SOLUTIONS / VIDEO CDN
Upload a video once. Cloudinary transforms it, packages it for adaptive bitrate streaming, picks the best format and quality for every viewer, and delivers it through leading CDNs.
A CDN brings video closer to viewers. On its own, it still needs someone to encode renditions, build manifests, choose formats for each browser, and keep everything cached correctly. Cloudinary handles that work before the first byte leaves the edge.
Cloudinary automatically generates and delivers HLS or MPEG-DASH adaptive bitrate streams at the required quality levels, including all the required files, from a single original video. Request an .m3u8 or .mpd URL with automatic streaming profile selection and the video is processed on first request, with support for up to 4K.
Add f_auto and q_auto to a delivery URL. Format selection is resolved per request at the CDN, based on the requesting browser, and q_auto applies the best balance of visual quality and file size. In our documentation example, a 3.7 MB MP4 is delivered at about 0.55 MB, around 85% smaller.
Predefined streaming profiles include h264, h265, VP9, and AV1, allowing you to select the right mix of compatibility and efficiency for your audience.
Cloudinary delivers media from edge servers worldwide, including leading CDNs such as Akamai, Fastly, and Cloudflare. Enterprise customers can use dynamic multi-CDN switching, which selects the best performing CDN for each request using real-time data, or work with Cloudinary experts on CDN selection.
Broadcast with RTMP input and deliver with HLS output. After live streaming, the content is stored for on-demand viewing and includes closed caption support.
The Cloudinary Video Player supports HLS and MPEG-DASH, captions and subtitles, chapters, ads, and shoppable video. Video Analytics collects view metrics for videos delivered through the player.
Cloudinary sets long cache lifetimes on derived assets for performance, uses version numbers in URLs so updated videos are delivered right away, and supports invalidation when you overwrite a file. Private CDN distributions and custom delivery hostnames are available.
Send a video through the API, SDKs, upload widget, or Media Library.
Resize, crop, trim, and apply other transformations in the delivery URL
Get adaptive bitrate streams, automatic format, and automatic quality.
Serve every request from the edge, and play it in the Cloudinary Video Player or your own player.
A 3.7 MB MP4 delivered at about 0.55 MB using f_auto and q_auto.
Mattel reduced page load times by 80%, holding up through peak flash sales.
Source: cloudinary.com/customers/mattel
Payback in under six months for a composite organization.
Source: Forrester Total Economic Impact study commissioned by Cloudinary,
December 2022.
The Forrester figures describe a composite organization built from interviewed
customers, so they model a representative result rather than a guaranteed one.
Start on the free plan, which includes video transcoding and adaptive streaming and delivery through a CDN. Paid plans use monthly credits across transformations, storage and bandwidth, with custom Enterprise plans for multi-CDN and enterprise-grade infrastructure.
| Plan | What you get for video | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Video transcoding, adaptive bitrate streaming and CDN delivery. 25 monthly credits, no credit card. | $0Free forever |
| Plus | The same, with more capacity. 225 monthly credits. | $89Per month |
| Enterprise | Multi-CDN switching and enterprise-grade infrastructure. | CustomTalk to us |
A credit covers transformations, storage and bandwidth together, so one number
tracks all three rather than three separate meters.
Ecommerce and retail teams adding product video without slowing down product pages.
Media and publishing teams delivering on-demand libraries and live events.
Product and engineering teams building video into apps with APIs and SDKs.
A video CDN is a content delivery network that delivers video from servers close to each viewer. Streaming formats split video into short segments that are cached at the edge, so playback starts faster and buffers less.
Yes. Cloudinary stores your original video, transforms and optimizes it, and delivers it, so you do not need separate hosting, encoding, and CDN services.
Yes. Cloudinary can automatically generate and deliver HLS or MPEG-DASH adaptive bitrate streams from a single original video.
Cloudinary’s delivery uses edge servers worldwide, including leading CDNs such as Akamai, Fastly, and Cloudflare. Enterprise plans add multi-CDN options.
Yes. Cloudinary Live Streaming accepts RTMP input and delivers HLS output, and stores the stream for on-demand viewing.
Yes. Cloudinary’s free plan includes video transcoding, adaptive streaming, and CDN delivery, with no credit card required.
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