HLS Library

Introduction

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), developed by Apple, has become one of the most widely adopted streaming protocols thanks to its simplicity and reliance on HTTP as its transport layer. By leveraging standard web infrastructure, HLS enables stream delivery anywhere the internet is available. While the protocol is inherently one-directional—offering no built-in mechanism to publish a stream to a server—its native support across platforms and broad industry adoption make it a cornerstone of modern video delivery.

Transport Stream (TS) is a media container format purpose-built for streaming and media transmission. HLS, along with other protocols such as SRT, relies on TS for media data segments. TS can also be used independently for direct streaming via multicast or HTTP delivery (known as TS over HTTP).

The widespread adoption of both HLS and TS ensures strong compatibility and future-readiness for products built on these technologies.

Client

The VASTreaming HLS library provides full client-side capabilities to receive, decode, and play streams on end-user devices. Ready-to-use UI controls are included for all supported platforms, enabling seamless integration into consumer-facing applications.

Unlike the default HLS implementations on Android and Windows, the VASTreaming HLS library delivers advanced features typically available only on iOS or macOS:

Server

The VASTreaming HLS library enables you to build a fully functional HLS server that distributes streams to connected clients at scale. Live streams can be ingested via other protocols such as RTMP or RTSP. Depending on the hardware configuration, a single server instance can handle hundreds to tens of thousands of simultaneous connections.

Advanced HLS server features:

The VASTreaming HLS server fully supports the LL-HLS (Low-Latency HLS) specification, reducing end-to-end latency to 1–2 seconds compared to the standard 15–30 seconds.

These server-side capabilities provide a solid foundation for building next-generation streaming applications and unlocking new opportunities for video content providers.

Features

The VASTreaming HLS library supports a broad range of codecs:

The architecture is modular and extensible—additional codec support can be integrated on request.

Custom video and audio streaming features, including protocol-level extensions, can be implemented to meet specific project requirements.

Platforms

Available for all major platforms:

Ready to get started? Explore our demo projects on GitHub with a free 30-day demo license, or contact us for additional information.