When you broadcast an HLS live stream using the Wowza Video™ service, you have control over whether or not Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is used to encrypt the HTTP connections that deliver the stream to viewers. For a stream that passes through Wowza CDN on Fastly stream targets, you can specify whether the stream must be played over HTTPS or whether it can be played over HTTP or HTTPS.
Notes:
- The Wowza Video integration with Fastly is a beta feature that's available in private preview. Participation is by invitation only and is subject to the terms of the Wowza Preview End User License Agreement. To be considered for preview participation, contact cloud-preview@wowza.com.
Before you start
You should complete the following tasks:
- Create a live stream or a transcoder. View our Connect a source topics to learn how to create a live stream or transcoder for your specific encoder or IP camera.
About SSL playback from Wowza CDN on Fastly stream targets
Live streams delivered from Wowza Video travel across the Internet in two stages to reach their audiences. After Wowza Video transcodes (or passes through) the encoded live source video, it sends the stream to geographically distributed servers called stream targets. Those Wowza CDN on Fastly targets then deliver the live stream to viewers, such as through a hosted webpage or a direct playback URL.
Wowza Video uses the HTTP protocol to make these two outbound network transfers, delivering streams for playback over HLS. For this HTTP delivery, Wowza Video generates a relative playlist, which means that the stream can be viewed over HTTP or HTTPS. The viewer is not restricted to the secured or unsecured protocol.
When you choose to deliver a live stream via Wowza CDN on Fastly stream targets, you can enjoy the default flexibility of relative playlists, or you can control whether the viewer has to use HTTPS to watch the stream.
Live stream workflow
Play HLS over HTTP or HTTPS
The easiest option is to create a live stream that plays HLS over HTTP or HTTPS and uses Wowza CDN on Fastly stream targets.
- Sign in to Wowza Video.
- Click the Live Streams menu, and then click the name of the live stream you would like to play.
- Depending on how you want to make the stream available, do one of the following:
- Use the HLS playback URL to play the stream in a browser or player that supports HLS. Although the playback URL appears as HTTPS, the playback URL can also be accessed using HTTP.
- If you created a hosted page, click the Hosted Page tab to access and share the hosted page URL. Although the hosted page URL appears as HTTPS, the page can also be viewed using HTTP.
- If you want to include the stream on an external website (HTTP or HTTPS), use the embed code, which uses a relative URL in the JavaScript call for the player. For example:
src='//player.video.wowza.com/hosted/[a-unique-player-id]/wowza.js'
Deliver an HLS live stream that can only be played over HTTPS
You can require SSL for live stream HLS playback, if desired. This ensures that viewer clients connect securely to view the stream over HTTPS. You'll need to:
- Set Relative playlists to True.
- Set Force SSL Playback to False.
- Click Advanced on the menu bar, click Stream Targets, and then select the target for the live stream. It appears as [Live-stream-name] / Stream Target.
- Click the Security tab, and then click Edit.
- Select Force SSL Playback.
- Click Save.
- Click the Properties tab, and then click Edit.
- Under Playlist, select Enabled for Relative playlists and specify False.
- Click Save.
More resources
Transcoder workflow
Play HLS over HTTP or HTTPS
- Sign in to Wowza Video.
- Under Advanced on the left navigation bar, click Transcoders, click the name of the transcoder you would like to play, and then click the Playback URLs tab.
- Use the HLS URL to play the stream in a browser or player that supports HLS. Although the playback URL appears as HTTPS, the playback URL can also be accessed using HTTP.
For example:
https://[wowzasubdomain].wowza.com/1/abc1TnJwZEpwYXxy/a12BeGd1/hls/live/playlist.m3u8
Deliver an HLS live stream that can only be played over HTTPS
You can require SSL for live stream HLS playback, if desired. This ensures that viewer clients connect securely to view the stream over HTTPS. You'll need to:
- Set Relative playlists to True.
- Set Force SSL Playback to False.
- Click Advanced on the menu bar, click Stream Targets, and then select the target for the transcoder.
- Click the Security tab, and then click Edit.
- Select Force SSL Playback.
- Click Save.
- Click the Properties tab, and then click Edit.
- Under Playlist, select Enabled for Relative playlists and specify False.
