Upload via link

If you have videos stored in a cloud storage bucket, you can simply pass a HTTP link for the file. Stream will fetch the file and make it available for streaming.

By using webhooks you can receive a notification when the video is ready to be played or if it errors.

​​ Step 1: Make an API call with the link

Make a HTTP request to the Stream API with the URL of the video.

curl \
-X POST \
-d '{"url":"https://storage.googleapis.com/zaid-test/Watermarks%20Demo/cf-ad-original.mp4","meta":{"name":"My First Stream Video"}}' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT/stream/copy

{
  "result": {
    "uid": "4544715edbe00808d89aec0a3a765c40",
    "thumbnail": "https://videodelivery.net/4544715edbe00808d89aec0a3a765c40/thumbnails/thumbnail.jpg",
    "thumbnailTimestampPct": 0,
    "readyToStream": false,
    "status": {
      "state": "downloading"
    },
    "meta": {
      "downloaded-from": "https://storage.googleapis.com/zaid-test/Watermarks%20Demo/cf-ad-original.mp4",
      "name": "My First Stream Video"
    },
    "created": "2020-10-16T20:20:17.872170843Z",
    "modified": "2020-10-16T20:20:17.872170843Z",
    "size": 9032701,
    "preview": "https://watch.cloudflarestream.com/4544715edbe00808d89aec0a3a765c40",
    "allowedOrigins": [],
    "requireSignedURLs": false,
    "uploaded": "2020-10-16T20:20:17.872170843Z",
    "uploadExpiry": null,
    "maxSizeBytes": 0,
    "maxDurationSeconds": 0,
    "duration": -1,
    "input": {
      "width": -1,
      "height": -1
    },
    "playback": {
      "hls": "https://videodelivery.net/4544715edbe00808d89aec0a3a765c40/manifest/video.m3u8",
      "dash": "https://videodelivery.net/4544715edbe00808d89aec0a3a765c40/manifest/video.mpd"
    },
    "watermark": null
  },
  "success": true,
  "errors": [],
  "messages": []
}

​​ Step 2: Poll the API or wait for a webhook

Because Stream must download and encode the video, the video might not be available for a few seconds to a few minutes depending on the length of your video. You should poll the Stream API until readyToStream is true, or use webhooks to be notified when a video is ready for streaming.

​​ Step 3: View the video

The uid of the video can be used refer to the video after uploading and can be used to play it using the Stream video player .

If you’re using your own player or rendering the video in a mobile app, view information on using your own player .