> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vasl.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# HLS

> Playback for people who are only watching.

Use HLS when the audience watches and does not answer. Playlists are the unit a CDN can cache, so this is the path for a crowd.

Expect about 6–20 seconds of latency on standard HLS. That delay is the trade for scale and for players that already speak HLS. People who need to answer stay on [WebRTC](/play/webrtc).

HLS segments can be encrypted with AES-128. See [Security](/security). An HLS archive is also one of the [recording](/recording) formats, separate from the live playlist. Plan the watch-only audience around the 6–20 second range for standard HLS.


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