DEV Community: Malti Thakur

Ant Media Server v2.17.0 — SSAI, Web SDK v2 & Low-Latency Streaming at Scale

Malti Thakur — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:35:54 +0000

If you’re working with real-time video or live streaming, the new release of Ant Media Server v2.17.0 is worth a look.

👉 https://antmedia.io/ant-media-server-v2-17-0/

🔥 What’s new?

💰 Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI)
Monetize your streams without disrupting playback — ads are stitched directly into the stream.

⚙️ Web SDK v2
Cleaner API, better reconnection handling, and modern async/await support.

⚡ Improved Low-Latency HLS (LL-HLS)
Scale to larger audiences while keeping latency low (≈2–5s).

🧠 Why it matters

This update focuses on what developers actually need:

Better monetization
Smoother developer experience
More reliable scaling Whether you’re building a live streaming app, webinar platform, or real-time product, these upgrades make things easier.

🚀 Enhance Your Android Live Streams with DeepAR & Custom Overlays Using Ant Media SDK

Malti Thakur — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:06:53 +0000

Live streaming has come a long way. Viewers today expect engaging, interactive experiences — not just a static camera feed. With the Ant Media Android SDK, you can bring Augmented Reality (AR) effects and branded overlays right into your live streams. In this post, we’ll explore how to add DeepAR effects and Custom Canvas Overlays to Android live streams using Ant Media Server’s WebRTC SDK.

🔧 Getting Started

There are two sample activities available in the companion GitHub repo:

DeepARActivity.java — for AR effects

CustomCanvasActivity.java — for custom overlays

📌 To get started:

Clone the sample:

git clone https://github.com/USAMAWIZARD/AntMedia-DeepAR-And-Overlay

Build and run on your Android device.
Start streaming with dynamic effects or branded overlays!

🪄 Section 1: DeepAR Activity — Augmented Reality for Live Streaming

What is DeepAR?

DeepAR is an AR SDK for real-time face tracking, filters, and visual effects. When integrated with the Ant Media Server SDK, you can stream AR-enhanced video with ultra-low latency to your viewers.

*How It Works
*

The camera captures the video feed.
Frames pass through the DeepAR SDK.
DeepAR applies selected AR effects.

Processed frames are sent via WebRTC to the Ant Media Server and streamed live to viewers.

Example effects include:

Viking helmets
Neon devil horns
Playful AR elements

*Code Snippet — Initialize DeepAR
*

deepAR = new DeepAR(this);
deepAR.setLicenseKey("your-license-key");
deepAR.initialize(this, this);

initializeEffects();
setupCamera();
setupStreamingAndPreview();

*WebRTC Client Setup
*

webRTCClient = IWebRTCClient.builder()
    .setServerUrl("wss://test.antmedia.io/LiveApp/websocket")
    .setActivity(this)
    .setVideoSource(IWebRTCClient.StreamSource.CUSTOM)
    .setWebRTCListener(createWebRTCListener())
    .setInitiateBeforeStream(true)
    .build();

*Camera Frame Processing
*

imageAnalysis.setAnalyzer(ContextCompat.getMainExecutor(this), image -> {
    try {
        feedDeepAR(image);
    } finally {
        image.close();
    }
});

You can also cycle through effects with simple UI controls.

*🎨 Section 2: Custom Canvas Activity — Branded Overlays
*
While AR effects are fun, sometimes streams need branding elements, such as:

Logos
Watermarks
Text captions

That’s where Custom Canvas Overlays come in.

*Built-in Overlay Types
*

Image Overlay
Use your own logo or branding graphic, positioned anywhere on the screen.
Text Overlay
Show custom text like titles or hashtags, with adjustable font size and color.

How It Works
CameraX captures frames.
An OpenGL ES renderer composites overlays.
Final frames are streamed via WebRTC. *Sample Overlay Setup *

imageProxyRenderer = new ImageProxyRenderer(webRTCClient, this, surfaceView, new CanvasListener() {
    @Override
    public void onSurfaceInitialized() {
        // Image overlay
        logoOverlay = new Overlay(getApplicationContext(), R.drawable.test, 0.8f, 0.8f);
        logoOverlay.setSize(0.2f);

        // Text overlay
        textOverlay = new Overlay(getApplicationContext(), "Hello", 64, Color.RED, 0f, -0.3f);
        textOverlay.setSize(0.12f);
    }
});

*🚀 Why Ant Media Server?
*
Using WebRTC with Ant Media Server gives you:

✔ Ultra-low latency streaming
✔ Scalable streaming to thousands of viewers
✔ Adaptive bitrate support
✔ Cross-platform playback on any device or browser

*🏁 Wrap Up
*
Whether you want fun AR effects or professional overlays, the Ant Media Android SDK gives you powerful tools to elevate your Android live streaming.

*👉 Clone the project and start experimenting!
*
Would you like a formatted Markdown version with images and GitHub links ready for DEV.to (so it looks even better when published)? Just let me know!
👉 Check the original tutorial here: https://antmedia.io/deepar-and-custom-overlay-with-ant-media-android-sdk/

Build a WebRTC Streaming App in Flutter Using Ant Media SDK

Malti Thakur — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 09:34:05 +0000

WebRTC enables real-time, ultra-low latency audio and video streaming. While it’s widely used on the web, integrating WebRTC into Flutter applications can be challenging without the right tools.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how to use the Ant Media WebRTC Flutter SDK to publish and play live streams in a Flutter app with minimal setup.

What you’ll learn

How to create a Flutter project
How to add Ant Media’s WebRTC Flutter SDK
How to publish a live WebRTC stream
How to play the stream in your app

Why Ant Media WebRTC Flutter SDK?

Cross-platform support (Web & Mobile)
Ultra-low latency streaming
Easy API integration
Production-ready WebRTC infrastructure Getting Started

First, create a Flutter project and make sure Flutter Web is enabled.

Then add the SDK to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies: ant_media_flutter: ^1.4.1

Run:

flutter pub get
Publish a Stream

Using the SDK, you can connect to Ant Media Server and start publishing a WebRTC stream by setting the connection type to Publish.

Play a Stream

To play the live stream, simply change the connection type to Play and run the app again.

That’s it 🎉
With just a few steps, you can build real-time video streaming applications such as:

Live events
Online education platforms
Video conferencing apps
Interactive streaming solutions

👉 Full tutorial:
https://antmedia.io/webrtc-flutter-sdk/

Join the Ant Media AI Hackathon | Feb 25–28, 2026

Malti Thakur — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:49:44 +0000

Ant Media AI Hackathon: Build AI-Powered Real-Time Streaming Apps

Malti Thakur ・ Jan 16

#hackathon #ai #streaming #webrtc

[Boost]

Malti Thakur — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:47:54 +0000

Ant Media AI Hackathon: Build AI-Powered Real-Time Streaming Apps

Malti Thakur ・ Jan 16

#hackathon #ai #streaming #webrtc

Ant Media AI Hackathon: Build AI-Powered Real-Time Streaming Apps

Malti Thakur — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:58:38 +0000

The Ant Media AI Hackathon is an online hackathon focused on building
AI-powered real-time streaming solutions using Ant Media Server.

📅 Hackathon Dates: Feb 25–28, 2026

🗓 Registration Deadline: Jan 25, 2026

🏆 Prizes: $5,000 | $3,000 | $2,000

👥 Participation: Individuals or teams (up to 5 members)

Participants can build projects such as:

Speech-to-text or translation for live streams
Real-time video effects
AI-driven media generation
Detection, analytics, or AR/VR streaming features

👉 Learn more and register here:
https://antmedia.io/ai-hackathon/

Deploy Ant Media Server on Amazon Web Services Marketplace in Minutes

Malti Thakur — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 07:20:20 +0000

If you need low-latency live streaming for events, webinars, gaming, auctions or interactive apps, Ant Media Server on AWS is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get started.

From the AWS Marketplace, you can deploy a fully working streaming server in just a few clicks — no manual installation and no complex setup.

Why Ant Media on AWS?

Sub-second WebRTC latency
Auto-Scaling for large audiences
Global coverage with multiple AWS regions
Pay-as-you-go pricing
Simple deployment from AWS Marketplace It’s perfect for real-time applications where delay matters.

Deployment Options

You can deploy Ant Media on AWS in several ways depending on your needs:

1️⃣ Fully Managed AMI (Fastest)

Best for production streaming when you want everything handled.

👉 Launch from Marketplace:
https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-gq2v7oq22uvos

2️⃣ CloudFormation (Infrastructure-as-Code)

Ideal for DevOps teams who need custom VPC, subnets, scaling, etc.

Deployment guide:
https://docs.antmedia.io/guides/clustering-and-scaling/aws/aws-cloudformation/scale-with-aws-cloudformation/

3️⃣ Container Deployments (ECS / EKS)

For dockerized environments and CI/CD pipelines.

👉 Container listing:
https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-w5vfsfcf3puju

4️⃣ Simple EC2 AMI

Good for testing, labs, quick demos.

What You Need Before Launch

Active AWS account
Subscribe to Ant Media from AWS Marketplace
Optional: domain + SSL for production security

Tips for Smooth Deployment

Choose CPU or GPU optimized instances if you expect transcoding or large audiences.
Store recordings in S3, not on EC2.
Secure ports and enable HTTPS for WebRTC.

Why This Matters

With Ant Media + AWS, you can go from zero to streaming in minutes — and scale to thousands or millions of viewers when needed. Whether it’s a virtual event, online class, auction platform, or real-time collaboration app, low latency makes all the difference.

Useful Links

Ant Media Website: https://antmedia.io
Marketplace AMI: https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-gq2v7oq22uvos
Container listing: https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-w5vfsfcf3puju
Documentation & Guides: https://docs.antmedia.io