# Use HTTP providers with the WSE Java API

Updated on 10/12/2026 12:02 pm PDT

HTTP providers are lightweight Java classes that expose information about a Wowza Streaming Engine™ (WSE) media server software instance over HTTP. WSE includes several built-in HTTP providers. You can also create custom providers. This article lists the built-in providers and describes how to configure them.

## About HTTP providers [Copy to clipboard](/content/docs/use-http-providers-with-the-wowza-streaming-engine-java-api\#about-http-providers "Copy to clipboard"/index.html)

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HTTP providers return WSE information that you can view in a web browser. You configure them per port in the [VHost configuration](/content/docs/wowza-streaming-engine-vhostxml-configuration-reference ""/index.html) file, `[install-dir]/conf/VHost.xml`. You can protect an HTTP provider with a username and password. You can also attach multiple providers to a single port. WSE then uses each provider's request filter to select which provider handles a request.

## HTTP provider configuration [Copy to clipboard](/content/docs/use-http-providers-with-the-wowza-streaming-engine-java-api\#http-provider-configuration "Copy to clipboard"/index.html)

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Each HTTP provider in `VHost.xml` defines four properties: `BaseClass`, `RequestFilters`, `AuthenticationMethod`, and `PasswordEncodingScheme`. The following example configures the built-in `HTTPServerInfoXML` provider with `admin-digest` authentication and sha256 password encoding:

Copy

```
<HTTPProvider>
    <BaseClass>com.wowza.wms.http.HTTPServerInfoXML</BaseClass>
    <RequestFilters>serverinfo*</RequestFilters>
    <AuthenticationMethod>admin-digest</AuthenticationMethod>
    <PasswordEncodingScheme>sha256</PasswordEncodingScheme>
</HTTPProvider>
```

- `BaseClass`: The fully qualified name of the class that extends `HTTProvider2Base` and implements `IHTTPProvider`.
- `RequestFilters`: A pipe-separated (`|`) list of filters that determine which HTTP request paths invoke the provider. In the example above, WSE invokes the provider only when the request path starts with `serverinfo`, such as `http://[wowza-ip-address]:8086/serverinfo`.
- `AuthenticationMethod`: The authentication method that controls access to the HTTP provider. Valid values:

- `admin-basic`: Base64-encode the administrator's username and password in the HTTP request. Encoding isn't encryption, so basic authentication isn't secure unless you use it over HTTPS.
  - `admin-digest`: Use HTTP digest authentication with an md5 or sha256 hash. An md5 hash produces a 128-bit digest, and a sha256 hash produces a 256-bit digest. By default, `admin-digest` reads usernames and passwords from `[install-dir]/conf/admin.password`.
  - `admin-file-digest`: Use an md5 or sha256 hash.
  - `none`: Allow unauthenticated access to the provider.
- `PasswordEncodingScheme`: The hash function for the password. Valid values: `md5` or `sha256`.

**Usernames and passwords**

- WSE 4.8.8.01+ supports md5 or bcrypt password hashing in the `admin.password` file.
- WSE 4.8.19+ support sha256 password hashing in the `admin.password` file.

The HTTP provider's authentication method must support the encoding of the passwords in `admin.password`. The following table lists the password encodings that each authentication method supports. For more information, see [Manage users with the Wowza Streaming Engine CLI password tool](/content/help/manage-users-with-the-wowza-streaming-engine-cli-tool "Manage users with the Wowza Streaming Engine CLI password tool"/index.html).

| Authentication method | Supported password encoding |
| --- | --- |
| `admin-basic` | plaintext, bcrypt |
| `admin-digest` | md5, sha256 |
| `admin-file-digest` | md5, sha256 |
| `none` | N/A |

## Built-in HTTP providers [Copy to clipboard](/content/docs/use-http-providers-with-the-wowza-streaming-engine-java-api\#built-in-http-providers "Copy to clipboard"/index.html)

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The [`VHost.xml` configuration file](/content/docs/wowza-streaming-engine-vhostxml-configuration-reference ""/index.html) includes the following built-in HTTP providers:

|     |     |     |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **HTTP provider** | **Base class** | **Description** |
| **HTTPConnectionCountsXML** | com.wowza.wms.http.HTTPConnectionCountsXML | Returns connection counts in XML format at `http://[wowza-ip-address]:8086/connectioncounts`.<br>To simplify output, add `flat` as a query parameter. For example `http://[wowza-ip-address]:8086/connectioncounts?flat`. |
| **HTTPConnectionInfo** | com.wowza.wms.http.HTTPConnectionInfo | Returns detailed connection information in XML format at `http://[wowza-ip-address]:8086/connectioninfo`. |
| **HTTPProviderMediaList** | com.wowza.wms.http.HTTPProviderMediaList | Generates adaptive bitrate manifests and playlists from SMIL data. |
| **HTTPServerInfoXML** | com.wowza.wms.http.HTTPServerInfoXML | Returns detailed server and connection information in XML format at `http://[wowza-ip-address]:8086/serverinfo`. |
| **HTTPServerVersion** | com.wowza.wms.http.HTTPServerVersion | Returns the WSE version and build number at `http://[wowza-ip-address]:1935/ServerVersion`. This is the default HTTP provider on port 1935. |
| **HTTPTranscoderThumbnail** | com.wowza.wms.transcoder.httpprovider.HTTPTranscoderThumbnail | Returns a JPEG or PNG image of a source stream that the transcoder is processing, at `http://[wowza-ip-address]:8086/transcoderthumbnail?application=[application-name]&streamname=[stream-name]&format=[jpeg or png]&size=[widthxheight]`. |

## Custom HTTP providers [Copy to clipboard](/content/docs/use-http-providers-with-the-wowza-streaming-engine-java-api\#custom-http-providers "Copy to clipboard"/index.html)

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To build your own provider, see [Create an HTTP provider with the Wowza Streaming Engine Java API](/content/help/how-to-create-an-http-provider "Create an HTTP provider with the Wowza Streaming Engine Java API"/index.html).

## More resources [Copy to clipboard](/content/docs/use-http-providers-with-the-wowza-streaming-engine-java-api\#more-resources "Copy to clipboard"/index.html)

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- [Wowza Streaming Engine Java API reference docs](/content/resources/serverapi/index.html)
- [HTTP provider examples](/content/docs/http-providers/index.html)
- [Create a WebSocket server with the Wowza Streaming Engine Java API](/content/help/how-to-create-a-websocket-server "Create a WebSocket server with the Wowza Streaming Engine Java API"/index.html)

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