Overview
--------

Streamlink is a :ref:`command-line utility <cli>` which pipes video streams
from various services into a video player, such as `VLC`_.
The main purpose of Streamlink is to avoid resource-heavy and unoptimized websites,
while still allowing the user to enjoy various streamed content.
There is also an :ref:`API <api_guide>` available for developers who want access
to the stream data.

This project was forked from Livestreamer, which is no longer maintained.

Latest release (|version|)
    https://github.com/streamlink/streamlink/releases/latest
GitHub
    https://github.com/streamlink/streamlink
Issue tracker
    https://github.com/streamlink/streamlink/issues
PyPI
    https://pypi.org/project/streamlink/
Free software
    Simplified BSD license

Features
--------

Streamlink is built upon a plugin system which allows support for new services
to be easily added. Most of the big streaming services are supported, such as:

- `Twitch.tv <https://www.twitch.tv/>`_
- `YouTube.com <https://www.youtube.com/>`_
- `Livestream.com <https://livestream.com/>`_
- `Dailymotion.com <https://www.dailymotion.com/live>`_

... and many more. A full list of plugins currently included can be found
on the :ref:`plugin_matrix` page.

Quickstart
----------

The default behavior of Streamlink is to play back streams in the `VLC <https://www.videolan.org/>`_ player.

.. sourcecode:: console

    $ streamlink twitch.tv/day9tv best
    [cli][info] Found matching plugin twitch for URL twitch.tv/day9tv
    [cli][info] Available streams: audio_only, 160p (worst), 360p, 480p, 720p, 720p60, 1080p60 (best)
    [cli][info] Opening stream: 1080p60 (hls)
    [cli][info] Starting player: vlc

For more in-depth usage and install instructions, please refer to the `User guide`_.

User guide
----------

Streamlink is made up of two parts, a :ref:`cli` and a library :ref:`API <api>`.
See their respective sections for more information on how to use them.

.. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 2

    install
    cli
    plugin_matrix
    players
    issues
    api_guide
    api
    changelog
    donate
    applications
    thirdparty
