API · Login format · Stream URLs
What are Xtream Codes? The API and login format explained
Where the name comes from, what the three login fields do, and exactly how players talk to an Xtream Codes server, with every API action and URL format.
Last checked and updated October 23, 2026
Xtream Codes in one paragraph
The name confuses almost everyone. People search “Xtream IPTV”, “Xtream Codes”, “Xtreme IPTV” and “XC login” and mean overlapping things. Here is how they fit together.
Xtream Codes, Xtream IPTV and Xtreme IPTV
- Xtream Codes was server software for running IPTV services. The company went offline in 2019 after a law-enforcement operation, but the API format it created stayed, because every player already supported it.
- An Xtream Codes login is the three-field login that format uses. Players label it “Xtream Codes API”, “XC” or just “Xtream”.
- Xtream IPTV is our subscription. It is delivered as an Xtream Codes login so it works in the player you choose.
- “Xtreme IPTV” is a common misspelling. Several unrelated services use similar names, so check the domain you are buying from.
How the Xtream Codes API works
Every request goes to one address, with your login as parameters:
http://host:port/player_api.php?username=USER&password=PASS&action=ACTIONWith no action, the server replies with your account: whether it is active, the expiry date as a Unix timestamp, how many connections you are allowed and how many are in use. Players show this on their “Account info” screen. The actions below return everything else as JSON:
| action= | Returns |
|---|---|
| (no action) | Account check: status, expiry date, max and active connections, server time zone |
| get_live_categories | Live TV groups (USA, Sports, UK…) |
| get_live_streams | Live channels; add &category_id=ID for one group |
| get_vod_categories | Movie categories |
| get_vod_streams | Movies; add &category_id=ID for one category |
| get_vod_info | One movie's details; needs &vod_id=ID |
| get_series_categories | Series categories |
| get_series | Series list; add &category_id=ID for one category |
| get_series_info | Seasons and episodes; needs &series_id=ID |
| get_short_epg | Next few programmes; needs &stream_id=ID, optional &limit=N |
| get_simple_data_table | Full guide for one channel; needs &stream_id=ID |
Stream URL formats
Once the player has an ID from the API, it builds a playback address. These are the standard patterns:
| Type | URL pattern | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live channel | http://host:port/live/USER/PASS/STREAM_ID.ts | Swap .ts for .m3u8 to get HLS |
| Movie | http://host:port/movie/USER/PASS/STREAM_ID.EXT | EXT is the movie's container_extension, often mp4 or mkv |
| Series episode | http://host:port/series/USER/PASS/EPISODE_ID.EXT | IDs and extensions come from get_series_info |
| Catch-up | http://host:port/timeshift/USER/PASS/MINUTES/YYYY-MM-DD:HH-MM/STREAM_ID.ts | Only on channels where tv_archive is 1 |
| M3U playlist | http://host:port/get.php?username=USER&password=PASS&type=m3u_plus&output=ts | Every live channel, movie and episode in one file |
| XMLTV guide | http://host:port/xmltv.php?username=USER&password=PASS | The full EPG for apps that take a guide URL |
Need the M3U and guide links for your own login? The Xtream to M3U converter builds them in your browser.
API login vs M3U link
An M3U file lists every channel, movie and episode in one long text file, so the player downloads all of it before showing anything. The API lets the player ask for one category at a time and fetch posters, plots and seasons separately. That is why the same subscription feels faster, and the movie library looks better, when you log in with Xtream Codes instead of a playlist link.
Security: the login is the subscription
Anyone with your server URL, username and password can use your connections. Never paste them into “IPTV checker” or web-player sites, and remember that an M3U link contains the password in plain text. If you think your login leaked, ask us for a new password; it takes a minute.
Xtream Codes questions
What are Xtream Codes?
Xtream Codes was IPTV server software. Today the name means the login format it introduced: a server URL, a username and a password that an IPTV player uses to fetch live TV, movies, series and the guide through an API.
Is Xtream Codes still available?
The original Xtream Codes company and software went offline in 2019 after a law-enforcement operation. Its API format lives on: newer panels copy it, and almost every IPTV player still supports “Xtream Codes” logins.
What is the Xtream Codes API URL?
It is your server URL followed by /player_api.php?username=…&password=…. Adding &action=get_live_streams and similar parameters returns channels, movies, series and guide data as JSON.
What happened to Xtream IPTV?
Nothing: Xtream IPTV is active. Xtream Codes, the software, went offline in 2019, and a different, similarly named IPTV service shut down in 2025; people often mix the three up.
Is Xtream IPTV the same as Xtream Codes?
No. Xtream Codes is the login format. Xtream IPTV is our subscription, which uses that format so it works in any compatible player.
Is Xtream Codes better than M3U?
For daily watching, yes. The API loads categories, posters and the guide separately, so apps are faster and movies and series display properly. M3U is a single long file and is mainly useful for older apps and VLC.
Get an Xtream Codes login that just works
Tap Buy now, tell us what you watch on, and a person sends your server URL, username and password, usually within 5–15 minutes.