Media · Cloudflare Stream

Upload, encode, and deliver video globally

Explore adaptive video playback through Cloudflare's built-in player, inspect the HLS and DASH endpoints used by custom players, and generate thumbnails from any frame.

Cloudflare Stream primer

Understand the platform

Three slides before the hands-on playback demos.

One video platform

Upload once. Stream everywhere.

Cloudflare Stream stores, encodes, and delivers on-demand and live video without requiring you to operate a video pipeline or pay separate bandwidth fees.

Adaptive bitrate selects the right quality for each viewer.

Global delivery is built into every playback endpoint.

Ingest

Upload, TUS, RTMPS, or SRT

Cloudflare Stream

Store · encode · package

Playback

Player, HLS, or DASH

One source video · multiple quality levels · delivered close to every viewer

Adaptive bitrate streaming

The player adapts while viewers watch

Stream automatically generates a quality ladder. The player estimates available bandwidth and switches between renditions segment by segment to avoid buffering.

Network-aware

Quality rises and falls as bandwidth changes.

Device-aware

One manifest supports browsers, apps, and TVs.

Illustrative quality ladder

Actual renditions depend on the uploaded source

1080pHigh bandwidth

720pBalanced

480pConstrained

360pMobile fallback

Usage metrics

Measured in minutes, not bytes

File size, encoding, and generated quality levels do not create separate metrics.

Minutes Stored

The duration of original uploaded videos and live recordings held in Stream. Generated quality levels do not count again.

Example

Upload one 12-minute video. Stream creates several adaptive renditions from it.

12 minutes stored

Minutes Delivered

The total duration of video segments delivered across every viewer, for both on-demand and live playback.

Example

Five viewers each watch eight minutes of the same video.

40 minutes delivered

Preloaded segments count as delivered; content replayed from the viewer's browser cache does not.

Video playback

Customize the Stream Player

Select a sample and adjust playback behavior directly through the iframe URL. Stream handles adaptive bitrate selection and global delivery behind the player.

Player controls

AutoplayMutedLoopControls

PreloadStart time 0:00

Player accentLetterbox

Most browsers allow autoplay only when the player starts muted.

Adaptive Stream Player

Player options are applied through the iframe URL.

Ready

Duration

7:22

Source

480×360

Original size

19.24 MB

License

1928 film · Public Domain Mark

Source · License

Player URL

https://customer-afkpl1a0xkjwuy02.cloudflarestream.com/2914e69995bd70d86953717b18dd096b/iframe?primaryColor=%23ff5e1f&letterboxColor=%230f1115

Custom players

One video, three playback endpoints

Use the built-in player for the fastest integration, or connect your own compatible player to Stream's HLS or DASH manifest.

Choose a video

Every Stream video exposes the same player and manifest URL pattern.

What is a manifest?

HLS and DASH manifests are small text documents that describe the available quality levels and media segments. The player chooses and downloads segments as playback progresses.

Built-in Stream Player

/iframe

The quickest web integration, with adaptive playback, controls, and fullscreen included.

https://customer-afkpl1a0xkjwuy02.cloudflarestream.com/2914e69995bd70d86953717b18dd096b/iframe

HLS manifest

.m3u8

Broad support across browsers, Apple devices, mobile platforms, and streaming players.

https://customer-afkpl1a0xkjwuy02.cloudflarestream.com/2914e69995bd70d86953717b18dd096b/manifest/video.m3u8

DASH manifest

.mpd

An open adaptive-streaming standard commonly used by web, Android, TV, and Chromecast players.

https://customer-afkpl1a0xkjwuy02.cloudflarestream.com/2914e69995bd70d86953717b18dd096b/manifest/video.mpd

Video assets

Generate a thumbnail from any frame

Choose a timestamp and output height to generate a thumbnail directly from a Stream video URL, without extracting or storing a separate image.

Thumbnail controls

Frame time 1:28Output height

Choose any second in the video.

Stream preserves the source aspect ratio.

The result is generated from the URL.

Frame from Steamboat Willie at 88 seconds

Timestamp

1:28

Output height

360px

Format

JPEG

Thumbnail URL

https://customer-afkpl1a0xkjwuy02.cloudflarestream.com/2914e69995bd70d86953717b18dd096b/thumbnails/thumbnail.jpg?time=88s&height=360