# Cloudflare Stream [[Cloudflare]] Stream is a managed video platform: upload a source file or live RTMP feed, get back an adaptive-bitrate HLS/DASH manifest playable via a drop-in `<iframe>` or any HLS player, distributed across Cloudflare's network. Transcoding, packaging, thumbnail generation, captions, and analytics are bundled. It's the Cloudflare answer to Mux, Wowza, and Vimeo's API — single price per minute encoded plus per minute delivered, no SKUs to assemble, no separate CDN to wire up. ## Why It Matters DIY video means FFmpeg pipelines, HLS packager (Shaka/Bento4), a CDN to serve segments, a player to integrate, and analytics to instrument. Stream collapses all of that into "POST a file." For any app shipping video — courses, social features, recorded demos — Stream removes weeks of infra work. ## Core Capabilities - **Adaptive bitrate** transcoding (multiple renditions, ABR ladders) - **HLS + DASH** outputs with built-in DRM available - **Live streaming** via RTMPS/SRT input - **Embed player** (`<iframe>`) with customization, or BYO player against the manifest URL - **Stream Connect** for re-streaming live to external destinations (YouTube, Twitch) - **Per-video signing** for paid/private content - **Captions and subtitles** with auto-generation ## Common Use Cases - **Course platforms** — upload videos, embed in app - **Live events** with low-latency HLS - **User-generated video** at scale without GCS/Mux/Bunny.net cost - **Internal demo libraries** with access control via signed URLs ## References - Stream home: https://www.cloudflare.com/products/cloudflare-stream/ - Documentation: https://developers.cloudflare.com/stream/ ## Related - [[Cloudflare]] - [[Cloudflare R2]] - [[Cloudflare Workers]] - [[Cloudflare Pages]]