Create Live Streams Channels

Creating live stream channels using the API

This guide shows how to create a live channel with POST /v2/channel, read encoder settings from the response, and start publishing.

📘
All examples use https://developer.dacast.com as the API host. Authenticate with X-Api-Key and send X-Format: default. JSON request bodies must include Content-Type: application/json. A successful create returns 201.

You typically need:

title - channel name (required)
description - short description
region - where the encoder publishes from, so ingest is close to the broadcaster
channel_type - passthrough, transcode, or HLS (see below)

Splashscreen, thumbnail, and embed code can be added after the channel exists.

Channel type

Set channel_type on create (Create Stream):

`channel_type`	Meaning
`transmux`	Passthrough (default). The encoder’s stream is published as-is.
`sd-transcode` / `hd-transcode` / `fhd-transcode`	Dacast transcodes and builds ABR renditions.
`hls`	Direct HLS ingest (`https://…` publish URL), not RTMP.

You can later change a transcode/ABR channel to transmux with Change Channel Type. That change is one-way.

Ingest region

region selects the ingest location. Allowed values:

north_america
europe
asia_pacific

Pick the region closest to the encoder. Do not hardcode the RTMP/SRT/WHIP host: read config from the create (or lookup) response. Hosts differ by region (for north_america, RTMP is currently rtmp://rtmp.us.live.dacast.com/live).

Recording and DVR

Optional on create:

live_recording_enabled - record the live stream
live_dvr_enabled - rewind / DVR

DVR cannot be enabled without recording.

Create the channel

curl -X POST "https://developer.dacast.com/v2/channel" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: insertYourApiKeyHere" \
  -H "X-Format: default" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"title\":\"My First Channel\",\"description\":\"I am a test\",\"channel_type\":\"transmux\",\"region\":\"north_america\",\"live_recording_enabled\":true,\"live_dvr_enabled\":true}"

const headers = new Headers();
headers.append('X-Api-Key', 'insertYourApiKeyHere');
headers.append('X-Format', 'default');
headers.append('Content-Type', 'application/json');

fetch('https://developer.dacast.com/v2/channel', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify({
    title: 'My First Channel',
    description: 'I am a test',
    channel_type: 'transmux',
    region: 'north_america',
    live_recording_enabled: true,
    live_dvr_enabled: true
  })
})
  .then((response) => response.json())
  .then((channel) => {
    // store channel.id; encoder settings are in channel.config
  });

Store id from the response. If this is a multi-tenant product, store it next to your end-user id. You can also find the channel later with Lookup Stream or the channel list.

A successful 201 body looks like:

{
  "ads": null,
  "asset_id": "8f2facdc-1a29-5903-bffb-8414b3ee5da5-live-86ea4a25-df3b-4038-b1e3-5e032ea27e2c",
  "associated_packages": "",
  "category_id": 20,
  "company_url": "example.com",
  "config": {
    "live_transcoding": false,
    "publishing_point_backup_srt": "srt://srt.us.live.dacast.com:7777/?streamid=STREAM_KEY",
    "publishing_point_primary": "rtmp://rtmp.us.live.dacast.com/live",
    "publishing_point_primary_srt": "srt://srt.us.live.dacast.com:7777/?streamid=STREAM_KEY",
    "publishing_point_primary_whip": "https://webrtc.us.live.dacast.com/whip/STREAM_KEY",
    "publishing_point_type": null,
    "stream_name": "STREAM_KEY"
  },
  "countdown_date": null,
  "countdown_timezone": null,
  "counter_live_limit": -1,
  "countries_id": 0,
  "creation_date": "2026-08-17T16:22:14Z",
  "custom_data": null,
  "description": "I am a test",
  "dvr_enabled": true,
  "enable_coupon": false,
  "enable_payperview": false,
  "enable_subscription": false,
  "external_video_page": "http://",
  "hds": "https://playlist.dacast.com/live/8f2facdc-1a29-5903-bffb-8414b3ee5da5-live-86ea4a25-df3b-4038-b1e3-5e032ea27e2c/master.f4m",
  "hls": "https://playlist.dacast.com/live/8f2facdc-1a29-5903-bffb-8414b3ee5da5-live-86ea4a25-df3b-4038-b1e3-5e032ea27e2c/master.m3u8",
  "id": "86ea4a25-df3b-4038-b1e3-5e032ea27e2c",
  "is_secure": 1,
  "live_dvr_enabled": true,
  "live_recording_enabled": true,
  "noframe_security": 0,
  "online": true,
  "password": null,
  "pictures": {
    "splashscreen": [],
    "thumbnail": []
  },
  "player_height": 1080,
  "player_size_id": 10,
  "player_width": 1920,
  "publish_on_dacast": false,
  "referers_id": 0,
  "rtmp": null,
  "save_date": "2026-08-17T16:22:14Z",
  "schedule": null,
  "share_code": {
    "facebook": "https://iframe.dacast.com/live/8f2facdc-1a29-5903-bffb-8414b3ee5da5/86ea4a25-df3b-4038-b1e3-5e032ea27e2c",
    "twitter": "https://iframe.dacast.com/live/8f2facdc-1a29-5903-bffb-8414b3ee5da5/86ea4a25-df3b-4038-b1e3-5e032ea27e2c"
  },
  "splashscreen_id": 0,
  "stream_tech": "html5",
  "thumbnail_id": 0,
  "title": "My First Channel",
  "vod_rebroadcast": {},
  "web_dvr": 0
}

🚧
online on the channel object means the channel is enabled for playback, not that someone is currently broadcasting. Live-or-not is a different signal (online_since / online_since_date on lookup when the channel is actually live).

Encoder settings

For an RTMP/transmux channel, config is what you (or your end user) put into OBS, ffmpeg, or another encoder:

Field	Use as
`config.publishing_point_primary`	Server URL (RTMP)
`config.stream_name`	Stream key

The same key is reused for SRT and WHIP:

SRT: config.publishing_point_primary_srt (backup: publishing_point_backup_srt)
WHIP: config.publishing_point_primary_whip

There is no separate encoder username/password. In OBS: Server = publishing_point_primary, Stream Key = stream_name.

The API returns an rtmp:// URL. RTMPS uses the same host, path, and stream key - only the scheme changes (rtmp:// → rtmps://).

ffmpeg example (RTMP):

ffmpeg -re -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac -f flv \
  "rtmp://rtmp.us.live.dacast.com/live/STREAM_KEY"

Replace the URL and key with the values from config for this channel (they depend on region).

For channel_type: "hls", publish to the https:// URL in config, not RTMP.

VOD to Live

To create a channel that rebroadcasts an existing VOD, send vod_rebroadcast on create (Create Stream):

id - VOD id on the account
start - start time (must be at least 10 minutes from the API call)
timezone - tzdata name, for example Europe/Paris

Those channels may have no RTMP publishing_point_primary. Update later with Update Stream.

After the channel exists

Lookup Stream / list channels - encoder settings and metadata
Update Stream - title, description, recording, DVR
Embed codes
Create Thumbnail
Add Simulcast Destination
List Online Streams
Live encoder configuration

Create Live Streams Channels

Creating live stream channels using the API

All examples use `https://developer.dacast.com` as the API host. Authenticate with `X-Api-Key` and send `X-Format: default`. JSON request bodies must include `Content-Type: application/json`. A successful create returns 201.

Channel type

Ingest region

Recording and DVR

Create the channel

`online` on the channel object means the channel is enabled for playback, not that someone is currently broadcasting. Live-or-not is a different signal (`online_since` / `online_since_date` on lookup when the channel is actually live).

Encoder settings

VOD to Live

After the channel exists

Creating live stream channels using the API

All examples use https://developer.dacast.com as the API host. Authenticate with X-Api-Key and send X-Format: default. JSON request bodies must include Content-Type: application/json. A successful create returns 201.

Channel type

Ingest region

Recording and DVR

Create the channel

online on the channel object means the channel is enabled for playback, not that someone is currently broadcasting. Live-or-not is a different signal (online_since / online_since_date on lookup when the channel is actually live).

Encoder settings

VOD to Live

After the channel exists

All examples use `https://developer.dacast.com` as the API host. Authenticate with `X-Api-Key` and send `X-Format: default`. JSON request bodies must include `Content-Type: application/json`. A successful create returns 201.

`online` on the channel object means the channel is enabled for playback, not that someone is currently broadcasting. Live-or-not is a different signal (`online_since` / `online_since_date` on lookup when the channel is actually live).