# Streaming and publishing Publishing has two parts that meet at the playback URL. A **streaming locator** publishes a specific asset and decides its playback and protection behaviour through a streaming policy. A **streaming endpoint** provides the hostname that players connect to and does the just-in-time packaging and encryption. You need both: a locator gives you a path, an endpoint gives you a host, and the playback URL is the two combined. See [Streaming locators](/mkio/understanding/core-concepts/locators) and [Streaming endpoints](/mkio/understanding/core-concepts/endpoints) for the product background. ## Create and start a streaming endpoint An endpoint is created with `PUT` and requires `location` and `properties.scaleUnits`. A `scaleUnits` of `0` provisions a shared Standard endpoint; a value above `0` provisions dedicated Premium capacity. ```bash curl -X PUT "https://app.mk.io/api/v1/projects//media/streamingEndpoints/default" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer " \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "location": "", "properties": { "scaleUnits": 0, "description": "Default streaming endpoint" } }' ``` Playback only works while the endpoint is running, so start it and confirm the state: ```bash curl -X POST "https://app.mk.io/api/v1/projects//media/streamingEndpoints/default/start" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer " curl -X GET "https://app.mk.io/api/v1/projects//media/streamingEndpoints/default/state" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer " ``` The endpoint's `hostName` is the value you combine with locator paths to build playback URLs. To enable a Content Delivery Network (CDN), set `cdnEnabled` to `true`; the response then includes a `cdnBasePath` that goes into the URL after the hostname. A streaming endpoint is shared project infrastructure. It can serve many locators and assets. Confirm all dependencies before stopping an endpoint, because stopping it can interrupt every locator that uses it. ## Publish an asset with a streaming locator A locator is created with `PUT` and requires `assetName` and `streamingPolicyName`. The example publishes an asset for clear (unprotected) streaming. ```bash curl -X PUT "https://app.mk.io/api/v1/projects//media/streamingLocators/my-locator" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer " \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "properties": { "assetName": "output-video", "streamingPolicyName": "Predefined_ClearStreamingOnly" } }' ``` The locator is also where playback windowing, filters, and protection meet, through optional fields: `startTime` and `endTime` to bound availability, `filters` to apply [playback filters](/api-guides/how-to/media/playback-filters), `defaultContentKeyPolicyName` for [content protection](/api-guides/how-to/media/content-protection), and `suppressed` to take output offline without deleting the locator. ## Choosing a streaming policy The `streamingPolicyName` decides what playback the locator allows. Use a predefined policy unless you need behaviour they do not cover. | Policy | Playback | | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | `Predefined_DownloadOnly` | Download only, no streaming. | | `Predefined_ClearStreamingOnly` | Streaming, no protection. | | `Predefined_DownloadAndClearStreaming` | Download and clear streaming. | | `Predefined_ClearKey` | Clear Key (AES-128) protection. | | `Predefined_MultiDrmCencStreaming` | PlayReady and Widevine. | | `Predefined_MultiDrmStreaming` | PlayReady, Widevine, and FairPlay. | List the policies available in a project, including any custom ones, with `GET .../media/streamingPolicies`. The DRM policies require a matching content key policy on the locator; see [Content protection](/api-guides/how-to/media/content-protection). ## Build the playback URL Ask the locator for its relative paths with `listPaths`: ```bash curl -X POST "https://app.mk.io/api/v1/projects//media/streamingLocators/my-locator/listPaths" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer " ``` The response groups paths by protocol and encryption under `streamingPaths`. Each group can contain several entries in `paths[]`, so enumerate every returned entry instead of assuming one path per group. The response also lists any `downloadPaths`. Build a playback URL from the endpoint hostname, optional `cdnBasePath`, and selected path. Normalize the boundaries so the result contains one slash between each part: ``` https:// ``` The manifest path takes format and encryption options in parentheses. For example, an HLS manifest with Apple sample encryption and two filters applied: ``` https:////manifest.ism/manifest(format=m3u8-cmaf,encryption=cbcs-aapl,filter=account-filter;asset-filter) ``` Use `format=m3u8-cmaf` for HLS and `format=mpd-time-cmaf` for DASH. The MK.IO product docs recommend fetching playback URLs dynamically through `listPaths` rather than hard-coding them, so that origins can change without breaking clients. Use progressive verification when testing a live URL: 1. An HTTP `200 OK` response confirms that the manifest is reachable. 2. Advancing manifest timestamps or segments confirm that live material is updating. 3. Successful playback or `ffprobe` inspection confirms that the media decodes. Streaming endpoint request rate and egress bitrate describe delivery traffic. Do not convert them into viewer, session, or concurrency counts. ## What goes wrong - **Playback returns nothing because the endpoint is stopped.** The endpoint must be in the `Running` state. Start it and confirm before testing. - **A locator returns `404` or `410`.** Before its `startTime`, a locator returns `404 Not Found`; after its `endTime`, it returns `410 Gone`. A `suppressed` locator also returns `404`. Check the time window if playback is unexpectedly unavailable. - **A DRM policy without a key policy.** Selecting `Predefined_MultiDrmCencStreaming` or similar without a matching content key policy on the locator produces unplayable, encrypted output. See [Content protection](/api-guides/how-to/media/content-protection). ## What comes next - [Content protection](/api-guides/how-to/media/content-protection): add DRM and key delivery. - [Automate a VOD pipeline](/api-guides/how-to/media/vod-pipeline): see publishing in an end-to-end workflow.