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The demand for video-sharing platforms has never been higher, and creating a platform like YouTube might seem like a daunting task. With the right tools and strategies, you can build a robust, feature-rich platform that caters to modern audiences. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the process of building a video-sharing platform using FastPix APIs, simplifying complex video infrastructure challenges. Whether you’re aiming to launch the next big thing in user-generated content or need a custom solution for your niche, this guide covers everything you need—from handling video uploads and encoding to delivering seamless playback and creating a polished user experience.
Let’s talk features, here’s what your platform will offer:
To build a video-sharing platform that allows users to upload their videos, you'll need to integrate our FastPix APIs into your application. Start by obtaining a token key pair for authentication, which includes an Access Token and a Secret Key. Our setup page has a helpful guide to help you through the process, including basic authentication and access token permissions.
Once you have your token key pair, your application will be ready to enable users to upload their videos.
Creating a video-sharing platform similar to YouTube can be more complex than anticipated. High-resolution videos are very large in file size, which complicates uploads with standard limits.
Single-threaded uploads can be slow, especially when trying to upload large files all at once, which can put a strain on the user's device. To make things easier, we suggest uploading videos in chunks. This way, you can reduce the chances of network interruptions and avoid connection issues.
Standard API requests for direct uploads only support video files up to 500 MB. For larger files, the FastPix resumable uploads SDK simplifies the process of uploading and processing videos on your platform.
This SDK allows users to pause and resume uploads, so if their connection drops or they need to step away, they won’t lose their progress. With resumable uploads, videos are sent in smaller chunks, ensuring that any interruptions won’t require starting the upload from scratch.
1npm i @fastpix/uploader
You can install the SDK by executing this command in your terminal:
Using an SDK simplifies making API requests. It provides pre-built functions that handle error management and authorization for you. FastPix offers SDKs for both Android and iOS, making integration into your mobile apps straightforward.
Once installed, you can import the upload component into your application by running this command in your terminal:
1import { Uploader } from "@fastpix/uploader";
2
3const fileUploader = Uploader.init({
4 endpoint: 'https://example.com/signed-url', // Replace with the signed URL.
5 file: mediaFile, // Provide the media file you want to upload.
6 chunkSize: 5120, // Specify the chunk size in kilobytes (KB). Minimum allowed chunk size is 5120KB (5MB).
7 // Additional optional parameters can be specified here as needed
8})
Start by creating an API endpoint for video uploads that accepts files and validates their size and format. Then, add the FastPix Web Uploads SDK into your application, ensuring it’s properly installed and configured.
Design a user-friendly interface for users to select and upload videos, including a file input and a progress bar. Videos stored with FastPix are called media. To create your first media, send a POST request to the /on-demand endpoint with the URL of a publicly shareable video file.
The API will return a media ID for future operations. FastPix supports pulling media from various cloud storage solutions and CDNs, including S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob Storage. For more details on uploading videos, refer to this guide.
Users can also upload videos directly from their device’s storage (more common in YouTube). For uploading a video from your device, follow this guide – Upload media from device.
YouTube platform interface for direct video uploads:
Tagging and categorizing videos helps users to quickly locate content. You can implement a feature that allows users to search for videos using specific key-value pairs, such as "key": "value."
This tagging system can be referenced in future API calls. Also, use dynamic metadata to create keys that can hold any value pair, making it easier to track and manage your media.
Title, description and tags in YouTube platform:
FastPix uses webhooks to notify your application about background events, such as when a media file is created but not yet processed. For example, a POST message will be sent to your application’s web address with the event video.media.created.
For more details, refer to this guide on setting up webhooks – Webhooks for status.
An NSFW (Not Safe For Work) filter is essential for spotting and managing inappropriate content, helping to keep your platform safe and welcoming for everyone.
In a recent test of our NSFW filter using a sample video primarily featuring violent content, we observed the following scores:
These scores, ranging from zero to one, indicate that the filter effectively detects potentially harmful material. To activate the NSFW filter for a specific video, simply make a PATCH request to the video’s mediaId. Add the moderation parameter and set it to true to activate the filter. Here’s how the request looks:
PATCH /on-demand/<mediaId>/moderation
For more advice on managing your content, take a look at our blog about using AI for NSFW and profanity filters.
To create your live stream with FastPix, make a POST request to the /streams endpoint using your access token credentials. The response will include a Playback ID and a Stream Key.
Response parameters:
FastPix supports both RTMP and SRT for live streaming. To start live streaming, your users need a compatible broadcasting software (like OBS). Configure it with the Stream Key from earlier and FastPix's RTMP or SRT server URL.
To stop the broadcast, simply disconnect the broadcasting software. The stream will change to idle after a specified reconnect window or automatically after 12 hours. For longer streams more than 12 hours, please contact our support team.
FastPix offers several endpoints to manage live streams effectively. You can create a new stream with a POST request, retrieve all available streams with a GET request, or fetch a specific stream by its ID. If you need to remove a stream, use the DELETE method, and to modify stream parameters, use PATCH.
For detailed information on managing live streams, check out the detailed guide on managing streams.
Simulcasting lets you broadcast a live video feed to multiple social platforms simultaneously, FastPix currently supports simulcasting to any RTMP server on YouTube, Facebook Live, and Twitch.
Refer to the create a simulcast API endpoint to set up simulcasting with FastPix. You can add simulcast targets either when creating the live stream or afterward, but they can only be added when the stream status is idle (not active).
You will need to create a POST request and provide the RTMP URL and the Stream Key in the request parameters. For a step-by-step guide on simulcasting to YouTube Live, Facebook, and Twitch, plus setting up OBS for streaming, check out the full instructions here.
Simulcast for YouTube Live:
FastPix makes it easy to automatically record your live streams in two ways:
FastPix allows you to stream pre-recorded videos as if they were live, a technique known as simulated live. This method is useful when a real-time broadcast isn't practical.
To set up simulated live streaming using OBS (Open Broadcaster Software), follow these steps:
Live clipping lets you grab short video clips from a live stream, making it perfect for capturing those highlights without waiting for the stream to finish. To create a live clip, define its duration by adding start and end parameters to the Stream URL.
https://stream.fastpix.io/<playbackId>.m3u8?start=10s&end=15s
This extracts a 15-second clip from the 10-second to the 25-second mark. The maximum clip duration is 30 seconds. If your parameters exceed this, the clip will be trimmed.
When setting start and end times for live clips, just remember to use positive whole numbers in seconds. Make sure the start time is less than the end time, or the clip won’t be created. Also, keep both times within the live stream's duration; for example, if the stream is only 20 seconds long, an end time of 30 seconds won’t work.
Content creators often find video editing in UGC apps challenging because many aren't experienced, and the tools can feel clunky. This can lead to frustrating moments, like struggling to trim a clip or add a thumbnail.
You can simplify the editing process with APIs. By using endpoints for trimming, merging, and enhancing videos, you can make editing easy and user-friendly.
To allow users to clip segments from previously uploaded videos, follow these steps:
Your request body should be structured like this:
1{
2 "inputs": [
3 {
4 "type": "video",
5 "url": "fp_media://0dde8722-278b-49e2-b0c8-52b57aaf2843",
6 "startTime": 0,
7 "endTime": 60
8 }
9 ],
10 "metadata":
11 {
12 "key1": "value1"
13 },
14 "accessPolicy":"public",
15 "maxResolution":"1080p"
16}
After the clip is generated, the API will respond with a new media ID and playback ID for the clipped segment.
YouTube platform interface for clipping videos:
If you want to get rid of mistakes, interruptions, or anything irrelevant content in videos, trimming is the way. Take a look at our simple guide here to help you cut out those parts.
Taking out a section of video in YouTube:
To create thumbnails for uploaded videos, make a GET request to the following URL, replacing {PLAYBACK_ID} with the video's playback ID:
https://images.fastpix.io/{PLAYBACK_ID}/thumbnail.{png|jpg|webp}
You can pick from JPG, PNG, and WEBP formats for your thumbnails, but we recommend going with WEBP. It’s a great balance between quality and loading speed, making it perfect for video-sharing platforms.
Plus, you can customize your thumbnails. Adjust the width and height, and even flip them horizontally or vertically. If you want to dive deeper into how to use these options, check out our guide on extracting thumbnails from videos.
FastPix makes it easy to add subtitles to your videos automatically. To enable this feature, just include the createSubtitles JSON object in your video settings.
Here’s what you need to include:
For more tips and best practices on adding subtitles, be sure to check out our guide on adding auto-generated subtitles.
You can add chapters to your video timeline to improve user navigation and enhance the viewing experience. By segmenting your video into chapters, viewers can easily jump to specific sections without needing to scrub through the entire video. This guide will show you how to add chapters to the fp-player video element using the addChapters method.
This is how chapters look in YouTube:
To add watermarking to your video-sharing app, start by setting up your API request with the video and watermark details. You can easily position the watermark using alignment and margin settings and customize its appearance by adjusting the size and opacity.
For a step-by-step on implementing watermarks in your videos, check out our guide here: Watermark your videos.
The videos you upload with FastPix will work with any player, whether it’s Shaka Player, HLS Player, Exo Player for Android, or AV Player for iOS. This gives you the flexibility to choose the player that fits your needs.
If you want a hassle-free option, consider using the FastPix Video Player. It supports adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), which means your videos will automatically adjust their quality based on the viewer's internet speed.
Plus, FastPix Player comes with built-in video data and analytics features, and it automatically transcodes videos for different devices, creating an encoding ladder for each one. Our player is cross-platform, so your videos will work on the web, Android, iOS, and more without any extra effort.
To get started, run this command in your terminal to install the Video Player SDK:
1npm install @fastpix/player
Then, you can import the player component into your application:
1import "@fastpix/player";
Most modern video players come with default playback controls, like play, pause, volume adjustment, and fullscreen options. Along with these functions, FastPix Player is fully customizable.
It prioritizes accessibility with features like keyboard navigation, closed captions, making it user-friendly for everyone. For easy setup, take a look at the FastPix Player documentation.
To embed your videos on any website, blog, or CMS, just grab the provided iframe embed code. It lets you add the video player directly to your page with full control over playback options, like autoplay, muted sound, or looping.
Simply paste the iframe code into your HTML file, and the video will be ready to play anywhere. You can even adjust settings like aspect ratio or hide controls for a cleaner look.
1<iframe src="https://play.fastpix.io/?playbackId=<playback-id>&autoplay=true&muted=true&loop=true&hide-controls=true&enableVideoClick=true&aspect-ratio=21/9" width="1920" height="1080"></iframe>
Understanding your video performance is key for any online platform, but many creators find it tough to make sense of complex analytics. FastPix Video Data simplifies this process by breaking down data across more than 50 dimensions, including device type, geographic location, playback method, and time intervals.
The FastPix Data SDK makes it straightforward to monitor these key video metrics. The SDK is compatible with players like Shaka Player, HLS.js, Exo Player (Android), AV Player (iOS), and FastPix Player.
Check out this guide for setting up Shaka and other players.
Evaluating video performance involves more than just counting views; those numbers only tell part of the story. Total views indicate your video's reach, while watch time shows how long viewers engage with your content.
Unique views help the creators to estimate audience size and engagement levels. For a video-sharing platform, video playing time is fundamental, as it reveals how invested viewers are in the content.
To assess the Quality of Experience (QoE), focus on playback success, which measures the percentage of successful plays, and startup time, which indicates how quickly the video starts. Smoothness reflects how consistently the video plays without interruptions, and video quality assesses clarity during playback. FastPix Data also tracks playback failures, startup failures, and rebuffering rates.
For more info, check out these guides on audience metrics and QoE metrics.
To enhance user experience on your platform, prioritize easy navigation and a responsive design for all devices. Allow users to create profiles for managing their content and include built-in playback controls for smooth video viewing.
With MP4 support, uploaders can easily download their videos in 1080p quality, perfect for editing, sharing, or any other use. This feature makes content management easier.
For detailed instructions on how to enable MP4 downloads, check out our guide here: MP4 support for offline viewing.
If you want to build a recommendation system for your video platform, start by organizing the video’s metadata, things like tags, titles, and descriptions. You can pull keywords from those to figure out what videos are similar.
Then, take user behavior (like what they watch, like, or share) into account to fine-tune suggestions. You’ll want a mix of showing similar videos based on their tags and matching users with content they’re likely to enjoy based on their past activity. Keep it simple with categories like “Suggested for you” or “Trending” to keep people engaged.
To keep user videos safe, it’s important to implement strong security measures. By focusing on these security features, you help users feel confident when uploading and sharing their videos.
Videos are encrypted during upload by using signed URLs and stored with username and password as credentials, so only authorized users can access them.
With FastPix API, you can generate signed URLs that include permissions and expiration details, ensuring that sensitive credentials remain protected. This means that when a creator uploads a video, they can do so directly to your storage without the risk of exposing their credentials.
For instance, a signed URL might look like this:
https://play.fastpix.io/uploads/...&X-Amz-Expires=7200
Here, the X-Amz-Expires parameter indicates how long the URL is valid. In our case, it’s 7200 seconds, or two hours from the moment it’s generated.
Adding Digital Rights Management (DRM) can also protect copyrighted material, giving users peace of mind that their work is secure.
To manage access to your videos, you can adjust the accessPolicy parameter. By setting it to drm, you enable digital rights management, which helps protect content from unauthorized use.
If you’re looking for a simpler option, you can set the access policy to private to restrict access without the complexities of DRM.
Here’s how to configure the access policy for DRM:
"accessPolicy": "drm"
And for private access:
"accessPolicy": "private"
You can choose from public, private, or drm to suit your needs.
Private and Public access in YouTube:
You're all set to create your own video-sharing platform, similar to YouTube, using FastPix Video APIs. With features like video management, editing, and real-time analytics, you can deliver an amazing experience for both creators and viewers.
If you have any questions or need a hand, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Happy building, and be sure to explore the FastPix docs for more helpful resources and support!
To suggest videos users will love, start by organizing your video details like titles, descriptions, and tags. Then, track how users interact with your content and what they watch, like, or comment on. This helps you recommend similar videos or suggest new ones based on what they’re interested in. It’s a great way to keep people engaged and watching more.
Embedding videos on your site is simple. Just grab the FastPix embed code, paste it into your webpage, and you’re good to go. You can customize the playback options, like autoplay or looping, so the video fits your site’s style. It works smoothly on blogs, content management systems, or custom websites.
To keep videos safe, make sure uploads are encrypted during transfer and while stored. Using signed URLs helps ensure that only the right people can access and share videos. If you want extra protection, you can add Digital Rights Management (DRM) so no one can distribute your content without permission.
To know how well your videos are performing, FastPix helps you track key stats like views, watch time, and where your viewers are located. You can also see how many people stick around for the whole video or interact with it. Use this info to improve your content and keep your viewers coming back for more.
Absolutely! With FastPix, you can add live streaming to your platform easily. Stream directly with RTMP support or simulcast to YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms. You can even save your live streams as on-demand videos for people to watch later. It’s an easy way to add real-time content and increase engagement.
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