LiveKit 1.13 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS by cloudimg

## LiveKit 1.13 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS by cloudimg

LiveKit is the open source WebRTC infrastructure server, a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) that powers real time audio, video and data for live streaming, video conferencing and realtime AI voice and agent applications. Clients join rooms with signed JWT access tokens that your application mints server side from an API key and secret. The cloudimg image installs the official pinned LiveKit 1.13 server binary at /opt/livekit/livekit-server, verified against a sha256 checksum, and runs it directly under systemd as a dedicated livekit system user. Docker is not required to run it, and the LiveKit CLI is bundled for minting access tokens. Backed by 24/7 expert support.

No Shipped Keys

The API secret signs the access tokens that authorise room joins, so anyone holding it can mint tokens for any room. This image therefore never ships a usable key. On the first boot of every VM a random API key and secret are generated into a key file on the data disk, and a fresh self signed TLS certificate is regenerated with the VM public IP in its subject alternative names. A token signed with the per instance secret validates against the server; a token signed with a wrong secret is rejected. Credentials are written to a root only file at /root/livekit-credentials.txt.

TLS for WebRTC

WebRTC signalling needs a secure context, so nginx terminates TLS on port 443 and reverse proxies the signalling WebSocket and server API to the LiveKit server, which binds to loopback only. Port 80 redirects to HTTPS with an unauthenticated health endpoint. WebRTC media flows to a single TCP port 7881 and a single UDP mux port 7882, keeping the firewall small, with the server advertising the VM public IP for ICE.

What is Included

* LiveKit 1.13, the official pinned server binary, run under systemd as an unprivileged livekit system user

* The bundled LiveKit CLI for minting access tokens and calling the RoomService API

* nginx TLS on port 443 fronting the loopback bound signalling WebSocket and API, with port 80 redirecting to HTTPS and an unauthenticated health probe

* A per VM API key and secret generated on first boot, stored in a key file on a dedicated Azure data disk

* A self signed TLS certificate regenerated per VM on first boot, ready to replace with your own

* livekit-server.service and nginx.service as systemd units, enabled and active

Use Cases

A self hosted real time media backend for video conferencing, live streaming and voice apps, the media server behind realtime AI voice and agent experiences, and a fully controlled alternative to hosted WebRTC services. Scale out with Redis and multiple nodes for production.

LiveKit is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. LiveKit is a trademark of LiveKit, Inc.; cloudimg is not affiliated with or endorsed by LiveKit. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used only to identify the software.