Whether you’re building an eCommerce site, a portfolio platform, or a content-heavy app, storing and delivering both images and videos online efficiently is a real challenge. You need a solution that handles diverse file types, scales easily, and optimizes performance without ballooning page weight or burning dev time. So let’s explore:
Hey folks,
I’m working on a platform that handles a lot of user-generated content, both photos and videos. Some users upload high-res images, others post short clips or full-length tutorials. Right now, we’re juggling local storage, CDN hacks, and multiple third-party tools, and honestly, it’s getting messy.
What’s the best way to store both photos and videos online, ideally in one place? And to clarify, I’m looking for:
- Scalable cloud storage (that’s affordable)
- Built-in optimization (compression, resizing, format conversion)
- Support for responsive delivery (adaptive streaming, auto format)
- Optional transformations (e.g., cropping, thumbnails, overlays)
- Clean API access for custom workflows
Would love a single platform that works across both media types.
You’re asking the right question and the good news is that yes, there are platforms that can store, manage, and deliver both photos and videos from one unified solution.
Let’s break down what to look for, and why Cloudinary is built specifically for this use case.
When evaluating a platform, make sure it offers:
- Unified storage
- Support for image and video file types under one API and media library.
- Format-aware delivery:
- WebP or AVIF for images
- MP4, HLS, or DASH for video
- Auto-format detection (
f_auto) to serve what the browser supports
- Optimization and transformation:
- Resize, compress, or crop images
- Trim, transcode, or overlay on videos
- Auto-generate thumbnails or previews
- Scalable and fast
- CDN-backed delivery
- Caching and bandwidth efficiency
- Handles thousands of files without slowing down
Cloudinary is a cloud-based media management platform that treats images and videos as first-class citizens. Instead of using different tools for different media types, you manage them all under one API, dashboard, and delivery pipeline.
Here’s how it works:
Upload photos and videos via:
- RESTful API
- Media library UI
- CMS plugin (e.g., WordPress, Sanity)
- Direct from browser/mobile
Cloudinary supports:
- Over 30 different image formats, from WebP to PSD to GIFs
- 15 different video formats, including MOV, MKV, MP4, and WebM
Cloudinary uses a global CDN to serve media with minimal latency. You can use f_auto and q_auto for automatic format and compression:
HTML
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/demo/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/sample.jpg" alt="Product Image" />Code language: HTML, XML (xml)HTML
<video controls width="100%"
src="https://res.cloudinary.com/demo/video/upload/f_auto,q_auto/sample.mp4">
</video>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)One URL = optimized experience across all devices and network speeds.
Cloudinary lets you apply transformations via URL:
- Resize, crop, or focus on face regions
- Trim videos, mute, loop, or add overlays
- Generate responsive images and thumbnails
https://res.cloudinary.com/demo/video/upload/so_5,du_1/sample.jpg
Image Transformations Docs →
Video Transformations Docs →
Use Cloudinary in any tech stack:
- REST API
- SDKs: Node.js, React, Python, PHP, Java, etc.
- Plugins for WordPress, Shopify, Sanity, Strapi, and more
| Feature | Cloudinary | Traditional Storage | YouTube + Image CDN |
| Unified media library | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Optimized delivery | ✅ Auto format + quality | ⚠️ Manual setup | ❌ Video only |
| On-the-fly transformations | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| CDN-backed performance | ✅ | ⚠️ Depends | ✅ (video only) |
| Developer APIs | ✅ Robust | ⚠️ Limited | ❌ Basic embeds |
Need help migrating your media stack or integrating Cloudinary into your CMS or framework? Reach out, or check the Cloudinary blog for practical guides and examples.