aws_ivs_realtime

Flutter plugin for Amazon IVS Real-Time: low-latency multi-participant live video (stage / “broadcast” grid) on Android and iOS, plus optional Amazon IVS Chat for room-style text messages alongside the stream.

What you get:

• Real-time live streaming (Stages) — native participant grid (host and viewers), camera/mic publish, mute, leave; bridged with a MethodChannel and platform view (IvsRealtimePlatform, AwsIvsRealtimePlatformView.viewType).
• Control plane in Dart (optional) — create/list/delete stages, mint participant tokens, create/delete chat rooms, mint chat tokens — either by implementing one backend-facing interface (IvsLiveControlPlane) or by using the built-in SigV4-on-device implementation (IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane) for prototypes only.
• IVS Chat WebSocket — IvsChatSession after you obtain a chat token.
• Runtime permissions — permission_handler before join/publish.

Live streaming only vs live + chat

• Streaming only (no chat): use IvsRealtimePlatform + the platform view (AwsIvsRealtimePlatformView.viewType) and a participant token from mintParticipantToken / your backend. Do not create IvsChatSession, do not call mintChatToken / createChatRoom, and do not add chat UI widgets. The native stage never shows a chat pane by itself—there is no plugin-wide “chat on/off” flag; chat appears only if your app wires it up.
• Streaming + chat: additionally connect IvsChatSession and build your own message list / composer.
• IvsLiveControlPlane lists chat APIs alongside Real-Time APIs so one implementation can power both products; you may still call only the stage-related methods from your UI—unused chat methods stay unused (no extra change inside this package).
• The example/ app demonstrates both together for convenience; a minimal integration can be video only.

Source repository, pub.dev, and where to run the demo

What	URL / path
GitHub (browse source)	https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime
Clone	git clone https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime.git
Issues	https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime/issues
Runnable example app	Folder example/ in that repository — open example/ on GitHub
Published package	https://pub.dev/packages/aws_ivs_realtime
Sample app (app-only, no backend)	aws_ivs_realtime_usage — standalone Flutter repo: use the package from the app only (no separate backend) as a reference for integration

Reference — app-only sample: vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime_usage is a standalone Flutter project (not the in-repo example/) that shows how to wire aws_ivs_realtime without a backend—ideal if you depend on pub.dev and want a full app tree to copy from. Clone: https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime_usage.

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Two layers (do not confuse them)

Layer	Purpose	Key type
Native stage	Render tiles + send/receive real-time A/V	IvsRealtimePlatform.join needs only the IVS participant token (opaque string from AWS CreateParticipantToken). Never pass IAM access key / secret here.
Control plane (Dart)	Create stages, list stages, mint participant/chat tokens, delete resources	Either your backend (implement IvsLiveControlPlane) or IAM credentials inside the app via IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane (non-production pattern).

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Backend integration: implement IvsLiveControlPlane

If your AWS keys and SigV4 signing live only on your servers, the Flutter side should implements IvsLiveControlPlane.

What you must do (no ambiguity)

1. Create a Dart class that implements IvsLiveControlPlane (see lib/ivs_live_control_plane.dart for exact signatures).
2. Implement every method in that abstract class. Each method corresponds one-to-one to an AWS operation listed below. Your implementation typically:
   • forwards the method arguments to your HTTP/gRPC/mobile-BFF API using your URLs and auth; then
   • parses your API’s JSON into the Dart return type shown.
3. Your server performs the real AWS call (with an IAM role or temporary credentials). The app never receives long-lived IAM user keys in this model.
4. Reference: IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane in this repo is the same interface already implemented using SigV4 from the device — use its source as a behavioral reference for what each operation is supposed to accomplish (then replace networking with calls to your backend).

This README does not define your REST paths or JSON field names; only the Dart contract is fixed.

Methods you must implement (full contract)

You implement	AWS operation (your backend must honor this semantics)	Dart return type
mintParticipantToken	CreateParticipantToken	Future<String> — only the participant token string (same value as participantToken.token in the AWS JSON).
listStages	ListStages	Future<List<Map<String, dynamic>>> — one map per stage summary (same information you would map from AWS stageList items).
createStage	CreateStage	Future<Map<String, dynamic>> — stage object / metadata as maps (equivalent to parsing AWS stage + related fields your UI needs).
deleteStage	DeleteStage	Future<void>
createChatRoom	CreateRoom (IVS Chat)	Future<Map<String, dynamic>> — room resource (same semantics as AWS room in the response).
deleteChatRoom	DeleteRoom	Future<void>
mintChatToken	CreateChatToken	Future<Map<String, dynamic>> — token payload your app passes into IvsChatSession (same logical fields AWS returns for a chat token).

Typical live flow with a backend: createStage (once) → share stage ARN → for each participant mintParticipantToken → IvsRealtimePlatform.join(token: ...) with native grid widget → optional: createChatRoom / mintChatToken / IvsChatSession for messages.

After you implement it: how to use IvsLiveControlPlane in your app

Implementing the interface is only half the work. You also instantiate your class and call its methods from your widgets / controllers, then feed the return values into the other types from this package.

Object	Type	Role
control	Your implements IvsLiveControlPlane	Talks to your backend (or wraps it). Produces tokens and stage/chat metadata.
stage	IvsRealtimePlatform	Talks to native Android/iOS IVS Real-Time (join / leave / mute / events). Does not use your interface by itself — you call both.
Grid widget	AndroidView / UiKitView	Renders video tiles; see the Platform view subsection (under App-only below).

1) Live video (Stages) — what goes where

1. Build final control = MyBackendControlPlane(/* your HTTP client, base URL, auth */); and final stage = IvsRealtimePlatform(); (often State fields).
2. Discover or create a stage (optional): await control.listStages(region: region) for UI lists, or final created = await control.createStage(region: region, name: name). Your implementation’s map should include something you can treat as stage ARN (same information as AWS CreateStage / ListStages — commonly an arn field on the stage object).
3. Mint a participant token for the current user:
   final participantToken = await control.mintParticipantToken(region: region, stageArn: stageArn, userId: optionalUserId, durationMinutes: 120, capabilities: const ['PUBLISH', 'SUBSCRIBE']);
   The returned String is the only value that ever goes to native join.
4. Show the grid in the widget tree (platform view, non-zero size) — same snippet as in the Platform view subsection under App-only below.
5. Attach to the stage:
   await stage.join(token: participantToken, publish: isHostOrPublisher);
   Mic permission is always requested; camera when publish is true.
6. While live: use stage.setPublish, stage.setLocalStreamMuted, listen to stage.stageConnectionEvents for disconnect / host-ended flows.
7. When done: await stage.leave(); and, if you no longer need the AWS stage, await control.deleteStage(region: region, stageArn: stageArn).

Your backend’s JSON shapes are yours; the Dart side only needs to extract String / Map / List values that match the meanings in the table above so you can pass them into join, UI models, and chat below.

2) IVS Chat (optional) — chaining IvsLiveControlPlane → IvsChatSession

1. Room: final room = await control.createChatRoom(region: region, name: roomDisplayName); — take roomArn (or equivalent) from the map your backend returns (AWS CreateRoom exposes the room ARN).
2. Session: final chat = IvsChatSession();
3. Connect: await chat.connect(region: region, resolveChatToken: () async { final m = await control.mintChatToken(region: region, roomArn: roomArn, userId: stableUserId, attributes: {...}); final t = m['token'] as String?; if (t == null || t.isEmpty) throw StateError('no chat token'); return t; });
IvsChatSession.connect calls resolveChatToken again on reconnect, so each call should hit your backend for a fresh token (short-lived), not reuse one cached string forever.
4. UI: listen to chat.lines (Stream<IvsChatLine>) for incoming messages; use chat.sendMessage when the socket is open.
5. Teardown: await chat.dispose(); and optionally await control.deleteChatRoom(region: region, roomArn: roomArn).

3) Summary

• IvsLiveControlPlane = how your Flutter code gets AWS-shaped data from your servers.
• IvsRealtimePlatform + platform view = how that data becomes live video on device.
• IvsChatSession = how chat tokens from the same interface become a WebSocket message stream.

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App-only (no backend): where IAM keys and ARNs go

Preferred built-in type: IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane with an IvsAwsCredentialResolver — a zero-argument function that returns (accessKeyId, secretAccessKey, sessionToken?).

Put credentials only in one of these places (pick one strategy and stick to it):

Strategy	Where you put access key ID, secret key, optional session token	Where you put AWS region and stage ARN
A. Build-time defines	Inside the resolver, read const String.fromEnvironment('AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID'), 'AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY', optional 'AWS_SESSION_TOKEN'	Same pattern: String.fromEnvironment('AWS_REGION', defaultValue: 'us-east-1'), String.fromEnvironment('IVS_STAGE_ARN')
B. Runtime UI or secure storage	Resolver reads TextEditingController.text, flutter_secure_storage, env via Platform.environment, etc.	Passed as variables into mintParticipantToken(region: ..., stageArn: ...) from your own state (text fields, remote config, etc.)
C. Literals in source	Do not commit keys in Dart string literals to a public repository.	Same

Run / build with compile-time defines (strategy A), from your app directory:

flutter run \
  --dart-define=AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID \
  --dart-define=AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY \
  --dart-define=AWS_REGION=us-east-1 \
  --dart-define=IVS_STAGE_ARN=arn:aws:ivs:us-east-1:123456789012:stage/yourStageId

Optional: who this participant is on the stage (otherwise AWS / tiles only see an anonymous participant):

  --dart-define=IVS_PARTICIPANT_USER_ID=alice-12345

Optional temporary credentials:

  --dart-define=AWS_SESSION_TOKEN=YOUR_SESSION_TOKEN

Minimal usage after keys are available:

import 'package:aws_ivs_realtime/aws_ivs_realtime.dart';

final ivs = IvsRealtimePlatform();
final control = IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane(
  resolveCredentials: () => (
    accessKeyId: const String.fromEnvironment('AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID'),
    secretAccessKey: const String.fromEnvironment('AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY'),
    sessionToken: _opt('AWS_SESSION_TOKEN'),
  ),
);

String? _opt(String k) {
  const v = String.fromEnvironment(k, defaultValue: '');
  return v.isEmpty ? null : v;
}

Future<void> joinWithSigV4() async {
  const region = String.fromEnvironment('AWS_REGION', defaultValue: 'us-east-1');
  const stageArn = String.fromEnvironment('IVS_STAGE_ARN');
  const participantUserId = String.fromEnvironment('IVS_PARTICIPANT_USER_ID', defaultValue: '');

  final token = await control.mintParticipantToken(
    region: region,
    stageArn: stageArn,
    // Sent to AWS CreateParticipantToken as `userId` — use your real signed-in id / handle.
    userId: participantUserId.isEmpty ? null : participantUserId,
  );
  await ivs.join(token: token, publish: true);
}

Where the “name” comes from (app-only is the same idea as backend):

• Stage / live video: the README snippet above did not show a name before because userId is optional. Pass userId: into mintParticipantToken (from auth, profile, or --dart-define=IVS_PARTICIPANT_USER_ID as a stand-in). That value is what AWS associates with the participant for the Real-Time session; the native grid labels participants using IVS metadata—not a hardcoded “Flutter demo user” from this package.
• IVS Chat sender labels: set when you call control.mintChatToken(..., userId: ..., attributes: {'displayName': 'Alice Smith'}). Your UI reads IvsChatLine events; other clients see the attributes / user id your app sent. There is no separate “name” field on IvsRealtimePlatform.join—only the opaque participant token—so identity for chat is always via mintChatToken (or your backend’s equivalent).

Important: mintParticipantToken + join do not draw anything on screen by themselves. You must embed the native participant grid with a Flutter platform view or you will hear/encode media but see no tiles / video.

Platform view: show the live grid (AndroidView / UiKitView)

Use the constant AwsIvsRealtimePlatformView.viewType (ivs_stage_view). Match the plugin’s codec registration with StandardMessageCodec(). Give the view a non-zero size (Expanded, SizedBox.expand, etc.). Backend and app-only flows both use this widget — only the way you obtain the participant token differs.

import 'dart:io';

import 'package:aws_ivs_realtime/aws_ivs_realtime.dart';
import 'package:flutter/cupertino.dart' show UiKitView;
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter/services.dart';

Widget ivsParticipantGrid() {
  if (!ivsNativeStageSupported) {
    return const Center(child: Text('Stages are only on Android and iOS.'));
  }
  if (Platform.isAndroid) {
    return AndroidView(
      viewType: AwsIvsRealtimePlatformView.viewType,
      layoutDirection: TextDirection.ltr,
      creationParamsCodec: StandardMessageCodec(),
    );
  }
  return UiKitView(
    viewType: AwsIvsRealtimePlatformView.viewType,
    layoutDirection: TextDirection.ltr,
    creationParamsCodec: StandardMessageCodec(),
  );
}

// Typical layout: put the platform view in an Expanded, then call joinWithSigV4()
// (or join with a backend-minted token). If tiles stay blank after join, call
// ivs.refreshStageBindings() once from a post-frame callback — see DOCUMENTATION.md.

Listing stages, showing them in Flutter UI, and joining an existing stage

The same IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane (or your IvsLiveControlPlane backend implementation) exposes listStages, createStage, deleteStage, chat helpers, etc. Typical Dart-only flow:

1. await control.listStages(region: region) → List<Map<String, dynamic>> (each map is an AWS stage summary; at minimum expect an arn and often a name).
2. Render that list with normal Flutter widgets (ListView, ListTile, DataTable, …) — this is where you choose titles, subtitles, pull-to-refresh, empty states, etc.
3. When the user picks a row, read stage['arn'] as String and call await control.mintParticipantToken(region: region, stageArn: arn, userId: …), then await ivs.join(token: token, publish: …) with the platform view already in the tree.

Optional: await control.createStage(region: region, name: 'my-show-001', tags: {...}) returns the created stage Map (includes arn); mint a token for that ARN to go live as host.

import 'package:aws_ivs_realtime/aws_ivs_realtime.dart';

Future<void> refreshStageCatalog({
  required IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane control,
  required String region,
  required void Function(List<Map<String, dynamic>> stages) onStages,
}) async {
  final stages = await control.listStages(region: region);
  onStages(stages);
}

Future<void> joinExistingStageFromRow({
  required IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane control,
  required IvsRealtimePlatform ivs,
  required String region,
  required String stageArn,
  String? participantUserId,
  bool publish = false,
}) async {
  final token = await control.mintParticipantToken(
    region: region,
    stageArn: stageArn,
    userId: participantUserId,
  );
  await ivs.join(token: token, publish: publish);
}

// Example list wiring (simplified — use setState / provider / bloc in a real app):
Widget stagePicker({
  required List<Map<String, dynamic>> stages,
  required void Function(String arn) onPickArn,
}) {
  return ListView.builder(
    itemCount: stages.length,
    itemBuilder: (context, i) {
      final s = stages[i];
      final arn = s['arn'] as String?;
      final title = s['name'] as String? ?? arn ?? 'Stage';
      return ListTile(
        title: Text(title),
        subtitle: arn != null
            ? Text(arn, maxLines: 1, overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis)
            : null,
        onTap: arn == null ? null : () => onPickArn(arn),
      );
    },
  );
}

If you use tags to mark which stages are “live” (as the repo example/ does with IvsRealtimeStagesApi.tagStatus), filter in Dart with stages.where(...) before building the list — the API returns all stages the credentials can see, not only live ones.

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Native stage: embed the grid and join (after you have a participant token)

This is the same for backend or app-only paths: once you have a participant token string, the native video UI always goes through the platform view above plus IvsRealtimePlatform.join.

1. Host app: Android minSdk = 28 on your app module; iOS 14+; permissions and permission_handler iOS preprocessor flags — see Requirements and Install.
2. Widget: AndroidView (Android) or UiKitView (iOS) — same Platform view snippet as in the App-only section above (required for any participant token source).
3. Join: await ivs.join(token: participantTokenString, publish: hostPublishesA/V);
4. Events / lifecycle: subscribe to stageConnectionEvents; call leave when done; optionally refreshStageBindings after first frame if tiles misbind — details in DOCUMENTATION.md.

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AWS keys vs participant token

String	Pass to join(token:)?	Role
Participant token	Yes	Output of CreateParticipantToken; consumed by native IVS SDK.
Access key ID / secret / session token	No	Only for signing AWS HTTPS in Dart (IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane) or on your server.

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What you need to know first

Step	Responsibility
1. Stage exists	You (console, IaC, createStage via control plane, etc.).
2. Participant token	mintParticipantToken on your IvsLiveControlPlane implementation or IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane / IvsRealtimeTokenClient.
3. Native UI + join	AwsIvsRealtimePlatformView.viewType + IvsRealtimePlatform.join.

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Where everything lives in the package

Goal	API
Native join / leave / mute / publish	IvsRealtimePlatform
Native grid viewType	AwsIvsRealtimePlatformView
Backend-shaped control plane (you implement)	IvsLiveControlPlane
SigV4 on device (implements same interface)	IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane
Low-level participant token HTTP + SigV4	IvsRealtimeTokenClient
Stage REST helpers (keys passed per call)	IvsRealtimeStagesApi
Chat REST helpers	IvsChatApi
Chat WebSocket	IvsChatSession

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Requirements

Platform	Minimum	Notes
Android	API 28	RECORD_AUDIO, CAMERA when publishing
iOS	14.0	NSMicrophoneUsageDescription, NSCameraUsageDescription

Native SDKs: Android Maven ivs-broadcast stages AAR (1.41.0 in this repo); iOS CocoaPods AmazonIVSBroadcast/Stages (~> 1.36.0 in the podspec).

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Install

From pub.dev:

dependencies:
  aws_ivs_realtime: ^0.1.4

From Git:

dependencies:
  aws_ivs_realtime:
    git:
      url: https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime.git

Android — your AndroidManifest.xml (required)

The plugin’s own android/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml does not declare network or A/V permissions. Your application module must include them so the merged app manifest allows IVS Real-Time and permission_handler prompts.

Inside android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml, as direct children of <manifest> (before <application>), add at least:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS" />

• INTERNET — AWS HTTPS, IVS signaling, IVS Chat WebSocket.
• RECORD_AUDIO — join stage (subscribe/publish audio).
• CAMERA — publish video when join(..., publish: true) / host camera.
• MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS — used in the reference example for audio routing; safe to keep for parity with example/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml.

Declaring these is not optional: the Dart side only requests runtime access via permission_handler; the OS still requires the <uses-permission> entries in your manifest.

iOS — your Info.plist + Podfile (required)

Add (or merge) usage descriptions in ios/Runner/Info.plist — replace the strings with copy appropriate for your app:

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Camera is used to publish your video to the IVS Real-Time stage when you go live.</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>Microphone is used to publish and receive audio on the IVS Real-Time stage.</string>

In ios/Podfile, use at least iOS 14 and, if CocoaPods requires it, use_modular_headers! (see example/ios/Podfile).

permission_handler on iOS: copy the GCC_PREPROCESSOR_DEFINITIONS block from example/ios/Podfile post_install (PERMISSION_MICROPHONE=1, PERMISSION_CAMERA=1) so microphone/camera code is compiled into permission_handler_apple; otherwise dialogs never appear.

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Customizing buttons and layout around the live stream (Flutter / Dart)

The native participant grid (video tiles inside AndroidView / UiKitView) is drawn by the plugin’s embedded Android / iOS UI. You do not need to edit native XML or Swift to:

• Add lobbies, toolbars, bottom sheets, navigation, theme colors, typography, padding, or any Flutter layout around the platform view (Stack, Scaffold, SafeArea, Row/Column, etc.).
• Build lists of stages, Join / Leave buttons, host vs viewer toggles, or overlays (mute, end stream) — all in Dart, calling IvsLiveControlPlane / IvsAwsSigV4ControlPlane + IvsRealtimePlatform as in the Listing stages… snippet under App-only earlier in this README.

Treat the platform view like a single embedded surface: you control everything outside and around it with normal Flutter widgets. Changing how each internal video tile looks (pixel-level native skin) is outside typical app integration and is not required for custom product UI.

By default, each native tile is video only (no subscribe/mute/dB strip). Call IvsRealtimePlatform.setShowParticipantStateOverlay with true before join if you want the previous demo-style labels on the tiles.

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Example app (run the demo from GitHub)

The authoritative runnable project lives in the example/ directory of https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime (example/ tree). Use it to see lobby → full-screen live → optional IVS Chat, plus a switch between SigV4 on device and a stub IvsLiveControlPlane implementation.

App-only reference (no backend): for a separate Flutter app that consumes the published package and does not use a backend, see aws_ivs_realtime_usage on GitHub — https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime_usage. Listed as Sample app (app-only, no backend) in the table at the top of this README.

Run locally (after you clone https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime.git):

cd aws_ivs_realtime/example
flutter pub get
flutter run

Use a physical device or emulator that meets Requirements. For SigV4 from defines, pass the same --dart-define=... values documented under App-only in this README.

If you depend on the package from pub.dev only, your own app will not contain this example/ tree — clone the GitHub repository whenever you want to run or copy from the demo.

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Documentation

Channels, SigV4 service scope (ivs vs ivsrealtime), troubleshooting: DOCUMENTATION.md.

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Contributing

Issues and pull requests: https://github.com/vipulbansal/aws_ivs_realtime (same repository linked in Source repository at the top of this README).

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Publishing (maintainers)

dart pub publish from package root. Do not ship IAM credentials in app binaries or public repos.

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License

See LICENSE.