Self-hosted creator streaming platform — WebRTC, subscription tiers, recording, and viewer moderation

The problem

Existing streaming platforms impose high revenue commissions, opaque moderation policies, and Terms of Service risk. The goal was a fully owned stack with subscription monetisation, content access controls, and the operational flexibility to add or change features without a platform relationship.

Approach

• Three-tier subscription model (Free viewer-only, Creator, Pro) with Stripe Checkout for upgrades and a self-serve Stripe Customer Portal for plan changes and cancellations; subscription lifecycle synced via Stripe webhooks
• FastAPI backend with managed identity and PostgreSQL, with account roles and subscription entitlements enforced server-side
• LiveKit WebRTC media layer with scoped host and viewer permissions and server-side room access checks
• Stream scheduling — creators configure live or future-dated broadcasts; streams cycle through Scheduled → Live → Ended states with public and upcoming stream listings
• Stream visibility controls for public, private, and members-only broadcasts, backed by server-side access enforcement
• Channel and group management — creators maintain named channels with Viewer, Moderator, and Producer member roles; invitations are email-based with automatic activation when the invited user registers
• Real-time chat with guest support, sensible retention, and host moderation controls
• Viewer moderation with kick and ban workflows enforced by the application access layer
• Managed recording workflow for eligible plans, with recording status and access surfaced in the creator dashboard
• Plan-based feature gates for audience capacity, hosting, chat, and recording, with clear upgrade paths

Outcome

• Full creator ownership — zero platform revenue cut, no Terms of Service exposure, and complete control over features and moderation policy
• Sub-second stream latency via LiveKit WebRTC; viewer capacity scales to the plan limit with real-time enforcement
• End-to-end monetisation in a self-hosted stack — subscribe, schedule, go live, gate content by membership, record, and manage billing without touching a third-party platform