HTTP Live Streaming
Send live and on‐demand audio and video to Apple devices and PCs with HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology from Apple. Using the same protocol that powers the web, HLS lets you deploy content using ordinary web servers and content delivery networks. HLS is designed for reliability and dynamically adapts to network conditions by optimizing playback for the available speed of wired and wireless connections.
Documentation
- What’s new in HTTP Live Streaming 2026
- HTTP Live Streaming Overview
- Enabling Low-Latency HLS
- Example Playlist Files for use with HTTP Live Streaming
- HLS Authoring Specification for Apple Devices
- MPEG-2 Stream Encryption Format for HTTP Live Streaming
- Preparing Audio for HTTP Live Streaming
- Delivering Video Content for Safari
- Timed Metadata for HTTP Live Streaming
- Understanding the EXT-X-VERSION Tag
- Using CMAF with HTTP Live Streaming
- JSON Chapter Format for HTTP Live Streaming
- HTTP Live Streaming 2nd Edition Specification
- HTTP Live Streaming 2nd Edition Specification - Next preliminary version
- Changes in HTTP Live Streaming 2nd Edition Specification - v22 vs preliminary version
- RFC 8216: HTTP Live Streaming Specification
Videos
See the latest advances in HTTP Live Streaming presented at WWDC and other events.
- Discover media performance metrics in AVFoundation
- Enhance ad experiences with HLS interstitials
- Explore AirPlay with interstitials
- Deliver video content for spatial experiences
- Authoring 4K and HDR HLS Streams
- What’s new in HLS Interstitials
- Display ads and interstitials in SharePlay
- Deliver reliable streams with HLS Content Steering
- All HLS-related videos
Streaming Tools
Get HTTP Live Streaming tools, including the Media Streaming Validator Tool to validate your HLS streams and deployments.
Streaming Examples
View examples of .M3U8 files formatted to index streams and .ts media segment files.
Developer Forums
Ask questions and discuss HLS with Apple engineers and other developers.