--- title: Zixi Quick Start slug: quick-start docTags: createdAt: 2026-04-07T15:23:03.652Z --- ![Zixi Quick Start](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/mzxtTQEvCNIdUNgF2kuwJ/OOifjIc92uy11HXr4sDLN_quickstart.jpg) This Quick Start guide is designed to get you up and running with Zixi quickly by familiarizing you with key tasks and elements of the Zixi platform. There is first a document with tips on using this documentation site most effectively and then the main tutorial, which is offered in two versions: - **Quick Start focusing on ZEN Master **- we recommend using ZEN Master as it both simplifies the central tasks of ingesting video transport streams, processing them as needed, and delivering them to target destinations, while also providing extensive monitoring of each of those steps, which is invaluable in diagnosing and addressing issues when they arise. - **Quick Start focusing on Zixi Broadcaster and ZEC** - for those who choose to forego the ZEN Master control plane and just use the Broadcaster and ZEC as standalone apps, we offer a second version of the tutorial that uses only these apps. Before we get to the actual tutorials, though, here is a quick overview of the different parts of the Zixi Platform to help you understand what they do and how they relate to one another, and also a page on [Using Zixi Documentation](docId\:lSBEYruIz4H_LcGzcrQRr). ## Zixi Platform Overview Zixi's platform enables the delivery of broadcast-quality live video over the public internet — with low latency, high reliability, and flexible deployment options. Three core components work together to make this possible: **Zixi Broadcaster/ZEC**, **ZEN Master**, and **ZaaS**. ### Zixi Broadcaster / ZEC **Zixi Broadcaster **is the engine at the heart of the Zixi platform. It receives video streams, processes them (including transcoding, transmuxing, and recording), and distributes them to one or more destinations — across any network, at any distance, in real time. **Zixi Edge Compute (ZEC)** is a lightweight edge component that can function as a contribution endpoint (replacing a Zixi Feeder), a distribution endpoint (replacing a Zixi Receiver), or both. ZEC is installed on-premises and connects to Broadcaster in the network. Broadcaster and ZEC handle the actual movement and processing of your video. They are the workhorses of the Zixi network. ### ZEN Master **ZEN Master** is Zixi's orchestration and monitoring control plane. It provides a centralized web interface — and a REST API — for configuring, managing, and monitoring Broadcaster instances and the streams flowing through them. With ZEN Master, you can: - Configure Sources, Channels, and Targets for your streams - Monitor stream health and receive alerts in real time - Manage large-scale deployments of Broadcaster instances from a single interface - Automate workflows using the ZEN Master API ZEN Master does not move video itself — it tells Broadcaster how to move it. Think of Broadcaster as the infrastructure and ZEN Master as the control plane that sits above it. ### ZaaS (Zixi-as-a-Service) **ZaaS** is a fully managed deployment model for the Zixi platform. Rather than installing and maintaining your own Broadcaster infrastructure, Zixi provisions and manages Broadcaster clusters in the AWS cloud on your behalf — in two geographic regions for redundancy and failover. Once the infrastructure is in place, you interact with ZaaS exactly as you would with any other Zixi deployment: through ZEN Master. You configure your Sources, Channels, and Targets in ZEN Master; Zixi handles everything beneath that layer. ZaaS is the right choice if you want the capabilities of the Zixi platform without the overhead of managing the underlying infrastructure yourself. ## How the Three Components Relate | | **Broadcaster / ZEC** | **ZEN Master** | **ZaaS** | | ------------------ | ------------------------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | **What it does** | Moves and processes video | Orchestrates and monitors | Managed infrastructure | | **Where it runs** | On-premises or cloud | Cloud (SaaS) | Zixi's Cloud Vendors | | **Who manages it** | You | You | Infrastructure: Zixi
Workflows: You | | **Required?** | Yes | Recommended | Optional | In a typical self-managed deployment, you run one or more **Broadcaster** instances (on-premises, in your own cloud, or both) and use **ZEN Master** to configure and monitor them. With **ZaaS**, the Broadcaster infrastructure is provisioned and managed by Zixi — but you still use ZEN Master as your operational interface, exactly as in a self-managed deployment. In all cases, ZEN Master is the recommended primary interface for day-to-day operations. - [Using Zixi Documentation](docId\:lSBEYruIz4H_LcGzcrQRr) - [Quick Start: ZEN Master](docId\:Y-kn6UUQYEBqS5NOMp9Z1) - [Quick Start: Broadcaster and ZEC](docId\:qunjBjcj-QFPKGBaop14D)