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Castr/Platform/Video API

Video API

Build live video into your product with one REST API.

Castr's live video API lets your code create live streams, upload video, manage multistream destinations, and convert broadcasts to on-demand assets, with webhooks that keep your own systems in sync.

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A terminal shows a single request to the Castr API: POST to https://api.castr.com/v2/live_streams with HTTP Basic authorization, creating a live stream named LiveAPI Summit with adaptive bitrate and cloud recording enabled. The API returns 200 OK with a live stream object. The ingest fields give an RTMP server address and a stream key to enter into an encoder such as OBS. The playback field returns an embed URL on player.castr.com, which becomes a live player inside your product, and an HLS playback URL on stream.castr.com ending in index.m3u8. A stats readout reports the stream running at 1080p, 30 frames per second, h264, 1202 kilobits per second, and a webhook endpoint notifies your application when the stream starts and ends.
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Business outcomes

The workflow should create value, not more operational risk.

01Ship video features sooner

Ingest, delivery, recording, and playback already run on Castr, so your team writes integration code instead of building a media backend.

02Launch on proven infrastructure

Streams created through the API run on the same platform professional broadcasters use for their own channels.

03Keep the product experience yours

Viewers see your interface and your embedded player. Castr stays behind it.

Capabilities that matter

What the video streaming API can do, endpoint by endpoint.

Every capability below maps to documented REST endpoints at developers.castr.com. API access is included on Premium plans and higher.

Live streaming API

Create, update, and delete live streams from code. Every create call returns RTMP ingest details and playback URLs in the response.

Multistream destinations

Add, update, and remove destination platforms on any stream. Destination totals follow your plan and can be raised on request.

Video upload API

Create folders, generate direct upload URLs, and manage on-demand content from your application.

Recordings and live-to-VOD

List a stream's recordings and convert a broadcast to an on-demand video with one call. Recordings capture up to 72 hours and stay available for three days.

Stats, logs, and webhooks

Poll per-stream status, bitrate, and codec, query activity logs, and register webhook endpoints that notify your systems.

Player embed control

Embed the player URL each stream returns, then set autoplay, muting, controls, and audio tracks with documented URL parameters.

Need the complete matrix? See capability availability and plan tiers in one place.

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API surface and integration

Documented REST endpoints for live, VOD, and playback.

The reference at developers.castr.com lists every endpoint with request and response examples. This is what you can call today.

Live stream control

  • Create, list, update, delete

    Full CRUD on live streams, with the ingest server, stream key, and playback URLs returned on every create call.

  • Stream stats

    Poll status, bitrate, and codec per stream in real time to monitor broadcast health from your own dashboard.

  • Destination platforms

    Add, update, and remove multistream destinations on a stream.

    Account-wide plan totals apply, with higher counts available on request.

  • Recordings and live-to-VOD

    List a stream's recordings and convert a broadcast to an on-demand asset with one call.

    Recordings capture up to 72 hours and remain available for three days.

  • Live EPG

    Read a stream's programme guide for scheduled channel workflows.

Video, events, and playback

  • Video uploads

    Create folders and direct upload URLs, then list, update, and delete on-demand content.

  • Webhook endpoints

    Create, update, and delete webhook endpoints that are notified when a stream starts or ends.

  • Activity logs and events

    Query log and event history for any stream or video.

  • Sub-second streams

    Create and manage sub-second streams with the same CRUD pattern as standard live streams.

  • Player URL parameters

    Control autoplay, muting, controls, casting, and audio track selection on the embedded player.

  • Instant clipping

    Clip a segment of a live broadcast and download it as an MP4 with the Instant Video Clipping API.

  • Social media meta

    Update titles and descriptions on linked Facebook and YouTube broadcasts.

Access and tooling

  • API access

    Programmatic access to Castr workflows.

    Included on Premium, Ultra, and Events plans.

  • Token authentication

    Generate a token in the dashboard settings and send it in the Authorization header.

  • Player events API

    Subscribe to player-side events for richer product logic.

    Included on Ultra and Events plans.

  • LiveU integration

    Connect LiveU field encoders through the dashboard partner integration, separate from the v2 REST API.

    A dashboard feature on every plan, not a REST endpoint.

  • Usage quotas

    Streams and videos created through the API count toward the same plan quota as dashboard activity.

Castr publishes a REST reference rather than SDKs or a sandbox environment. If a workflow you need is not listed at developers.castr.com, ask before you commit. Our team confirms endpoints and limits for your integration.

Full API reference, developers.castr.com

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Operator fit

Designed for teams that ship video features, not video infrastructure.

The strongest fit is a product team with live or on-demand video on its roadmap, an engineer who owns the integration, and customers who notice when a stream fails.

Review your workflow with Castr

Strong qualification signals

  • SaaS products adding live video
  • Media workflow automation
  • Customer-facing video platforms
  • Custom operational dashboards

Switching to Castr

Switch video providers without breaking your integration.

You do not have to cut over blind. Run Castr in parallel with your current provider while you test, and let our video team confirm the fit before anything switches.

01

Run in parallel

Create test streams through the Castr API from a staging environment while your current provider keeps serving production. Your users see nothing until you switch.

02

Map the workflow

Our video team maps your current provider's objects, streams, assets, playback URLs, and webhooks, to their Castr equivalents, then confirms which plan covers your usage.

03

Cut over with support

Swap credentials and endpoints once your integration passes testing, with 24/7 human support available during your first production broadcasts.

Plan your migration with a video expert

Build the complete workflow

Connect this capability to the rest of your operation.

API reference

Browse every endpoint with request and response examples.

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Live streaming

See the delivery platform your API calls control.

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Video hosting

Manage the on-demand library behind the video API.

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Multistreaming

Distribute one stream to every connected platform.

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TV playout

Run scheduled channels with EPG data you can read through the API.

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Pricing

Confirm which plans include API access.

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Questions before you choose

Evaluate the workflow with confidence.

Feature and plan availability changes by tier. Use the full matrix for comparison, or let our team validate a complex setup.

Create your first live stream with the API Read stream stats in real time
What can we build with the Castr live streaming API?

The REST API covers live stream creation and management, stream stats, multistream destination control, video folders and direct uploads, recordings and live-to-VOD conversion, instant clipping, activity logs, webhook endpoints, and sub-second streams. Playback embeds are controlled through documented player URL parameters.

Which Castr plans include API access?

API access is included on Premium, Ultra, and Events plans. The player events API is available on Ultra and Events. LiveU integration appears on every plan, but it is a dashboard partner feature rather than part of the REST API. Anything you create through the API counts toward your plan's usage quota.

How does API authentication work?

You generate an API token in the dashboard settings and send it in the Authorization header of each request. The API is REST over HTTPS with JSON requests and responses, so any HTTP client works.

Does the video API support webhooks?

Yes. You can create, update, and delete webhook endpoints through the API, and a registered endpoint is notified when a stream starts or ends. Since Castr simply posts to the URL you register, you can point it at an automation platform such as n8n or Zapier and trigger notifications, clips, or other downstream workflows without writing your own service. For everything else, activity endpoints let you query stream and video history on demand.

How do we embed playback in our product?

Every stream you create returns an embed URL for the Castr player. Drop it into your product and control autoplay, muting, controls, picture-in-picture, and audio track selection with URL parameters.

Can we migrate from Mux or api.video?

The core concepts map directly: streams with ingest credentials, playback URLs, on-demand assets, and webhooks. Create test streams on Castr while production stays on your current provider, then switch credentials once your integration passes. Our team helps map endpoints and confirm plan fit.

Does Castr provide SDKs?

Castr publishes a REST API rather than official SDKs. Endpoints accept and return JSON, the reference includes request examples, and the API works with any language that can make HTTPS requests.

Can Castr help us validate our current workflow?

Yes. Castr’s video team will walk through your current setup, from sources and destinations to audience scale, security, and monetization, and confirm the fit before you migrate.

Move from API reference to working integration

Map Castr to the workflow your team runs today.

Walk through your endpoints, expected usage, webhook needs, and plan fit with a video expert before you write integration code.

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