> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.x.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Broadcast Lifecycle

> Broadcasts are ephemeral live sessions tied to a stream source, moving through NOT_STARTED, RUNNING, and ENDED states.

Broadcasts are ephemeral sessions tied to a source. A broadcast starts in `NOT_STARTED`, moves to `RUNNING` when published, and ends in `ENDED` (or another terminal state).

## Broadcast states

| State | Meaning |
| :- | :- |
| `NOT_STARTED` | Created but not yet live. Initial state returned by Create Broadcast. |
| `PRE_PUBLISHED` | Transitional state while the broadcast is being prepared to go live. |
| `RUNNING` | Live and publicly visible. Set after a successful `PUBLISH`. |
| `ENDED` | Finished normally after `END`. Terminal — a broadcast cannot be restarted. |
| `TIMED_OUT` | Terminal. The broadcast was not published in time, or ingest stopped before it went live. |
| `CANCELED` | Terminal. The broadcast was canceled before or during its lifecycle. |

The only transitions you trigger directly are `NOT_STARTED` → `RUNNING` (via `PUBLISH`) and `RUNNING` → `ENDED` (via `END`). The remaining states are set by the platform.

<Warning>
  **Critical rule:** The chosen stream source must already be actively receiving an RTMP feed (`is_stream_active: true`) **before** you call Create Broadcast — otherwise you get a 404. There is a short delay after your encoder connects before this flips `true`, so poll `GET /2/users/:user_id/sources/:source_id` until `is_stream_active` is `true` before creating the broadcast.
</Warning>

## Endpoints

| Endpoint | Method & Path | New Method & Path |
| :- | :- | :- |
| Create Broadcast | [`POST /2/users/:user_id/broadcasts`](/livestream-api/broadcasts/create-broadcast) | — |
| List Broadcasts | [`GET /2/users/:user_id/broadcasts`](/livestream-api/broadcasts/list-broadcasts) | [`GET /2/broadcasts`](/livestream-api/broadcasts/get-broadcasts) |
| Get Broadcast | [`GET /2/users/:user_id/broadcasts/:broadcast_id`](/livestream-api/broadcasts/get-broadcast) | [`GET /2/broadcasts/:id`](/livestream-api/broadcasts/get-broadcast-by-id) |
| Publish or End a Broadcast | [`PUT /2/users/:user_id/broadcasts/:broadcast_id/state`](/livestream-api/broadcasts/publish-or-end-broadcast) | — |
| Delete Broadcast | [`DELETE /2/users/:user_id/broadcasts/:broadcast_id`](/livestream-api/broadcasts/delete-broadcast) | — |

All routes accept both OAuth 2.0 and OAuth 1.0a [user context authentication](/livestream-api/authentication). The new routes (those without `user_id` in the path) are the recommended routes and return additional fields (for example, field selection with `broadcast.fields`).

<Note>
  The original routes are being replaced over time. Where a new route is listed, use it in place of the original; the original route is deprecated and may be removed in a future release. Additional replacement routes will be added to the table above as they become available.
</Note>

<Note>
  To schedule a broadcast in advance — one-time or recurring, with automatic or manual publishing — see the [Livestream Scheduling API](/livestream-api/scheduled-broadcasts/overview).
</Note>