Developer Journey

Find your path on Livepeer - whether you want to build video apps, run AI pipelines, operate a gateway, or contribute to the protocol. Start here.

Livepeer serves multiple builder profiles. The fastest path to your first success depends on what you’re trying to build. Use this guide to find your lane.

Start here in 5 minutes

What do you want to build?

I want to add video to my app

You are: An application developer adding live streaming or video-on-demand to a product.

Your path: Use a hosted gateway service. You do not need to run infrastructure.

What you’ll use: livepeer npm package, @livepeer/react Player and Broadcast components, RTMP ingest, HLS playback, Livepeer Studio dashboard.

Primary CTA: Start implementation with the quickstart.

Video Streaming Quickstart

Create a livestream, get a stream key, and play back with the Livepeer Player in minutes.

Secondary CTA: Use Studio product docs for production API details.

Livepeer Studio

Hosted video gateway - REST API, SDKs, dashboard. Best for production video applications.

I want to run AI on video

You are: A developer building AI-powered video experiences - style transfer, generative video, real-time effects, transcription, or custom AI pipelines.

Your path: Use a hosted AI gateway (Studio, Daydream, or Cloud SPE) to start. If you need custom models or pipelines, consider BYOC or running your own gateway.

What you’ll use: @livepeer/ai SDK, httpBearer auth, gateway AI endpoints, and optionally ComfyStream for custom workflows. Also useful: Daydream overview and AI API reference.

Primary CTA: Get your first response from the AI network.

AI Quickstart

Run text-to-image and other AI pipelines in minutes using the Livepeer AI SDK.

Secondary CTA: Choose between standard APIs, ComfyStream, and BYOC.

AI on Livepeer

Understand how Livepeer AI pipelines work, including ComfyStream and BYOC.

I want to run a gateway

You are: Building a product or platform that routes Livepeer jobs as core infrastructure, or you need custom SLA and routing control.

Your path: Run your own go-livepeer gateway node. This is the path taken by Livepeer Studio, Daydream, and Cloud SPE themselves.

What you’ll use: go-livepeer, Docker or Linux binary, Arbitrum RPC, ETH wallet for on-chain mode. Also useful: Why Run a Gateway and Gateway Requirements.

Primary CTA: Launch a node quickly in a controlled test setup.

Gateway Quickstart

Get a gateway running in under 10 minutes.

Secondary CTA: Validate the business case before production rollout.

Operator Support & Programmes

Funding, support, and programmes for gateway operators.

I want to contribute GPU compute

You are: A GPU operator wanting to earn ETH fees and LPT rewards by running transcoding and AI inference for the Livepeer network.

Your path: Set up a go-livepeer orchestrator node with GPU support.

What you’ll use: go-livepeer orchestrator mode, NVIDIA GPU with CUDA, Linux, Arbitrum wallet.

Primary CTA: Complete the setup flow.

Orchestrator Setup

Step-by-step orchestrator setup guide.

Secondary CTA: Keep the portal open for operations and references.

Orchestrator Portal

Everything you need to set up and run an orchestrator node.

I want to extend the protocol

You are: A developer building on top of Livepeer’s smart contracts - staking derivatives, custom governance tools, analytics infrastructure, or other protocol-level integrations.

Your path: Start with the protocol documentation and contract addresses.

Also useful: Protocol Economics and Technical Architecture.

Primary CTA: Get protocol context before integrating contracts.

Protocol Overview

How the Livepeer protocol works: staking, rewards, governance.

Secondary CTA: Use canonical addresses for Arbitrum deployments.

Contract Addresses

Livepeer smart contract addresses on Arbitrum One.

Three ways to go deeper

The tabs above get you to a first win quickly. Once you know how you want to engage with the network, most developer journeys settle into one of three longer-term paths.

Workload Provider

Build workloads that orchestrators run, whether that means BYOC, custom routing, or direct smart contract control.

Workload Consumer

Consume existing AI or video workloads through hosted gateways, Daydream, or other higher-level products.

Core Contributor

Work directly on go-livepeer, the protocol, or the supporting OSS stack that powers the network.

Here is the deeper operating model behind those roles:

Workload Provider

Workload Providers define what runs on Livepeer compute. That can mean packaging a BYOC container, choosing your own routing layer, or interacting with the protocol more directly when you need full operational control.

1. Start with the standard BYOC route

   BYOC is the clearest path for most builders. Package the workload, understand the pipeline model, and validate the routing flow end to end.

   BYOC

   Learn how custom containers attach to Livepeer’s inference and routing model.

2. Add a gateway when you need routing control

   If you need your own routing, auth, or SLA layer, pair BYOC with a gateway path instead of relying only on hosted products.

   Run a Gateway

   Understand when gateway control is worth the extra operational complexity.

3. Use direct contract tooling for advanced control

   The DeFine-maintained livepeer-ops workflow and Embody reference implementation show the more protocol-native route: direct orchestrator management, remote coordination, and custom control planes.

livepeer-ops

DeFine’s direct smart contract and operator-management toolkit for advanced workload providers.

Embody pipeline reference

Reference implementation for a real-time avatar workflow built on direct orchestration patterns.

Workload Consumer

Workload Consumers do not need to run infrastructure. They use hosted APIs, higher-level products, or existing workloads already available on the network.

AI Quickstart

Get your first response from Livepeer AI without setting up infrastructure.

Daydream

Explore the productized real-time generative workflow built on Livepeer infrastructure.

AI on Livepeer

Compare hosted APIs, ComfyStream, and custom workload options before you go deeper.

Core Contributor

Core Contributors work on the repos that power the network itself: go-livepeer, the protocol contracts, the AI runtime, ComfyStream, and the docs and tooling around them.

OSS Stack

See how the main Livepeer repos fit together and where each kind of contribution starts.

Contribution Guide

Review contribution standards, repo expectations, and submission conventions.

go-livepeer

Start with the main node implementation if you want to work on gateways, orchestrators, or the protocol runtime.

Zero-to-Hero Progression

Each builder path has a clear progression from first action to ecosystem contribution:

Stage	Application Dev	Gateway Operator	GPU Operator	AI Developer
Start	API key + first stream	Read requirements	Check GPU compat.	API key + first inference
First Win	Stream playing in app	Gateway running locally	Orchestrator registered	First AI result returned
Production	Live app with users	On-chain gateway routing jobs	Earning ETH + LPT	AI pipeline in product
Hero	Build tools for other devs	Run multi-region gateway product	Top-tier orchestrator	Ship novel AI pipeline

Not sure yet? Browse by use case

Live Streaming

RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, OBS

Video on Demand

Upload, transcode, play back

AI Image Generation

Text-to-image, image-to-image

Real-Time AI Video

Style transfer, StreamDiffusion

Custom AI Pipelines

BYOC, ComfyStream, ComfyUI

Staking & Governance

Delegate LPT, earn rewards