aethex.live/STREAMING_SETUP.md

Live Streaming Setup Guide

Overview

Transform aethex.live into a fully functional live streaming platform.

🎥 Streaming Options

Option 1: OBS Studio → Streaming Service

Recommended for beginners

Services to consider:

• Cloudflare Stream - $5/month, easy setup, global CDN
• Mux - Pay-as-you-go, developer-friendly
• AWS IVS - Scalable, AWS infrastructure
• Twitch API - If you want to use Twitch as backend

Setup with Cloudflare Stream:

1. Sign up at cloudflare.com/products/cloudflare-stream
2. Get your Stream URL and Key
3. Configure OBS Studio:
   • Settings → Stream
   • Service: Custom
   • Server: Your Cloudflare RTMP URL
   • Stream Key: Your key
4. Update app/page.tsx with your HLS playback URL

Option 2: Self-Hosted (Advanced)

For full control

Requirements:

• VPS/Server (DigitalOcean, AWS, etc.)
• Nginx with RTMP module
• Domain with SSL

Stack:

# Install on Ubuntu server
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx libnginx-mod-rtmp

See docs/SELF_HOSTED_SETUP.md for full guide.

Option 3: Multiple Stream Sources

Support streaming from:

• OBS Studio
• StreamLabs
• Mobile apps
• Pre-recorded content

💬 Real-Time Features

Chat Implementation

Option A: Firebase (Quickest)

npm install firebase

Option B: WebSocket Server

npm install socket.io

Option C: Third-party (Pusher, Ably)

Viewer Count

• WebSocket connections
• Analytics services
• Real-time database

🚀 Deployment

Deploy Frontend to Vercel

npm install -g vercel
vercel

Deploy to Custom Domain

1. Point DNS to Vercel
2. Add domain in Vercel dashboard
3. SSL auto-configured

Alternative Platforms:

• Netlify - Similar to Vercel
• Cloudflare Pages - Free tier, fast global CDN
• AWS Amplify - If using AWS for streaming

🔐 Backend Needs

Essential APIs:

1. Authentication - Clerk, Auth0, or NextAuth.js
2. Database - Supabase, Firebase, or PostgreSQL
3. Chat Storage - Real-time DB or Redis
4. Analytics - Track views, engagement

Example Backend Stack:

Frontend: Next.js (current)
Auth: Clerk
Database: Supabase
Storage: Cloudflare R2
Streaming: Cloudflare Stream
Chat: WebSocket (socket.io)

📊 Monetization Features (Future)

• Subscriptions (Stripe)
• Donations/Tips
• Private streams
• VOD content
• Channel memberships

🎯 Quick Start Checklist

• Choose streaming service
• Set up OBS Studio
• Get HLS stream URL
• Update streamUrl in app/page.tsx
• Set up backend for chat
• Add authentication
• Deploy to Vercel
• Configure custom domain
• Test stream end-to-end
• Set up analytics

🛠️ Next Steps

Run the setup wizard to configure your platform:

npm run setup:streaming

Or manually update configuration in config/streaming.ts