Streaming

Introduction

PILOS supports livestreaming BigBlueButton meetings to an RTMP endpoint via the BBB-Streaming-Server.

Follow the steps below to enable livestreaming in PILOS.

Setup

1. Install the BBB-Streaming-Server

The BBB-Streaming-Server is a separate Docker Compose stack that requires a dedicated server with sufficient CPU, memory, and bandwidth.

Refer to the BBB-Streaming-Server setup guide for installation instructions.

Verify the setup by calling the /health route of the BBB-Streaming-Server.

2. Configure PILOS

Enable livestreaming in PILOS by adding the following environment variables to the .env file:

STREAMING_ENABLED=true
STREAMING_API=https://streaming.domain.tld/

• STREAMING_API should point to the BBB-Streaming-Server’s base URL, where the /health route is accessible.
• If the API is in a subdirectory (e.g., /streaming), include the full path in the URL.

3. Secure the API

If the API is publicly accessible, consider:

• Setting an IP allowlist
• Enabling basic authentication

To configure basic authentication in PILOS, use these environment variables:

STREAMING_AUTH_TYPE=basic
STREAMING_AUTH_BASIC_USERNAME=streaming
STREAMING_AUTH_BASIC_PASSWORD="abc123"

Usage

1. Global streaming settings

Once livestreaming is enabled in the .env file, additional settings can be configured in the admin UI:

• Default pause image: Pause image, used if no pause image is set for the room type or room.

• CSS style file: Custom CSS file to customize the BBB UI for streaming.

  • Example for BBB 2.7

    :root {
        --color-background: #000;
        --color-content-background: var(--color-background);
        --loader-bg: var(--color-background);
    }
    
    #video-player div:nth-child(2) {
        display: none;
    }
    
    .Toastify {
        display: none;
    }
    
    aside[data-test="pollingContainer"] {
        display: none;
    }
    
    body {
        background-color: var(--color-background) !important;
    }

• Additional Join API parameters: Custom join parameter to be used when joining the meeting as the livestream user. Some API parameters are always set to ensure the livestreaming system is working as intended.

  • Example for BBB 2.7

    userdata-bbb_hide_nav_bar=true
    userdata-bbb_show_public_chat_on_login=false
    userdata-bbb_show_participants_on_login=false

• Settings per room type:

  • Enabled: Enable or disable livestreaming for this room type. (default: disabled)
  • Default image: Pause image for this room type, used if no pause image is set for the room.

2. Configure streaming for a room

A livestreaming button will appear in the room features toolbar. Clicking it opens the livestreaming tab, where you can configure streaming settings for the room.

If the room type does not have streaming enabled, the button will be disabled, and clicking it will display a message stating that streaming is not enabled for this room type.

Inside the livestreaming tab, you can configure the stream using the 'Configure streaming' button, which opens a modal with the following options:

• Enabled: Enable or disable livestreaming for new meetings created in this room.
• RTMP(S) URL: The RTMP(S) URL where the stream will be sent. To stream to YouTube, use the Stream URL from YouTube Studio and append the stream key. Example: rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/ab01-cd23-ef45-gh67-ij89.
• Pause Image: Custom pause image for this room. If none is set, the system will use the room type's default or the global pause image.

3. Start meeting

Once the settings are saved, start the meeting as usual. Before joining, all users must acknowledge that the meeting may be streamed.

4. Controlling livestream

While the meeting is running, livestream controls are available in the livestreaming tab:

• Start: Begins the livestream. The stream enters a "Queued" state and starts within a few seconds when picked up by the BBB-Streaming-Server.
• Pause/Resume: Pause the stream at any time. When paused, the pause image is displayed, and audio is muted.
• Stop: Ends the livestream. The stream also stops automatically when the BigBlueButton meeting ends.

Configuration Options

Option	Default Value	Description
STREAMING_ENABLED	false	Enable livestreaming
STREAMING_API	null	URL of the BBB-Streaming-Server
STREAMING_AUTH_TYPE	none	Authentication method (none: No authentication, basic: Basic authentication)
STREAMING_AUTH_BASIC_USERNAME	null	Username for basic authentication
STREAMING_AUTH_BASIC_PASSWORD	null	Password for basic authentication
STREAMING_REFRESH_INTERVAL	10	UI refresh interval (seconds) for status and FPS
STREAMING_SHOW_FPS	false	Display FPS counter in the UI
STREAMING_SERVER_CONNECT_TIMEOUT	20	Maximum time to wait to establish a connection to the BBB-Streaming-Server
STREAMING_SERVER_TIMEOUT	10	Maximum time to wait for a response of BBB-Streaming-Server, once the connection has been established.