Understanding M3U8 and HLS Streaming Technology

What is M3U8?

M3U8 is a text-based playlist file format used for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol. It contains a list of media segments and metadata information.

How HLS Protocol Works

HLS divides video streams into small HTTP-downloadable file segments, and clients achieve streaming playback by downloading and playing these segments.

M3U8 File Structure

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-VERSION:3
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:10
#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:0
#EXTINF:9.009,
segment0.ts
#EXTINF:9.009,
segment1.ts

Use Cases

• Live video streaming
• Video on demand services
• Adaptive bitrate streaming