Video on Demand (VOD)

Uploading Videos (Dashboard & API)

Step-by-step guide for uploading on-demand videos to Videograph using the dashboard or the contents API.

Before you start

You upload videos by creating a content object inside your Videograph environment. Each upload is ingested and processed before it becomes playable.

To call the API, you need a valid access token and secret. See Authentication & Access Control.

Supported ingest sources:

Dashboard file upload
URL-based ingest through the contents API

Uploading from the dashboard

Use this method for manual uploads or operator‑driven workflows.

Open the Video on Demand section

In the web dashboard, open the Video on Demand section and choose the option to upload a new video.

Select a file

Choose an MP4, MOV, or M4V file from your local machine.

Start ingest

Confirm the upload to begin ingest. Processing starts automatically, and the item becomes playable once ready.

Uploading via API

This method matches the reference flow for adding and streaming VOD content using a remote media URL.

Step 1: Obtain an access token

You must authenticate before calling the API. Follow the steps in Authentication & Access Control to obtain your API access token and secret.

Step 2: Create content with `POST /video/services/api/v1/contents`

A minimal request includes the following fields:

title: human‑readable name
content: array of media sources, each containing a url pointing to the remote file
playback_policy: array defining access rules such as public

The screenshot below shows a POST request being configured and sent from the dashboard.

Videograph automatically fetches and processes the file from the remote url. Use a publicly reachable source such as the Tears of Steel sample below.

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.videograph.ai/video/services/api/v1/contents \
  -H "accept: application/json" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "content": [
      { "url": "https://d19nx8bm4jzw4h.cloudfront.net/Tears-of-steel.mp4" }
    ],
    "playback_policy": ["public"],
    "title": "Demo Video"
  }'

import fetch from "node-fetch";

const body = {
  content: [
    { url: "https://d19nx8bm4jzw4h.cloudfront.net/Tears-of-steel.mp4" }
  ],
  playback_policy: ["public"],
  title: "Demo Video"
};

const res = await fetch("https://api.videograph.ai/video/services/api/v1/contents", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "accept": "application/json",
    "content-type": "application/json"
  },
  body: JSON.stringify(body)
});

console.log(await res.json());

<?php

$body = [
  "content" => [
    ["url" => "https://d19nx8bm4jzw4h.cloudfront.net/Tears-of-steel.mp4"]
  ],
  "playback_policy" => ["public"],
  "title" => "Demo Video"
];

$ch = curl_init("https://api.videograph.ai/video/services/api/v1/contents");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
  "accept: application/json",
  "content-type: application/json"
]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode($body));

$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

echo $response;

import requests

body = {
    "content": [
        {"url": "https://d19nx8bm4jzw4h.cloudfront.net/Tears-of-steel.mp4"}
    ],
    "playback_policy": ["public"],
    "title": "Demo Video"
}

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.videograph.ai/video/services/api/v1/contents",
    headers={
        "accept": "application/json",
        "content-type": "application/json"
    },
    json=body
)

print(res.json())

import java.net.http.*;
import java.net.URI;

var client = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
var body = """
{
  "content": [
    { "url": "https://d19nx8bm4jzw4h.cloudfront.net/Tears-of-steel.mp4" }
  ],
  "playback_policy": ["public"],
  "title": "Demo Video"
}
""";

var req = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
  .uri(URI.create("https://api.videograph.ai/video/services/api/v1/contents"))
  .header("accept", "application/json")
  .header("content-type", "application/json")
  .POST(HttpRequest.BodyPublishers.ofString(body))
  .build();

var res = client.send(req, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());
System.out.println(res.body());

Step 3: Check the response

A successful request returns an object containing identifiers such as contentId and playback details. The status typically appears as Preparing until processing is complete.

Once the content status becomes Ready, playback URLs and additional metadata become available for use in your applications.

When to use each method

Use dashboard upload for manual, one‑off, or operator workflows.
Use API ingest for automated pipelines or when content is already hosted at a remote URL.

After ingest and processing complete, the content is ready for playback and management across your environment.

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