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A Livepeer gateway routes jobs between your application and the compute network. It does not run AI models or transcode video - orchestrator nodes handle that. Requirements vary by deployment mode: off-chain gateways have a lighter setup, while on-chain gateways need Ethereum infrastructure.

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Hardware

Hardware requirements are the same across deployment modes. The gateway is a routing layer, not a compute layer. Gateways are lightweight routing nodes. Minimum specs are sufficient for development and low-traffic deployments.
Node type differences: AI or Dual gateways require Linux. Video gateways also support Windows via WSL2/Docker and macOS (build from source). On-chain gateways additionally require a public IP, static IP or domain, and ports 1935 (RTMP), 8935 (HTTP), and optionally 7935 (CLI).

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Operating Systems

Not all operating systems support all node types.

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Networking Needs

Your gateway is a routing layer. Network quality directly determines job latency and stream reliability.
Off-chain gateways initiate outbound connections to orchestrators. They do not need to be publicly reachable.
Ports: Outbound to orchestrators on port 443 (or as configured). No inbound ports required.

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On-Chain Requirements

On-chain deployment mode requires Ethereum infrastructure. Off-chain operators can skip this section.
Gateways pay in ETH, not LPT. LPT is used for staking and governance by orchestrators - gateways never need LPT.

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Off-Chain Requirements

Off-chain deployment mode removes all Ethereum requirements from your gateway. You need three things instead.
Remote signer: The remote signer handles Ethereum payment signing on behalf of your gateway, so you do not need a funded wallet on the gateway node itself. Options: community signer (https://signer.eliteencoder.net/ - free) or self-hosted for full control.

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Integration Notes

  • Off-chain gateways supply orchestrator addresses directly via -orchAddr. On-chain gateways discover orchestrators automatically through the Livepeer protocol.
  • AI or Dual node types require orchestrators running ai-runner containers. Video node types work with any orchestrator advertising transcoding capabilities.

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Technical Skills

Technical skills required depend on your deployment mode and stage.
You can get an AI gateway running with:
  • Basic Linux command line (navigate directories, run commands, read logs)
  • Docker: pull an image, run a container, read container logs
  • Ability to edit a configuration file or Docker Compose YAML
  • An understanding of what a REST API is (for connecting your application)
This is the minimum for an off-chain gateway. On-chain deployment mode adds the Ethereum steps below.
Running a gateway in on-chain deployment mode requires:
  • Creating and managing an Ethereum wallet
  • Understanding the Arbitrum L2 network (not the same as Ethereum mainnet)
  • Bridging ETH from Ethereum to Arbitrum
  • Running livepeer_cli to allocate deposit and reserve funds
  • Monitoring your ETH balance and topping up when needed
None of this requires deep crypto expertise, but it is more involved than the off-chain path. If you have never used a crypto wallet before, budget extra time for the on-chain setup steps.
For a production gateway handling production traffic, you additionally want:
  • Linux systems administration (systemd services, log rotation, process monitoring)
  • Basic networking (firewall rules, DNS, reverse proxy configuration)
  • Docker Compose or equivalent for managing multi-container deployments
  • Familiarity with Prometheus/Grafana or equivalent monitoring stack
These are not requirements to get started, but they become important for any gateway you plan to rely on.

Install with Docker

Quickest path to a running gateway. Docker handles dependencies automatically.

Install on Linux

Install the go-livepeer binary directly on your Linux host.

AI Gateway Quickstart

Step-by-step from zero to a running AI gateway, including Docker command and test request.

Community Install Methods

Ansible, Docker Compose, and community-maintained install scripts.
Last modified on March 16, 2026