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Priyabrato Saha
Priyabrato Saha

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Deploying a LiveKit Server on Google Cloud VM – Step-by-Step Guide

#livekit #gcp #webdev #nextjs

🚀 Setting up LiveKit Server on a Google Cloud VM (GCP)

This guide explains how to set up and run a LiveKit server on a Google Cloud VM instance using systemd for persistent, auto-starting service.

📌 Prerequisites

  • Google Cloud Project with billing enabled
  • VM Instance created (preferably Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
  • gcloud CLI configured (optional for local management)
  • Domain name (optional but useful)

1. ✅ Create and Configure a VM Instance

  1. Go to GCP Console
  2. Navigate to Compute Engine > VM Instances
  3. Click Create Instance
  4. Settings:
  • Machine type: e2-medium or higher
  • Boot disk: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
  • Firewall: Allow both HTTP and HTTPS
  • External IP: Static (Reserved)
    1. SSH into the instance: 
gcloud compute ssh <instance-name>
# or use browser SSH terminal
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2. 🧱 Install Dependencies 

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y tmux curl unzip nginx
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3. 🛠 Install and Set Up LiveKit Server

Step 1: Download the Binary 

cd ~
mkdir -p apps/livekit && cd apps/livekit
curl -LO https://github.com/livekit/livekit/releases/latest/download/livekit-linux-amd64
chmod +x livekit-linux-amd64
sudo mv livekit-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/livekit-server
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Step 2: Create Config File (livekit.yaml) 

nano livekit.yaml
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Paste minimal config:

port: 7880
rtc:
  udp_port: 7881
  tcp_port: 7882
keys:
  devkey: secret
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Replace keys with your preferred API key pair or manage with env vars.

4. ⚙️ Set Up systemd Service 

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/livekit.service
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Paste the following:

[Unit]
Description=LiveKit Server
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/livekit-server --config /home/YOUR_USER/apps/livekit/livekit.yaml
Restart=always
User=YOUR_USER
WorkingDirectory=/home/YOUR_USER/apps/livekit

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
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Replace YOUR_USER with your GCP username (e.g., priya_scse2022)

Reload and Enable 

sudo systemctl daemon-reexec
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable livekit.service
sudo systemctl start livekit.service
sudo systemctl status livekit.service
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5. 🌐 Configure NGINX (Optional: Reverse Proxy) 

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/livekit
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Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name livekit.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:7880;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
    }
}
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Enable it:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/livekit /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx
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Optional: Add SSL with Let's Encrypt

6. ✅ Verify Everything

  • Visit http://<your-external-ip>:7880 or http://livekit.yourdomain.com
  • Check logs: journalctl -u livekit.service -f
  • On VM reboot, LiveKit will auto-start via systemd

✅ Done!

You now have a persistent, production-ready LiveKit server running on GCP with automatic restarts using systemd and optional reverse proxy using NGINX.

🛡 Pro Tips

  • Add a firewall rule to open ports 7880-7882
  • Use ufw or GCP firewall for tighter security
  • For production, consider load balancing and TLS termination
  • To update LiveKit: 
sudo systemctl stop livekit.service
curl -LO https://github.com/livekit/livekit/releases/latest/download/livekit-linux-amd64
chmod +x livekit-linux-amd64
sudo mv livekit-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/livekit-server
sudo systemctl start livekit.service
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Happy hacking with LiveKit! 🎙️

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