Engine HTTP API

About

Since version 3.1 we implemented API to control app engine via HTTP. To do that, you should send appropriate HTTP GET query to the app engine (default IP:port is 127.0.0.1:6878)

Limitations

You can't use HTTP API with AJAX queries from secured (https) pages, because HTTP API is not secured, and such behaviour (http query from https page) will be blocked by browser. So you must have and serve a dedicated unsecured page on your secured site to work with engine HTTP API.

Checking local engine availability

Send JSON query to http://127.0.0.1:6878/webui/api/service?method=get_version&format=jsonp. If app engine is running, then it return version string in JSON format.

Some examples:

Query:
http://127.0.0.1:6878/webui/api/service?method=get_version&format=jsonp&callback=mycallback

Response:
mycallback({"result": {"code": 3002300, "version": "3.1.0-rc2"}, "error": null});

Fields description:

version - engine version, string ("3.0.12")
code - engine version, integer (30012)

Simple page with check button (JSONP-queries served by jQuery):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Ace Stream - check engine version</title>
        <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.11.3.min.js"></script>
        <script>
        function checkEngineVersion() {
            $.ajax({
                    method: "GET",
                    url: "http://127.0.0.1:6878/webui/api/service",
                    dataType: "jsonp",
                    data: {
                        method: "get_version",
                        format: "jsonp"
                    },
                    success: function(response) {
                        if(response.error) {
                            console.log("request failed: " + response.error);
                        }
                        else {
                            console.log("version: " + response.result.version);
                            console.log("version_code: " + response.result.code);
                        }
                    },
                    error: function(request, error_string, exception) {
                        console.log("request failed: " + error_string);
                    }
            });
        }
        </script>
    </head>
    <body>
        <button onclick="checkEngineVersion();">Check engine version</button>
    </body>
</html>

Using HTTP API on Android

HTTP API is a preferred way to integrate engine with other applications on Android.

Before sending any requests to engine you should ensure that it is running. This should be done by binding to engine service as described here.

API methods

Terms: <engine_address> - app engine IP address, <engine_port> - app engine HTTP port. Common params:

sid - player id (optional)
id - content id (conditional param)
infohash - transport file infohash (.acelive or .torrent file) (conditional param)
url - link to transport file (conditional param). Can be used with URL encoded "file://path/" to access local file.

In the query to the app engine at least one of params id, infohash, url must be present.

How to get HLS stream

Query: http://<engine_address>:<engine_port>/ace/manifest.m3u8

As response app engine should return HLS playlist. If any error occured, then engine return HTTP error code 4хх or 5хх with brief error description.

Params:

transcode_audio - transcode all audio tracks to AAC, (values: 0 or 1, default 0)
transcode_mp3 - do not transcode MP3 track(s), (values: 0 or 1, default 0)
transcode_ac3 - transcode only AC3 track(s), (values: 0 or 1, default 0)
preferred_audio_language - three char code of preffered language, full list - http://xml.coverpages.org/nisoLang3-1994.html

Example:

http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/manifest.m3u8?id=dd1e67078381739d14beca697356ab76d49d1a2d

How to get HTTP stream

Query: http://<engine_address>:<engine_port>/ace/getstream

As response app engine should return stream data as http progressive download. If any error occured, then engine return HTTP error code 4хх or 5хх with brief error description.

Example:

http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/getstream?id=dd1e67078381739d14beca697356ab76d49d1a2d

How to play HLS broadcast

Query: http://<engine_address>:<engine_port>/hls/manifest.m3u8

You can play via app engine any HLS broadcast, just pass link to the HLS playlist to the engine (manifest_url param).

Params:

manifest_url - HLS manifest URL (link to the HLS playlist)

Example:

http://127.0.0.1:6878/hls/manifest.m3u8?manifest_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwin.cdn.bonus-tv.ru%2FTVB7%2Fntv%2Fplaylist.m3u8

Simple HTML code for playing HLS broadcast in VideoJS player:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>HLS example</title>
  <link href="http://vjs.zencdn.net/4.12/video-js.css" rel="stylesheet">
  <script src="http://vjs.zencdn.net/4.12/video.js"></script>
  <script src="https://github.com/videojs/videojs-contrib-media-sources/releases/download/v0.1.0/videojs-media-sources.js"></script>
  <script src="https://github.com/videojs/videojs-contrib-hls/releases/download/v0.11.2/videojs.hls.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
  <video id="myvideo" class="video-js vjs-default-skin" controls preload="auto" width="640" height="390" data-setup='{}'>
    <source
      src="http://127.0.0.1:6878/hls/manifest.m3u8?manifest_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwin.cdn.bonus-tv.ru%2FTVB7%2Fntv%2Fplaylist.m3u8"
      type="application/x-mpegurl">
  </video>
</body>
</html>

Additional features

Engine can provide some additional features to control playback session, such as extra commands, session statistics and events polling. To access such features, you must add this param to playback session options:

format=json

As response app engine should return some links in JSON format:

{
    "playback_url": playback_url,
    "stat_url: stat_url,
    "command_url": command_url,
    "event_url": event_url,
}

playback_url: media stream link
stat_url: session statistics link
command_url: engine commands link
event_url: session events link

event_url will be present in engine response only if query contains param use_api_events.

Via playback_url app engine will serve requested media stream. This link should be passed to media player.

Getting some stats

Via stat_url link app engine should return JSON-formatted structure:

status - playback session status:
- prebuf - prebuffering
- dl - playback
peers - number of connected peers
speed_down - download speed (Kbytes per sec)
speed_up - upload (Kbytes per sec)
downloaded - total downloaded (bytes)
uploaded - total uploaded (bytes)
total_progress - download ratio in percentage to media size, valid for VOD only, for live always 0

Example:

Query:
http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/stat/6d12f958332ef0bd258053ba1afd833ddf9b74f9/f528764d624db129b32c21fbca0cb8d6

Response:
{
  "response": {
    "status": "dl",
    "uploaded": 0,
    "speed_down": 516,
    "speed_up": 0,
    "downloaded": 14155776,
    "peers": 2,
    "total_progress": 0
  },
  "error": null
}

Sending extra commands to the app engine

Via command_url link you can control playback session.

Command name passed to app engine via method param. For the moment you can use only one command: stop - stop playback session. Its recommended to send "stop" command to the app engine when user stops playback in the media player UI/controls.

Example:

Query:
http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/cmd/5410b27fc567c35c8547e3b69b141215ce3a1fd7/ef0609c43e560697329d93dae4571edb?method=stop

Response:
{
    "response": "ok",
    "error": null
}

Getting events from the app engine

Via event_url link you can get events from the app engine, using "long polling" method.

As response app engine should return data in the response field (JSON format):

name - event name
params - object with actual param

In the versions prior to 3003600 response field contains "JSON as string" data. В версиях до 3003600 в поле response передается не сам JSON-объект, а его строковое представление.

Example:

Query:
http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/event/5410b27fc567c35c8547e3b69b141215ce3a1fd7/ef0609c43e560697329d93dae4571edb

Response (engine version >= 3003600):
{
    "response": {
        "name": "got_codec_info",
        "params: {
            "audio_codec_id": 86018,
            "video_codec_id": 28
        }
    },
    "error": null
}

Response (engine version < 3003600):
{
    "response": "{\"name\": \"got_codec_info\"}, \"params\": {\"audio_codec_id\": 86018, \"video_codec_id\": 28}",
    "error": null
}

When current playback session has stopped, event_url response looks like:

{
    "response": null,
    "error": "download stopped"
}

And player should stop sending queries to event_url.

Events list

missing_content

quered fragment cannot be found (HLS playback). Player should fast-forward to keep up with "live" stream.

got_codec_info

stream codec data is ready.

params: video_codec_id - video codec id; audio_codec_id - audio codec id

audio/video IDs corresponded to ffmpeg libavcodec, full list here

this event can be useful, when player do not support such codec(s).

segmenter_failed

built-in HLS-segmenter failed to process stream. Player should stop the playback.

download_stopped

engine has stopped playback

params

reason - stop reason, possible values:

missing_option - content not free, "paid option" is missing.

option - missing option ID (for reason=missing_option)

Javascript example

Using jQuery library.

function startEventListener() {
    $.ajax({
        url: url,
        method: "GET",
        dataType: "json",
        cache: false,
        success: function(response) {
            if(response.error) {
                console.log("event listener: got error: " + response.error);
            }
            else {
                var event = response.response;
                if(typeof event !== "object") {
                    event = JSON.parse(event);
                }
                console.log("event listener: got event: name=" + event.name + " params=" + JSON.stringify(params));
                
                // handle event here
                // ...
                
                // listen to the next event (long polling)
                startEventListener(url);
            }
        },
        error: function(xhr, status, error) {
            console.log("event listener error: status=" + status + " error=" + error);
        }
    });
}

// init event listener
startEventListener("http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/event/5410b27fc567c35c8547e3b69b141215ce3a1fd7/ef0609c43e560697329d93dae4571edb");

Notifications about missing paid option

In some cases user must have a permit (the paid option) to playback some content. If such permit not granted, then app engine will stop the playback and send a notification to user (by showing some predefined text in the default browser). This behaviour can be overrided, and then client API will handle user notifications by itself. To do this, engine playback session should be started with use_stop_notifications=1 param. In this case at playback stop app engine will not send notification to user, but send a event to client.

If some permits is not granted, then engine playback can be stopped:

at the playback start:

Start playback:
http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/manifest.m3u8?id=c894b23a65d64a0dae2076d2a01ec6bface83b01&format=json&use_stop_notifications=1
{
    "extra_data": { 
        "reason": "missing_option",
        "option": "proxyServer"
    },
    "response": null,
    "error": "You need to buy Proxy Server option to continue"
}

sometime after playback was started:

If playback was stopped after some time, then engine will send a download_stopped event:

Start playback:
http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/manifest.m3u8?id=c894b23a65d64a0dae2076d2a01ec6bface83b01&format=json&use_api_events=1&use_stop_notifications=1
{
    "response": { 
        "stat_url": "http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/stat/6d12f958332ef0bd258053ba1afd833ddf9b74f9/f528764d624db129b32c21fbca0cb8d6",
        "command_url": "http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/cmd/6d12f958332ef0bd258053ba1afd833ddf9b74f9/f528764d624db129b32c21fbca0cb8d6",
        "event_url": "http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/event/6d12f958332ef0bd258053ba1afd833ddf9b74f9/f528764d624db129b32c21fbca0cb8d6",
        "playback_url": "http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/m/6d12f958332ef0bd258053ba1afd833ddf9b74f9/f528764d624db129b32c21fbca0cb8d6.m3u8"
    },
    "error": null
}

Wait for event via event_url:
http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/event/6d12f958332ef0bd258053ba1afd833ddf9b74f9/f528764d624db129b32c21fbca0cb8d6

At playback stop response should look like:
{
    "response": {
        "name": "download_stopped",
        "params": {
            "reason": "missing_option",
            "option": "proxyServer"
        }
    },
    "error": null
}

Player ID

Player ID - random string, used for player identification during engine connect session.

"Player ID" purpose - app engine must distinguish one player session from another, as in the current engine implementation user cannot play the same live stream with two (or more) players simultaneously from one engine, and engine will stop to serve requests from one player, when got a new request from another.

Engine HTTP API

Contents

About

Limitations

Checking local engine availability

Using HTTP API on Android

API methods

How to get HLS stream

How to get HTTP stream

How to play HLS broadcast

Additional features

Getting some stats

Sending extra commands to the app engine

Getting events from the app engine

Events list

Javascript example

Notifications about missing paid option

Player ID

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