cpp-example-collection

This repository contains a collection of small, self-contained examples for the LiveKit C++ SDK.

The goal of these examples is to demonstrate common usage patterns of the LiveKit C++ SDK (connecting to a room, publishing tracks, RPC, data streams, etc.) without requiring users to build the SDK from source.

Examples

Example	Description
basic_room	Connects to a room and publishes synthetic audio and video tracks.
frame_metadata	Publishes and consumes video frames with frame metadata such as IDs, timestamps, and user data.
hello_livekit/receiver	Subscribes to the sender example's video and data tracks.
hello_livekit/sender	Publishes synthetic video and data for a paired receiver example.
logging_levels/basic_usage	Demonstrates SDK log-level filtering and log callbacks.
logging_levels/custom_sinks	Shows custom SDK log sinks such as file, JSON, and ROS-style output.
ping_pong/ping	Sends ping messages over a data track and records response latency.
ping_pong/pong	Listens for ping messages and publishes matching pong responses.
platform_audio	Demonstrates microphone capture and speaker playout with platform audio devices.
simple_data_stream	Sends and receives text and byte streams over LiveKit data streams.
simple_room	Connects to a room, publishes local media, and subscribes to remote media.
simple_rpc	Demonstrates LiveKit RPC calls between participants.
token_source	Shows ways to supply connection credentials through LiveKit token sources.

How the SDK is provided

These examples automatically download a prebuilt LiveKit C++ SDK release from GitHub at CMake configure time.

This is handled by the CMake helper: LiveKitSDK.cmake.

Selecting a LiveKit SDK version

By default, the examples download the latest released LiveKit C++ SDK.

You can pin a specific SDK version using the LIVEKIT_SDK_VERSION CMake option.

Examples

Use the latest release:

cmake -S . -B build

Use a specific version:

cmake -S . -B build -DLIVEKIT_SDK_VERSION=1.3.0

Reconfigure to change versions:

rm -rf build
cmake -S . -B build -DLIVEKIT_SDK_VERSION=1.3.0

Build against a local SDK:

rm -rf build
# install the SDK into $HOME/livekit-sdk-install (or any other directory)
cmake --install <sdk-build-dir> --prefix "$HOME/livekit-sdk-install"

# build the examples against the local SDK
cmake -S . -B build -DLIVEKIT_LOCAL_SDK_DIR="$HOME/livekit-sdk-install"

Building the examples

macOS / Linux

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build

Windows (Visual Studio generator)

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build --config Release

The LiveKit Release SDK is downloaded into build/_deps/livekit-sdk/

Running the examples

After building, example binaries are located under:

build/<example-name>/

For example:

./build/basic_room/basic_room --url <ws-url> --token <token>

Supported platforms

Prebuilt SDKs are downloaded automatically for:

• Windows: x64
• macOS: x64, arm64 (Apple Silicon)
• Linux: x64

If no matching SDK is available for your platform, CMake configuration will fail with a clear error.