The Livepeer network is the off-chain execution layer of the Livepeer ecosystem. It is the live, operational system of machines that accepts compute jobs, routes them to GPU operators, delivers results, and settles payment. It is distinct from the protocol, which governs the network through on-chain coordination, staking, and economic rules. The network does not issue tokens, does not set inflation rates, and does not manage governance. Those responsibilities belong to the protocol. The network’s job is to execute compute reliably, at low latency, and at competitive cost.
What the protocol does and what the network does
The protocol is the on-chain layer deployed on Arbitrum One. It governs which orchestrators are eligible to serve jobs, holds ETH deposits from gateways, validates payment ticket redemptions, and distributes LPT inflation rewards each round. The protocol enforces rules; it does not execute jobs. The network is the off-chain layer. Orchestrator nodes register with the protocol by staking LPT, then operate independently to accept jobs, perform transcoding or AI inference, and collect ETH fees when winning payment tickets are redeemed on-chain. The network follows the protocol’s rules, but the compute itself never touches the chain. This separation is deliberate. The protocol remains lightweight and censorship-resistant because it is not burdened with compute coordination. The network remains performant because it is not waiting on blockchain confirmation times for job execution.Network functions
The network performs four core functions: Job acceptance: Gateways submit video or AI compute jobs to the network as a set of segments or inference requests. The network is the entry point for all compute demand. Orchestrator routing and selection: The gateway selects an orchestrator from the active set - the pool of registered, staked nodes eligible to process work. Selection uses performance history, price, latency, and capacity signals. No central coordinator manages this routing. Compute execution: Orchestrators execute video transcoding pipelines or AI inference pipelines on their GPU hardware and return results to the gateway. For video workloads, segments are processed in parallel across potentially multiple orchestrators. For AI workloads, orchestrators run containerised model pipelines defined by the gateway’s configuration. Payment settlement: Gateways attach probabilistic micropayment tickets to each segment or job. Winning tickets are redeemed on-chain via the TicketBroker contract for ETH. This mechanism amortises the cost of per-segment payment across many tickets, achieving near-zero on-chain overhead for the network while maintaining fair expected value for orchestrators.Network actors
The network has two primary operating roles. Orchestrators are GPU operators who run go-livepeer software, bond LPT through the protocol to enter the active set, and execute compute jobs. They publish a service URI and pricing parameters through which gateways discover and select them. Orchestrators earn ETH fee revenue from completed work and LPT inflation rewards proportional to their delegated stake. Gateways are the demand-facing entry points. They accept jobs from applications and services, manage sessions with orchestrators, handle retries and fallbacks, and hold ETH deposits in the TicketBroker to pay for work. Gateways are the network participants that applications interact with directly - orchestrators are typically invisible to the end user. Delegators participate through the protocol by bonding LPT to orchestrators, not through the network directly. Builders and end users interact through the platform layer above the network.What comes next in this section
The network/ section covers each aspect of the execution layer in depth:- Actors - orchestrator and gateway roles in full detail, including sub-roles and lifecycle
- Job lifecycle - how a compute job moves from gateway submission through orchestrator execution to payment settlement
- Marketplace - how orchestrators are discovered, priced, and selected
- Technical architecture - the internal components of go-livepeer nodes, session management, and transport layer
- Interfaces - the APIs and protocols that connect the network to the platform layer
Related pages
Network actors
Orchestrators, gateways, and transcoders - roles, responsibilities, and how they interact.
Job lifecycle
How a compute job moves from submission to execution to payment settlement.
Marketplace
How orchestrators are discovered, selected, and priced.
Protocol overview
The on-chain governance, staking, and economic rules that the network operates under.