Overview
Sendbird Live SDK for JavaScript offers a variety of functionalities for hosting and watching live events. A live event can have up to six co-hosts and, as a live event's host, users can create and share their media stream, and use an open channel to communicate with other users watching the live event. Users can enter a live event as participants as well to watch the live event and use the chat to communicate with thea event's host as well as other users.
Note: Check our tutorial to learn how to build a live streaming app with Sendbird Live SDK for JavaScript.
Live event
Sendbird Live supports the following types of live events: LIVE_EVENT_FOR_VIDEO and LIVE_EVENT_FOR_AUDIO_ONLY. The type of event defines what features are supported in the live event. This type can't be changed once the live event has been created.
List of live event types
| Type | Audio | Video | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
LIVE_EVENT_FOR_VIDEO | O | O | Supports 30K+ participants |
LIVE_EVENT_FOR_AUDIO_ONLY | O | X | Supports 100K+ participants |
Live event states
A live event on Sendbird Live can be in the following four states: CREATED, READY, ONGOING, and ENDED. At every state, hosts and participants can each perform a select number of actions pertaining to the live event.
| State | Host | Participant |
|---|---|---|
CREATED | A host has created the live event. They can enter and exit without ending the live event. In this state, the host can also start and stop streaming and configure media settings. | Participants can't enter the live event. |
READY | Hosts are ready for participants to join. They can enter and exit without ending the live event. In this status, the host can also start and stop streaming and view their own media stream. | Participants can enter the live event and use the chat, but can't receive the host's media stream yet. |
ONGOING | Hosts can turn on or off media stream, update live event information, and exit without ending live event. When the host exits the live event, the host's media stream is suspended. | Participants can receive the host's media stream and use the chat. When the host exits the live event, participants are notified the host is temporarily unavailable. They can still send messages to the chat during this time. |
ENDED | Hosts can end the live event. | Participants are notified that the live event has ended. |
Host
All hosts in a live event have the authority to create, enter, start, and end the live event as well as share their media stream during the live event. A host can exit without ending a live event. If the host doesn't return, one of the users selected to be a host can enter the live event as the new host to continue streaming.
The following is a list of functionalities available to hosts.
Functionalities for host
| Functionality | Description |
|---|---|
Creates a new live event. | |
Enters a live event. | |
Configures media settings and can view media stream. | |
Changes the live event state. | |
Starts a live event to allow participants to receive the host's media stream. | |
Allows the host to view their own media stream. | |
Manages media settings during a live event. | |
Ends a live event. | |
Leaves without ending a live event. | |
Manages additional information about a live event stored as custom items. |
Participant
Users can watch a live event by entering the live event as participants. Participants can send messages to the chat and leave at anytime during the live event.
The following is a list of functionalities available to participants.
Functionalities for participant
| Functionality | Description |
|---|---|
Retrieves a list of all ongoing live events. | |
Enters a live event. | |
Participants can stay informed of any changes in a live event. | |
Leaves a live event. |