Glossary

Admin address

The private listener (admin_listen, default 127.0.0.1:9090). It serves health checks, metrics, the management API and the HLS ingest API. It must be a loopback address.

Backup stream

See fallback.

Drain

Refusing new work while letting current listeners and encoders finish. Used before a restart. One-way until the process restarts.

Encoder

Also called a source. Software that captures and compresses audio and sends it to Quikcast: BUTT, Liquidsoap, FFmpeg.

Fallback

A backup mount that new listeners are attached to when their requested mount has no source. See Backup streams.

Generation

One run of a source on a mount. A reconnecting encoder starts a new generation. Listeners belong to a single generation.

HLS

HTTP Live Streaming. Audio delivered as many small files plus a playlist, favoured by browsers and phones. See HLS.

ICY metadata

The "now playing" text embedded in MP3 and AAC streams for players that ask for it.

Listener

Anyone playing a mount or an HLS stream.

Management API

The JSON API on the admin address, protected by a bearer token. See the reference.

Mount

One stream, identified by a URL path such as /radio.mp3. An encoder feeds it and listeners play it.

PROXY protocol

A small header that a TCP load balancer sends first to tell the server the real client address. See HTTPS and proxies.

Public address

The listen address that listeners, encoders and HLS players connect to.

Reload

Applying configuration changes without a restart, by sending SIGHUP.

Master playlist

An HLS playlist that lists several versions (variants) of a stream at different bitrates. A relay follows one audio-only variant; see hls_variant.

Relay

Quikcast pulling a stream from elsewhere and publishing it on one of your mounts. See Relays.

Rendition

One quality level (variant) of an HLS stream.

Ring

The in-memory buffer holding the most recent audio of a mount. New listeners start from it; listeners that fall out of it are dropped.

Secret file

A file containing a password, token or key, referenced from the config by path so the secret is not written in the config itself.

Signed URL

A link with an expiry and an HMAC signature made by your own application. See Signed links.

Source

See encoder.

Trusted proxy

A proxy or load balancer you control, whose claims about the real listener address Quikcast believes. See HTTPS and proxies.