The Tool Desk
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Choose an IVS stage, channel, or hybrid setup
| Option | Best for | AWS-described latency | Setup concept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-Time stage | Hosts and participants exchanging live audio and video | Under 300 milliseconds for stage participants | Create a stage, issue participant tokens, and use the Broadcast SDK to publish and subscribe |
| Low-Latency channel | A presenter sending a program stream to an audience that mainly watches | Under five seconds for channel viewers | Create a channel, send video to its ingest endpoint using a stream key, and share its playback URL |
| Stage broadcast to channel | Interactive hosts with a larger viewing audience | Stage participants retain real-time interaction; channel viewers receive the channel’s low-latency stream | Broadcast the stage output to a channel |
These are AWS product descriptions, not guarantees for every viewer’s actual experience. Location, network conditions, protocols, and the rest of the streaming chain affect experienced latency. In particular, channel viewers should not be assumed to have the same sub-300-millisecond latency as stage participants. See the Amazon IVS Low-Latency Streaming overview and Real-Time Streaming overview.
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Build the event around the audience experience
For an interactive event: create a Real-Time stage
- Prepare AWS access. Establish an AWS account and the IAM permissions needed to create and manage the stage and related resources.
- Create the stage. Use the IVS console or API to create a virtual space for participants.
- Issue participant tokens. Provide each authorized participant with a token to authenticate when joining. Protect token creation and distribution as part of your application’s access-control design.
- Integrate the Broadcast SDK. Build or update a Web, Android, or iOS application with the IVS Broadcast SDK.
- Publish and subscribe. Participants publish their audio and video and subscribe to other participants’ media through the application.
- Rehearse from real participant locations. Test joining, speaking, viewing, and network behavior using the devices and networks expected on event day.
AWS’s Real-Time Streaming getting-started introduction describes this starter flow. A stage is a virtual space where participants exchange video in real time.
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- Create an IVS channel. Choose and configure the channel for the event.
- Configure a contribution source. Set up an encoder or software capable of sending video to the channel’s ingest endpoint.
- Authorize the stream. Use the stream key assigned to the channel. Keep it secret: anyone who obtains it can stream to that channel.
- Share playback access. Give attendees the channel playback URL. AWS describes this playback endpoint as globally usable through its content delivery network.
- Test end to end. Confirm the encoder can connect and that viewers can play the channel before the event begins.
See AWS’s instructions for creating a channel. IVS video ingest and playback are global, but the control plane—including the console, APIs, channels, stream keys, playback key pairs, and recording configurations—is regional. Plan the region of your resources accordingly.
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For a hybrid event: broadcast the stage to a channel
Use the Real-Time stage for presenters or guests who need to talk to one another, then broadcast the stage to a Low-Latency channel for a larger audience that primarily watches. This separates the interactive room from the viewer-facing program feed. Plan latency and capacity for each audience separately: stage participants use Real-Time Streaming, while the wider audience receives the channel stream.
Plan capacity before event day
AWS quota documentation accessed on 2026-10-03 lists the following defaults and limits. These are service quotas, not guaranteed event capacity; check the actual quotas for your AWS account and Region in Service Quotas and request increases in advance where needed.
| IVS service | Documented quota | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Real-Time stage | 12 stage publishers at once per account and Region | Count everyone publishing to stages in the Region. |
| Real-Time stage | 10,000 stage subscribers at once per account and Region; adjustable | Verify the account’s current limit and arrange an increase if the planned audience requires it. |
| Real-Time stages in a Region | 1,000 concurrent publishers across stages; adjustable | Consider aggregate publishing across all stages in the Region. |
| Real-Time participant session | Maximum 24-hour publish or subscribe duration | Account for this limit in long-running events. |
| Low-Latency channels | 15,000 concurrent views per Region; adjustable | Confirm the Region’s quota against expected concurrent viewers. |
| Low-Latency channels | 100 simultaneous streams per Region; adjustable | Confirm how many channels may be streaming at the same time. |
See the current AWS Real-Time Streaming quotas and Low-Latency Streaming quotas. AWS’s Real-Time overview says the service can accommodate audiences beyond 25,000 viewers and up to 12 hosts, while the quota page lists a default stage-subscriber quota of 10,000 that can be increased. Treat the overview as a statement of potential scale, not your account’s automatically available capacity; your quotas and configuration determine what you can run.
Make presentation slides readable
Slides and screen-shared text behave differently from fast-moving video: fine text and static layouts need to remain legible, while high frame rates may add little value to slow-moving content. AWS recommends layered encoding, such as simulcast, or a lower frame rate for text and slow-moving content like presentations. Its optimization guidance also describes SDK adjustments to bitrate, frame rate, and resolution under network congestion.
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See AWS’s Real-Time Streaming optimization guidance.
Check networks at every presenter location
IVS Real-Time Streaming uses WebRTC and WebSocket. AWS says media uses UDP by default; subscribers can fall back to TCP, but TCP fallback is not supported for publishing. If a corporate, venue, or managed network blocks UDP entirely, a host may be unable to publish.
- Ask the organization’s network team to confirm required IVS destinations and ports are allowed.
- Test from each presenter’s actual location and network, especially behind corporate firewalls or venue-managed Wi-Fi.
- Test publishing as well as viewing: successful playback does not establish that a host can publish.
Refer to AWS’s Real-Time Streaming network requirements for the destination and port details to review with your network team.
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Real-Time Streaming recording is disabled by default. Choose a recording type based on how the material will be used after the event.
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| Recording option | What it produces | Useful when | IVS and storage charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual participant recording | Separate files for publishers | Editors need separate speakers, or organizers need material for moderation review | AWS says there is no additional IVS charge for individual participant recording; standard S3 storage and request charges apply. |
| Composite recording | A mixed, single-view program recording | You want a ready-to-watch single program feed | AWS says composite recording adds an hourly charge for encoded video; S3 costs also apply. |
To enable individual participant recording, enable it for the stage and configure a customer-owned S3 bucket. The stage, storage configuration, and S3 destination must be in the same AWS Region. Standard S3 storage and request charges apply. Review AWS’s stage creation and optional participant recording instructions and Real-Time recording options for the setup and billing details.
AWS warns that network problems between the stream source and AWS, or inside AWS, can cause recording data loss because live streaming takes priority. For an important event, make a local recording as a backup and verify that the planned post-event playback workflow works.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot common event failures
A presenter cannot join or publish
- Check authentication: confirm the participant has a valid stage token and is joining the intended stage.
- Check the network: publishing cannot use TCP fallback. Ask the network team to verify IVS requirements and test from the presenter’s location.
- Check the stage’s publisher limit: compare the number of active publishers with the account’s current Regional quota.
Viewers cannot watch the channel
- Check the contribution path: verify the encoder is sending to the correct channel ingest endpoint.
- Check the stream key: confirm it is the key assigned to the channel, and replace it if it has been exposed.
- Check playback: confirm attendees have the channel playback URL and test it from a viewer device and network.
Audience size or simultaneous streams exceed expectations
Check current Service Quotas in the relevant AWS Region. The documented defaults may not match your account’s limits, and adjustable quotas require advance planning rather than an assumption that an increase will be immediate.
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Slides look difficult to read
Check the content at actual viewing size. Revisit slide design, test a lower frame rate or layered encoding for text-heavy sections, and rehearse using the expected network conditions.
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The recording is missing or incomplete
Confirm recording was enabled and its configuration and S3 destination were set up in the same Region as the stage. Check the destination and the post-event playback workflow; retain a local recording for important events because cloud recording can lose data under network problems.
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