Learn how to use the REST API to record a live stream or transcoder in the Wowza Video™ service and how to programmatically download recordings.
Before you start
You should complete the following tasks:
- Create a live stream or a transcoder. You'll need the resulting live_stream_id or transcoder_id to record a broadcast. View our Connect a source topics to learn how to create a live stream or transcoder for RTMP, RTSP, IP camera, SRT encoder, UDP encoder, WebRTC, and Wowza Streaming Engine.
You should be familiar with the following concepts:
- Available workflows for recording streams. See About Recording Streams with the Wowza Video REST API.
Note: If you're a Wowza Video subscriber, recordings created using the recording parameter will not be available on the Asset Management page. If you want to mange your recording through asset management, set the save_asset parameter to true when creating a live stream. This will generate both a VOD stream and a recording.
Live Stream Workflow
1. Configure your live stream to record when it starts
You'll need to edit your live stream so that the recording parameter is set to true. You can skip this step if you set this parameter to true when you created the live stream.
curl
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
-X "PATCH" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/live_streams/[live_stream_id]" \
-d $'{
"live_stream": {
"recording": "true"
}
}'2. Start the live stream
curl -X PUT \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/live_streams/[live_stream_id]/start"3. Stop recording
You can stop the recording at any point before the live stream has ended or you can stop the live stream, which will end the recording.
Note: We recommend leaving the live stream running for 10 to 15 seconds after the end of the event. This ensures that the recording doesn't cut off prematurely.
Stop the recording:
curl -X PUT \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/stop_recording"Stop the live stream:
curl -X PUT \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/live_streams/[live_stream_id]/stop"4. Get the recording
Wowza Video begins converting the recording to MP4 format when the transcoder stops, not necessarily when the recording stops. If the transcoder continues running after recording stops, you will need to wait until the transcoder stops to retrieve the recording.
Get all recordings for a specific transcoder:
curl -X GET \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[live_stream_id]/recordings"Get all recordings for your account:
curl -X GET \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/recordings"Next steps
If you want, you can configure nDVR so your viewers can play or pause a live stream, rewind it to a previously recorded point, or resume viewing at the current live point. See Configure nDVR using the Wowza Video REST API for more information.
Related requests
- GET/recordings/{id}/state — View the state of the recording.
- GET/recordings/{id} — View the details of the recording.
- DELETE/recordings/{id} — Delete a recording.
Transcoder Workflow
1. Configure your transcoder to record when it starts
You’ll need to configure the properties parameter. The section should be set to recording, the key to mp4, and the value to true. For more information, see Set advanced properties with the Wowza Video REST API.
curl -X PUT \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/properties"
{
"property": {
"recording": "mp4",
"section": "recording",
"value": "true"
}
}2. Start the transcoder
curl -X PUT \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/start"3. Stop recording
You can stop the recording at any point before the stream has ended or you can stop the transcoder, which will end the recording.
Note: We recommend leaving the transcoder running for 10 to 15 seconds after the end of the event. This ensures that the recording doesn't cut off prematurely.
Stop the recording:
curl -X PUT \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/stop_recording"Stop the transcoder:
curl -X PUT \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/stop"4. Get the recording
Wowza Video begins converting the recording to MP4 format when the transcoder stops, not necessarily when the recording stops. If the transcoder continues running after recording stops, you will need to wait until the transcoder stops to retrieve the recording.
Get all recordings for a specific transcoder:
curl -X GET \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/transcoders/[transcoder_id]/recordings"Get all recordings for your account:
curl -X GET \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${WV_JWT}" \
"${WV_HOST}/api/${WV_VERSION}/recordings"Next steps
If you want, you can configure nDVR so your viewers can play or pause a live stream, rewind it to a previously recorded point, or resume viewing at the current live point. See Configure nDVR using the Wowza Video REST API for more information.
Related requests
- GET/recordings/{id}/state — View the state of the recording.
- GET/recordings/{id} — View the details of the recording.
- DELETE/recordings/{id} — Delete a recording.
