’s go with this simple idea. You want to create an upload button where users upload their videos to your app or website. You already have quite a few users and you know that the feature will be adopted quite quickly, right?

The minimum requirements are:

- Rent a server for $120/month (i.e Cloudflare, DigitalOcean and the likes) with the following available resources (vCPU: 4, 16GB of memory, 250GB HDD)
- Install a web server like Apache, Nginx
- Create a hosting logic on your server
- Find a third-party video player
- Create your application and add an upload button to allow your users to send their videos created with their last smartphone model.
- Allow the user to play their videos freshly uploaded with the video player
- Deploy your application on the server

It does sound easier than AWS, right? why is the AWS solution so complex? why all of these services?

You launch the service, and it seems to run smoothly for a few hours, and then you start to get some emails from customers, like:

MichaelScott777 says:
```
💡 My playback is really choppy, and it takes forever for the video to load! why are you so slow (that’s what she said 😀)
```
TheShrute909 exclaims:

```
💡  Why is the video is so slow?!?!?!??!!?!? it takes the video 5 hours to show! help!!1
```

Your users are calling out that the playback experience is poor. There is a lot of buffering before the video starts to play.

So you start Googling around, and you discover that you can’t just upload the video; you need to encode it with different qualities, plus if you want to stream the videos, you also need to implement some specific protocols, and you start going down the rabbit hole: HLS, DASH, H.264, HEVC, AV1 and etc. “WHAT THE HELL IS ALL OF THIS?” you ask.

Then you stumble upon something that seems like salvation: [FFmpeg](https://ffmpeg.org/)! a video processing “Swiss knife” you hail in victory and pound yourself on the chest. You’ve made it. After several weeks of sleepless nights and 59.7 coffee cups later, it’s installed, it’s running, and magically does the job (you don’t really understand how completely, but it works).

thumbnail_solution.png

solution.png

Everything seems to run smoothly, but you are afraid to touch anything as you focus on your main product, and if you start messing around with the video monster again, you might sink more time into it. But then your users start to ask for more features around video:

CryptoKing001 is asking for this feature:

```
💡 Heellooo!, how can I know how many people watched my videos? <3 <3 <3
```


You grab your head in fear, and the anxiety builds up. You can’t sink in more resources into that video thing, and that 3rd party video player I’ve used doesn’t provide analytics (!!!!). So, you decide to outsource the whole thing, although you did have a limited budget setup for this project, so you go over budget.

The app seems to be running fine for a few weeks, and many users upload their videos daily. You check your monitors and discover that you are running out of disk space! the product is minutes from being down because of all of this video thing; eventually, it goes down, and you generate some bs message to your users about vertical scalability that they have no idea what you are talking about. Eventually, you rent more servers and add more disk space; the product is up again, but, again, you are way over budget already with that analytics stuff; now you have to pay more for space (argh!). At least you’ve evaded a disaster, but you get a new complaint:

obee1kanobeeeeeeeeeeeee writes:
```
💡 why the videos don’t play after I upload them???? I have to wait for 5 minutes before it plays. MY VIEWERS ARE COMPLAINING!!! FIX IT!!!
```

Your head is already missing half of the hair it used to have before you started the project, and now this?! 

You start investigating and find out that you have 100% CPU utilization on the video server; remember that magical salvation that you installed on the server: FFmpeg? now it gobbles up most of the CPU to encode the videos. So, you write another bs message to your users about encoding and some stuff you don’t even know about (and your users don’t even care), and you start sinking more money into the project. You buy more CPU and start scaling again.

Few months past. You don’t need to buy shampoo anymore (at least that’s a good thing, you can save some money), most of your attention has shifted into scaling these wretched video servers, you are now an expert in video encoding and delivery, but you are losing users as they have no interest in your product, as all of your investment and resources went into this video project black hole.  You’ve hired more engineers that are dedicated to doing the video project, and the budget for the video project already went out of control a long time ago.

small_I know kungfu.png

thumbnail_I know kungfu.png

I-know-kungfu.png

You look back and think, how did I end up here? what could I have done better? would it be better to go with AWS? or maybe there are other solutions I could have considered?

## The Perfect Solution

Like with any other service, reinventing the wheel would probably lead to huge financial implications, but as we’ve seen AWS is not perfect as well. However, there are APIs that can solve this problem by providing you with a scalable and easy-to-use service, like api.video.

- With api.video creating an upload scenario and even more is a matter of minutes.
- Much lower cost than AWS (check the cost calculator [here](https://api.video/pricing/aws/)) or DIY
- Scalable and reliable

Check out the [get started guide](https://docs.api.video/docs/get-started-in-5-minutes) to get started in 5 minutes with api.video

large_should I build my video infrastructure from scratch.png

medium_should I build my video infrastructure from scratch.png

small_should I build my video infrastructure from scratch.png

thumbnail_should I build my video infrastructure from scratch.png

should-I-build-my-video-infrastructure-from-scratch.png

Should I build my video infrastructure from scratch? Challenge accepted

Announcements

small_alexw.png

thumbnail_alexw.png

alexw.png

5a22d420c9a5a7-416105621512231968826.png

linkedin Alex W

Alexandre Willot

Product updates

Introducing Custom Domains — a feature that lets you stream videos or live streams from your own domain (such as `videos.yourdomain.com/` or `livestreams.yourdomain.com/`).

&nbsp;

Why use Custom Domains? Because it lets you brand your video URL, comply with network security, and increase your SEO ranking. Let’s look at its benefits in detail, pricing, and explain how you can start using your own domains.

&nbsp;

## Benefits of Custom Domain

&nbsp;
### 1. Branded Experience

With Custom Domains, you can create a fully branded URL for your viewers. This means that when your audience watches or shares videos or live streams, they will only see URLs with your domain. They will never know you are relying on api.video to actually serve these videos.

&nbsp;
### 2. Compliance with Network Security Requirements

Using a custom domain can help you comply with network security requirements. 

If you have a firewall in your organization, Custom Domains helps meet the firewall requirements. This ensures that your videos are viewed without any issues, and you can maintain the security of your network. 

For example, if you are working in a university or public institution, there are probably network restrictions that could prevent [api.video](http://api.video) content to be played, and that is when you will need a custom domain.

&nbsp;
### 3. SEO Boost

Improving search engine traffic and viewer confidence with brand-relevant URLs is another key benefit of using Custom Domains. By using your own domain name, you can create a more memorable and recognizable URL that is relevant to your brand. This can help improve your search engine ranking and attract more viewers to your videos.

&nbsp;

## How it works

&nbsp;
Without custom domains, your users will see URLs such as 

`https://live.api.video/{livestreamid}` or `https://vod.api.video/{videoid}`

&nbsp;
With a custom domain set, your users will see your own URL. Depending on how you set it up, it could look like anything! Here are 2 examples for your inspiration:

`https://videos.yourdomain.com/{videoid}` or `https://livestreams.yourdomain.com/{livestreamid}`

&nbsp;
## How to enable Custom Domains for your account 
### 1. Reaching out to api.video

The starting price of Custom Domains is $60/month. 

Here are different ways you can request access to Custom Domains on your account:

- From the [dashboard](https://dashboard.api.video)
- From the docs: [Custom Domains page](https://docs.api.video/docs/using-custom-domains)
- Alternatively, you can simply [contact](https://www.notion.so/Introducing-Custom-Domains-bf6fdcfdb4e24d4d9827b9d7fac17385) our support team via email (hello@api.video) or by reaching out on api.video’s chat.

&nbsp;

### 2. Setting up your custom domain (Optional read 😀)

As explained in step 1. above, setting up you own domains is a manual process. It requires an exchange of information between you and our customer care team. 
Still, if you are curious to know how this works, we will explain it below.

&nbsp;



large_api.video custom domains flow.png

medium_api.video custom domains flow.png

small_api.video custom domains flow.png

thumbnail_api.video custom domains flow.png

api.video custom domains flow.png

**2.1 Updating DNS records**

You need to update your custom domain’s DNS records. Simply add a `CNAME` for every custom domain that you want to use. Each custom URL should point to api.video’s corresponding CDN.

- `video.mycustomdomain.com CNAME` → `vod.api.video`
- `live.mycustomdomain.com CNAME` → `live.api.video`
- `embed.mycustomdomain.com CNAME` → `embed.api.video`
- `collector.mycustomdomain.com CNAME` → `collector.api.video`

&nbsp;
> The steps to update your custom domain’s DNS records are determined by the domain host that you use. Contact your domain host if you are unsure about the specific steps of updating the DNS records.
> 

Depending on your use case, you might need separate domains for `video`, `live`,  `collector`, and `embed` services. This should be done for **every custom domain** that you want to use.

| Your use case | Custom domains needed |
| --- | --- |
| Live streaming | video.mycustomdomain.com, live.mycustomdomain.com, embed.mycustomdomain.com, collector.mycustomdomain.com |
| VOD and Live streaming | video.mycustomdomain.com, live.mycustomdomain.com, embed.mycustomdomain.com,collector.mycustomdomain.com |
| VOD only | video.mycustomdomain.com , embed.mycustomdomain.com,collector.mycustomdomain.com |
| VOD using your own custom player | video.mycustomdomain.com |

&nbsp;
**2.2 Providing TLS certificates**

api.video requires a valid TLS certificate for every custom domain that you want to use.

Simply upload the certificates for every custom domain through the dedicated support channel.

&nbsp;
**2.3 Start using your new video or live domain**

After you have configured your DNS records and provided the corresponding TLS certificates, api.video enables traffic for each custom domain that you want to use.

This process usually takes a few hours. If you have any questions, reach out to us!

&nbsp;

## Conclusion

In this article, we have described how custom domains can be helpful to your business (branding, SEO, avoiding network restrictions) and how you can easily set your own custom domains with api.video. We hope the content was clear. Now, try setting up your own domains 😄
And if you don't have an api.video account yet but want to test the product, remember that api.video offers a [free signup option](https://dashboard.api.video/register), where you can test all of the product features.
Happy video day!

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
### FAQs

&nbsp;

**On which domains can I apply custom domains?**

Depending on your use case, your customers will see these URLs when you deliver videos or live streams to them.

`video.mycustomdomain.com`,`vod.mycustomdomain.com`,`embed.mycustomdomain.com`,`collector.mycustomdomain.com`

&nbsp;

**What is the exact cost of custom domains?**

It depends on your use case. 

- If you use [api.video](http://api.video) only for video or live streaming, the price will be $60/month.
- If you use api.video for both video and live streaming, the price is $100/month.

&nbsp;

**How often do I need to update my TLS certificates?**

Each TLS certificate has an expiry date. Since you manage these certificates, [api.video](http://api.video) will not be able to alert you when they expire. To ensure uninterrupted service, make sure that you always renew your TLS certificates and provide them to api.video before they expire.

large_CustomDomains.png

medium_CustomDomains.png

small_CustomDomains.png

thumbnail_CustomDomains.png

CustomDomains.png

Introducing Custom Domains for api.video

large_20190712_201317.jpg

medium_20190712_201317.jpg

small_20190712_201317.jpg

thumbnail_20190712_201317.jpg

20190712_201317.jpg

Neda Ashrafi Amiri

🌱 Our users wanted an easier way to migrate their videos to api.video. They didn't want to spend hours on the process and preferred a less technical solution. As a response to this feedback, we created a `video import tool` a few months ago.

🕰️ In a previous [blog post](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/switch-to-api-video-with-our-fast-easy-video-import-tool), we introduced our tool for importing video content from popular providers such as `Dropbox` and `Vimeo` to api.video. Following a successful launch, we received requests from users to support additional providers. We were thrilled by the interest and worked to meet the demand, resulting in an expanded list of supported providers 📈

🔎 In this article, we'll explore some of the reasons why users switch to api.video and take a look at the latest updates to our import tool. For detailed demos and descriptions, please refer to our previous [blog post](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/switch-to-api-video-with-our-fast-easy-video-import-tool).

## Why do our users switch to api.video 🕊️

Before we reveal the new supported providers, let's review some of the top reasons why users switch to api.video:

- Access to better customer support that's more available 📞
- More cost-effective pricing plans for businesses 💰
- A developer-friendly API that allows for separate billings and projects for product builders with multiple customers 👨‍💻
- User security that meets the needs of educational website builders 🔒
- Branded and customizable player options for a more tailored video experience 🎬

These are just a few examples of why users choose our platform. Visit our [website](https://api.video) to learn more about how our API can benefit your business.

## Newly supported providers

🥁 Drum roll, please…  We're excited to announce that our video import tool now supports `Zoom`, `Amazon S3`, `Google Cloud Storage`, and `MUX,` in addition to the previously supported providers, `Dropbox` and `Vimeo`.

Import your videos from Dropbox, Vimeo or Amazon S3

small_13apr23.png

thumbnail_13apr23.png

13apr23.png

## Importing your videos A-Z

In this section, we will go through the 3 easy steps to complete your migration process from your provider of choice to api.video.

Let’s do this….

### 1. Before you get started

🎉 Great news! You don't have to be a tech wizard to switch to api.video with our video import tool. It's super easy and user-friendly! Here's all you need to get started:

👉 Basic computer skills

👉 A laptop, of course 💻

👉 An account with api.video (not a paid customer? No worries, you can [join for free](https://dashboard.api.video/register) without any commitments or credit cards)

👉 An account with one of the supported providers (e.g. Google Cloud Storage) with one or more videos uploaded to that account

### 2. Go to the `video import tool`

Here are several ways that you can access the video import tool:

🔑  Directly access the tool [here](https://import.api.video/)

🔑  Go to your [api.video](https://dashboard.api.video/overview) dashboard

### 3. Import your videos

a. First, create an [api.video](https://dashboard.api.video/register) account if you still need to do so.

b. Go to the video import tool using any of the links provided in step 2.

Import your videos with the Video Import Tool

large_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-08.png

medium_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-08.png

small_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-08.png

thumbnail_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-08.png

screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-08.png

c. Select your provider from the list of options. In this example, we will select Google Cloud Storage. 

Select your video provider: Zoom, Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or MUX.

large_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-25.png

medium_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-25.png

small_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-25.png

thumbnail_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-25.png

screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-25.png

d. Each provider has its own way of authorizing access. For Google Cloud Storage, you'll need to sign in to both your api.video account and enter the name of your Storage bucket and granting the Import tool read access to your Google Cloud Storage bucket as described [here](https://import.api.video/doc/grant-read-access-to-your-google-cloud-storage-bucket). 

Each provider has its own way of authorizing access.

large_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-47.png

medium_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-47.png

small_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-47.png

thumbnail_screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-47.png

screenshot-2023-04-12-at-13-24-47.png

e. After signing in, you'll be prompted to select the api.video project that you want to import your Google Cloud Storage videos to.

Select the api.video project that you want to import to

large_capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-15.png

medium_capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-15.png

small_capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-15.png

thumbnail_capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-15.png

capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-15.png

f. Finally, select the videos you want to import from your provider and import them directly to api.video.

select the videos you want to import from your provider and import them directly to api.video.

large_capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-42.png

medium_capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-42.png

small_capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-42.png

thumbnail_capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-42.png

capture-d-ecran-2023-04-13-a-14-31-42.png

## Switch to api.video

api.video's updated import tool offers an easy and efficient way to migrate your videos to our developer-friendly platform. So if you're looking to switch to a video API that offers robust and powerful features, [sign up](https://dashboard.api.video/register) today and explore our range of tools and features to enhance your video product!

large_13apr23.png

medium_13apr23.png

Switch to api.video in minutes: Latest updates on our import tool

Android

thumbnail_thibault_rond.png

thibault_rond.png

Thibault Beyou

Dart

A few months ago, my colleague Yohann wrote a fantastic article on [How to create a React Native live streaming application for mobile targets](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/how-to-build-a-live-streaming-app-in-3-steps). This time, you will learn how to create the same application with a React Native competitor: Flutter.

In this article, you will develop a live streaming application in Dart. For further details, check out our official [Flutter live stream repository](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-live-stream).

## **Few words about Flutter**

Google developed Flutter in 2015. In 2021, it was the most used cross-platform mobile framework (42% against 38% for React Native, [source](https://www.statista.com/statistics/869224/worldwide-software-developer-working-hours/)). It is used to develop cross-platform applications (including iOS and Android) quickly. The main difference between Flutter and React Native is that Flutter compiles Dart code to native bytecode/libraries, whereas React Native uses an engine to interpret JavaScript or TypeScript code. If you haven't heard of Flutter, you can learn more on the [Flutter website](https://flutter.dev/). 

## **Getting started**

First, follow the development setup steps from [Flutter's official documentation](https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/install).

If you're new to Flutter, you may also need to [learn the basics](https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/codelab).

*Quick reminder: iOS development is only enabled for macOS users. If you're on Windows or Linux, you can develop for Android.*

### **Create a new Flutter app**

1. Open Android Studio.
3. You should see a “New Flutter Project” button. Click on it.
5. Verify the Flutter SDK path and click on “Next.”
7. Enter your project name: “live_stream_app” (according to the [pubspec documentation](https://dart.dev/tools/pub/pubspec#name), the name must be lower_case_with_underscore.)
9. Make sure the project type is set to Application.
11. Click on “Finish.”

### **Launch the application**

Once Android Studio is launched, you can directly run your application with the control toolbar:

run your application with the control toolbar

medium_untitled-1.png

small_untitled-1.png

thumbnail_untitled-1.png

untitled-1.png

1. Select your phone.
2. Click on the *Run* ▶️ icon.

It will take several minutes to finish, stay calm and grab a coffee ☕️

When the application build completes, it will be launched on your phone. Check your phone 🤳🏾

medium_1680077433-untitled-3-copy.png

small_1680077433-untitled-3-copy.png

thumbnail_1680077433-untitled-3-copy.png

1680077433-untitled-3-copy.png

🎉🎉🎉Congratulations, you have created your first Flutter application 🎉🎉🎉

#### **Signs your iOS application (optional)**

If you have trouble building the application for an iOS device, it might be because the application is not associated with a development profile.

Open Xcode, click  "Open a project or file," and open the `Runner.xcworkspace` located in `live_stream_app/ios.`

Click on Runner, go to the `Signing & Capabilities` tab, add your team, and create a unique bundle identifier.

## Add the **live streaming client to your app**

Now let's install the Flutter live streaming client!

### **Installation**

Open a terminal in your `live_stream_app` folder and the following command:

Also, you need to set the Android minSdkVersion to the one supported by Flutter live stream client.

Open your application build.gradle. It's located in the live_stream_app/android/app directory and replace:

### **Permissions**

⚠️ Both iOS and Android need permission to broadcast from your device's camera and record audio.

You will also need to ask for internet permission for Android.

#### Android

From your project folder, open the `AndroidManifest.xml` file. It’s located in the `live_stream_app/android/app/src/main` directory.
Add the following content just under the opening `<manifest>` tag to enable internet, audio recording, and the camera for your application:

#### iOS

From your project folder, open the `Info.plist` file. It's located in the `live_stream_app/ios/Runner` directory.
Add the following content just under the opening `<dict>` tag to enable the camera and microphone:

Don't forget to add the app description, as shown above, if you want to deploy your application in app stores.

### **Usage**

You can check the [Flutter live streaming sample application](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-live-stream/tree/master/example) for the whole application picture.

#### Create a controller and the camera preview

Change your `main.dart` file located in the `live_stream_app/lib` with the following code:

Launch your application. You now have the camera preview.

#### Manage application lifecycle

The next step is to manage application lifecycle. You will have to stop/start the camera when your application goes to/from the background. 

The class `_MyHomePageState` must implement the abstract class `WidgetsBindingObserver`. Replace its declaration with:

Register the lifecycle observer, add in initState:

#### Add a control panel

You still can't start a live stream because there is no way to do it. 

We are going to add a [Row](https://api.flutter.dev/flutter/widgets/Row-class.html) of [IconButton](https://api.flutter.dev/flutter/material/IconButton-class.html) that can control your live streaming.

Import the following package:

Then, add the _controlRowWidget() in the Colum under the ApiVideoCameraPreview. Replace your _MyHomePageState build method by:

Finally, update the `_isStreaming` variable in the controller’s callbacks to update the `IconButton` state when the live streaming is stopped.

Replace `createLiveStreamController` by:

medium_screenshot_20220411-112808.png

small_screenshot_20220411-112808.png

thumbnail_screenshot_20220411-112808.png

screenshot_20220411-112808.png

#### Launch your first live stream

⚠️⚠️⚠️ If you want to run your live stream, you will need to change `YOUR_STREAM_KEY` to a real one. 

You can find yours in the [api.video dashboard](https://dashboard.api.video/). If you don't have an account yet, create one, it's free. Then, create a livestream from the overview or the “Live streams” page.

Find this action card and click on "Start live stream"

large_screenshot-2022-03-22-at-08-24-00.png

medium_screenshot-2022-03-22-at-08-24-00.png

small_screenshot-2022-03-22-at-08-24-00.png

thumbnail_screenshot-2022-03-22-at-08-24-00.png

screenshot-2022-03-22-at-08-24-00.png

A modal will appear with several pieces of information in it, including the shareable link and stream key. Save the shareable link to access your live stream later.

This modal should appear once you click on "Start live stream"

large_screenshot-2022-03-25-at-17-1-1.png

medium_screenshot-2022-03-25-at-17-1-1.png

small_screenshot-2022-03-25-at-17-1-1.png

thumbnail_screenshot-2022-03-25-at-17-1-1.png

screenshot-2022-03-25-at-17-1-1.png

	💡 You can also use the api.video API to create a live stream and retrieve your stream key dynamically. Find how to do this right here.
	Paste your stream key in place of `YOUR_STREAM_KEY`.

Click on the live button in your application; it should be disabled if the live streaming properly starts. Then, go to the shareable link you just saved. 

There you go! You can see what your mobile is streaming in real-time! If not, wait a few seconds and check your stream key value.

🎉🎉🎉 Congratulations, you have created your first live streaming Flutter application 🎉🎉🎉

You can now do an actual live stream directly from your Android and iOS devices. 

## And now what?

[api.video](http://api.video) provides two development environments. The sandbox allows you to live stream directly from your computer or mobile, but a watermark will be applied to your video, and there is a 30-minute limit for live streams. 

To avoid these limitations, [subscribes](https://api.video/pricing) to api.video and go into production mode 🚀.

Also, the Flutter RTMP live stream client allows us to do much more in terms of configuration!

You can match both audio and video configuration to your needs.

Also, there are some properties can be updated during the live stream:

* Camera: front or back
* Audio: muted or unmuted.

Check out the [README](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-live-stream/blob/master/README.md) for exhaustive information about the `apivideo_live_stream` package.

Build your Flutter live streaming application

large_28mar23.png

medium_28mar23.png

small_28mar23.png

thumbnail_28mar23.png

28mar23.png

Build your Flutter live streaming application with api.video

Player

small_api-video-romain-petit.png

thumbnail_api-video-romain-petit.png

api-video-romain-petit.png

Romain Petit

Swift

Have you already developed your own player, but find it challenging to switch to the api.video player?

We have a solution. In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to play a video from api.video on your player.

## Before starting

Before you start, make sure that you have already uploaded at least one video to api.video. If you haven't done so yet, you can follow this [guide](https://docs.api.video/docs/upload-a-video-regular-upload) for assistance.

## Extensions

In this tutorial, we will discuss extensions. If you are not familiar with extensions, I will explain them briefly, but if you are, feel free to skip ahead.

Extensions enable you to add custom functionality to a code without altering the original implementation.

For example, let's say you have a struct named "Person" with "firstname" and "lastname" as properties. You can create an extension to retrieve their full name.

 ## Adding the api.video Swift player library

In this section, we will cover the two main steps involved in adding the api.video Swift player to your project:

1. Get the latest version by accessing it [here](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-swift-player/releases).
2. Add the `ApiVideoPlayer` package to your app using one of the following methods:

    a. SPM:
	* In the Project Navigator, select your project.
	* Click on the "Package Dependencies" tab in the Project section.
	* Click the "+" button at the bottom.
	* Paste the URL below into the search bar in the top right.
	* Finally, click the "Add package" button.


  b. Cocoapods:
* Add the following to your Podfile.

## VideoOptions

Every video on api.video is assigned a unique identifier called the `videoId`, which can be found on the Dashboard or in the video list.

As you follow this tutorial, make sure to replace `YOUR_VIDEO_ID` with the actual `videoId` of your video.

If you are using private videos, it will be necessary to provide the private token as well.

A private token is an exclusive token that guarantees access to a specific private video, but it can be used only once.

## AVPlayer Extension

The api.video Swift Player provides an extension for playing new videos with AVPlayer:

If, for any reason, you encounter an error with the HLS stream, you can try again with an MP4 video.

To do this, you need to add an observer to your player and retry when the status fails:

Congrats, you did it; you can now play your video from [api.video](http://api.video) 🥳🥳🥳🥳

(!) To get info on failed mp4, feel free to add an else statement after the if 

## Explore more

With the Swift Player client, you are not limited to just replacing the `currentItem`.

It offers the flexibility to construct a player by using either UIKit or SwiftUI.

To explore this feature further, I suggest checking out this [article](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/how-to-add-an-api-video-swift-player-to-your-ios-application) or the project on [GitHub](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-swift-player).

Blog

Empowering through values: api.video's core principles

Should I build my video infrastructure from scratch? Challenge accepted

Introducing Custom Domains for api.video

Switch to api.video in minutes: Latest updates on our import tool

Build your Flutter live streaming application with api.video

Switch to api.video Swift player

The comeback of specialized hardware

How to easily upload videos on your Android app with WorkManager?

Video Access Management: How to create, deliver, and manage private videos and what are they anyway?

How to create a Next.js 13 & React 18 video app