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Proxies

Proxies are your output playlists that players connect to.

What's a Proxy?​

A proxy is a virtual playlist that:

  • Combines channels from multiple sources
  • Applies filters and data mappings
  • Serves an M3U8 playlist and EPG XML
  • Optionally proxies or transcodes streams

Proxy Modes​

How streams are delivered to your player:

Redirect Mode​

Player ──▶ tvarr (redirect) ──▶ Player connects directly to source
  • Pros: Zero bandwidth on tvarr server, lowest latency
  • Cons: Exposes source URLs, no transcoding, no buffering
  • Use when: Source is reliable and player handles it well

Proxy Mode​

Player ──▶ tvarr (proxy) ──▶ Source
           └── buffers ────┘
  • Pros: Hides source URLs, can buffer unstable sources
  • Cons: All traffic goes through tvarr
  • Use when: Source URLs change or need basic proxying

Relay Mode​

Player ──▶ tvarr (relay) ──▶ FFmpeg ──▶ Source
           └── transcodes ─────┘
  • Pros: Full transcoding, codec conversion, multiple output formats
  • Cons: CPU/GPU intensive, higher latency
  • Use when: Device needs different codecs, want HLS/DASH output

Output URLs​

After generating a proxy, you get these URLs:

TypeURL Pattern
M3U8 Playlist/api/v1/proxy/{id}/playlist.m3u8
EPG XML/api/v1/proxy/{id}/epg.xml
Individual Stream/api/v1/relay/channel/{id}/stream

Relay Formats​

When using Relay mode, you can serve streams in different formats:

FormatBest For
hls-tsWide compatibility (default HLS)
hls-fmp4Modern players, better seeking
dashAdaptive bitrate, web players
tsContinuous MPEG-TS stream

Players request their preferred format via query parameter or headers.