Livepeer Primer - Livepeer Docs

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Livepeer is an inclusive and welcoming global community with a diverse and talented group of people. From DJs, creators, developers, founders, network contributors and enterprise clients — it takes a village to build a cutting-edge open video streaming & AI platform! Get started on your journey by reading about Livepeer and joining the community on Discord to get involved.

Needs Work - if you feel you could contribute reach out

What Is Livepeer?

Livepeer is the open video compute layer for the AI era. It powers apps that stream, transform, and remix video — all in real time. Built on a decentralized network of GPUs, Livepeer lets developers and creators run high-performance video and AI workflows without relying on expensive cloud infrastructure.##

Why Livepeer

Livepeer offers a decentralised, open-source platform for video streaming and AI that dramatically reduces costs by utilising idle compute resources. It provides:

Transparency via blockchain verification
Scalability for high-demand workloads
AI integration and modular machine-learning pipelines
Developer tools for fast innovation
Earnings for GPU operators and LPT holders

Soaring Video Demand

~80% of internet traffic, and emerging formats (4K, VR, interactive live streams) are driving ever-higher bandwidth and compute needs. Infrastructure must keep up with this exponential growth.

AI + Video Convergence

Emerging AI formats like real-time video generation, editing, and upscaling are creating new demands for flexible, cost-effective infrastructure.

Open Innovation

Livepeer is built on open-source principles, fostering a community-driven ecosystem that accelerates innovation.

What you can build on Livepeer

🎨 Build apps that remix live video with AI (like Daydream)
🛠 Stream, transcode, and deliver high-quality video at scale — with just a few API calls
🤖 Run real-time inference: avatars, effects, game visuals, scene analysis, and more
🧠 Plug into ComfyUI with ComfyStream for real-time workflows
🎛 Run your own nodes (or earn by staking) to support and monetize GPU workloads
💰 Earn by delegating your LPT and vote in governance processes

Who uses Livepeer?

From individuals to enterprises, and from creators to innovators and entrepeneurs, Livepeer caters to anyone looking for a customisable, dynamically scalable, cost effective, on-demand real-time AI video platform for their business, side project or creative pursuit:

Developers & Founders — ship products with video + AI faster, cheaper, and openly
Creators & Performers — transform live video into art with no setup
Orchestrators & Infra People — earn by running jobs for the network
Enterprises — deploy custom video solutions with low latency and high performance
Everyone else — explore wild, expressive, and programmable video

Real Use Cases

Real Projects Using Livepeer: Daydream: turn your face into animated art in real time MetaDJ: crowd-controlled visual DJ sets TouchDesigner x StreamDiffusionTD: live sensor-based generative visuals Farcaster apps: bringing AI-native video to web3 social