Getting Started

This document explains how to use the Live Video API to broadcast a live video broadcast with your app. If you do not have an app, you can use the Graph API Explorer and streaming software of your choice.

Before You Start

If you have an app, you will need the following:

• A Meta App ID with the Facebook Login Use Case
• Facebook Login implemented in your app

  • If your app is on a device that does not have an interface that allows users to sign into Facebook, implement Facebook Login for Devices instead.
• The following permissions: publish_video
• An access token

If you don't have an app, you also will need:

• The Graph API Explorer
• Video streaming software

Start the broadcast

To create a LiveVideo object, send a POST request to the /me/live_videos?status=LIVE_NOW endpoint where me is the ID for the User or Page.

curl -i -X POST \
 "https://graph.facebook.com/v20.0/me/live_videos?status=LIVE_NOW"

This will return a response that looks like this:

{ 
  "id": "10214937378883406",  //The LiveVideo object ID
  "stream_url": "rtmp://rtmp-api.faceboo...",
  "secure_stream_url": "rtmps://rtmp-api.faceboo...", //The stream URL
  "stream_secondary_urls": [],
  "secure_stream_secondary_urls": []
}

Capture the id and secure_stream_url values that were returned to you. The id is the LiveVideo object ID which you can use to manipulate your broadcast. The secure_stream_url is the ingest URL that you will use to stream live video data from your encoder to the LiveVideo object.

Stream the broadcast

Pass the secure_stream_url value that you captured in the last step to your encoding device and stream live video data to it. Once the LiveVideo object detects streaming data, the broadcast will go live on your User profile.

View your profile and verify that a new live video post has been created and is broadcasting your streaming data.

If you are using streaming software instead of developing your own app, manually add the secure_stream_url value to your software. Depending on which streaming software you are using, you may have to break the stream URL into its server (rtmps://rtmp-api.facebook.com/rtmp/) and key components (everything after /rtmp/).

End the broadcast

To end the broadcast, send a POST request to the /<LIVE_VIDEO_ID>?end_live_video=true endpoint.

Example end broadcast request

curl -i -X POST \
  "https://graph.facebook.com/v20.0/<LIVE_VIDEO_ID>?end_live_video=true"

This ends your broadcast and saves it as a video on demand (VOD). If you want to delete the VOD, send a request to the DELETE /<LIVE_VIDEO_ID> endpoint.

Permission denied error codes

Next Steps

• Use the Live Video API to schedule a live video for a future broadcast.