Cloudflare Stream Live: managed live streaming on the global edge
Cloudflare Stream's live streaming — global edge delivery, RTMP/SRT ingest, low-latency HLS, and the integration with Cloudflare's broader edge platform.
Cloudflare Stream Live is the live-streaming variant of Cloudflare Stream's VOD product. Like the rest of Cloudflare Stream, it benefits from Cloudflare's global edge network — players connect to the edge node closest to them, dramatically reducing latency for global audiences. For developer-led teams already on Cloudflare's platform, Stream Live is the natural choice.
What Cloudflare Stream actually has
RTMP and SRT contribution ingest through Cloudflare's edge network. Output as HLS with low-latency profile (LL-HLS). Multi-rendition ABR live ladders generated from contribution feed (1080p / 720p / 480p / 360p as standard). Live recording: live streams automatically capture to Stream's VOD storage as they broadcast, available as replay assets after the event. Signed-URL access for paid live (no full DRM, but signed-URL gating is sufficient for many subscription scenarios). Integration with Cloudflare Workers for custom logic (signed-token issuance, geo-restriction enforcement, audit logging).
Where it's the right fit
Global audience live streaming where Cloudflare's edge proximity matters — viewers in any geography connect to a nearby edge node, dropping per-geo latency by 100-300ms versus single-origin live. Workloads on Cloudflare's platform where Stream + Workers + R2 + Cloudflare Access form a coherent stack. Subscription live (paid live events, members-only streams) where signed-URL access fits the auth model.
Where the gaps show up
Broadcast-grade live (24/7 channels, contractual SLAs) is not Cloudflare Stream's strength — Wowza or AWS Elemental Live are more battle-tested at that scale. Multi-protocol ingest beyond RTMP/SRT (WebRTC contribution at scale, MPEG-TS contribution from broadcast gear) is limited. Full DRM (Widevine/FairPlay/PlayReady) for live is not in Cloudflare Stream's product as of 2026; signed-URL access is the substitute, which is sufficient for some use cases but not for studio pre-release content.
Pricing implications
Cloudflare Stream Live pricing: $1 per 1,000 minutes streamed (delivered to viewers) and $5 per 1,000 minutes stored (recorded live). Plus a base monthly subscription. Ingest is included. At scale, Cloudflare Stream Live is typically cheaper than Mux Live or AWS MediaLive for broad-audience live use cases — the all-in pricing model with edge delivery included makes the math attractive.
MpegFlow Live ships 2026 Q3. Our positioning differs from Cloudflare Stream: pipeline visibility + self-hosted parity rather than managed-everything. For developer-led teams already on Cloudflare wanting managed live, Cloudflare Stream Live is the right call today. For operators needing pipeline control + self-hosted deployment options, the path is MpegFlow when live ships.
- live
- cloudflare-stream
- low-latency
- edge