Audio streaming protocols look interchangeable from outside. They're not — each optimizes for different latency, quality, and audience-size profiles. Wrong choice means broken UX (laggy live radio) or wasted bandwidth (10s latency on a podcast).
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Podcast / on-demand
Plain HTTP MP3 or AAC. CDN-cacheable, range-requests for seek. No protocol overhead. Latency irrelevant (on-demand). Right answer for any pre-recorded content.
Live radio (one-way, large audience)
HLS or DASH with audio-only manifests. 6-30s latency depending on segment size. CDN-scaled. Right for shoutcast-style live broadcast to thousands. Or Icecast for legacy stations.
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Conversational (two-way)
WebRTC. <300ms latency. Direct or TURN-relayed. Doesn't scale to broadcast (1:1 or small-group). Right for calls, agents, live interviews where back-and-forth matters.
On-demand: HTTP. Live one-way: HLS. Conversational: WebRTC. Don't use WebRTC for a stadium-sized audience.