5 Types Of Video API You Should Know As A Developer
Tags: api, tooling, webdev, productivity
Published: 2022-08-02 13:03:56

As demand for seamless video experiences grows, video APIs are becoming increasingly popular. Companies are racing to
develop innovative ways to deliver content to their customers. This requires developers to continuously build video
applications to keep up.

Using a reliable video API service enable developers to build video applications faster. Different video API services
are suited for distinct video product requirements. This article will discuss different types of video API with examples
so you can choose the right type of video API service that fit your needs.

### What is a video API?

A video API enables you to create, store, analyze, and distribute video files based on API mechanism. Different video
API solves specific problems. The features of a video API may not be limited to above and may include other features
like analytics, live streaming, etc.. depending on the provider. Here is an example to further clarify how a video API
works:

You want to add a video streaming feature in your product. Instead of building the infrastructure yourself, you can use
a video streaming API provider that takes care of back-end technicalities like maintenance, storage, and other
difficulties. This way, you can  focus on building your product and user experience.


### Why use a video API?

A recent [survey](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-video-marketing-new-data) led by HubSpot revealed that
audiences engage higher with video content over other forms of communication like emails, or blogs. As the number of
content increases, there should be an efficient process to generate, store and deliver content to the users.

Video applications are foundational layers that enable the seamless delivery and usability of this content. Most apps on
your phone or browser are video applications or have a feature that enables viewing these videos. But, building these
video applications can be hard, costly, and may take a long time. This is where video API can help you build your
product faster.
 

### What are different types of video API?

[Note: This is not a comprehensive list of all video API categories. For a complete list of video API categories, you
can find in an API listing site like Rapid API. The examples below may offer other that features that is not mentioned
below. For more ]
 
#### Video Streaming API
 
Video streaming is the continuous transmission of video files allowing users to watch videos without having to download
the entire file. Popular apps like YouTube and Netflix are examples of video streaming. 

Video streaming APIs allow anyone to build and add streaming features to their product. They take care of encoding,
storage, and delivery for the end-user so developers don't need to build from scratch. A streaming API handles the
back-end functionality and supports control over product customization. 

**Example:**

- [**Mux**](https://www.mux.com/)
- [**Dacast**](https://www.dacast.com/)



#### Video Editing API
 
[Video editing API](https://shotstack.io/product/video-editing-api/) enables developers to edit and deliver customized
media content to their end-users. Most editing API takes can quickly render multiple videos in the cloud infrastructure
and optimize delivery through CDNs. This whole process happens quickly that it looks like real-time personalized content
generation.

A robust video editing API supports complex editing capabilities, reliable hosting, video encoding, high-performance
rendering, and multi-channel integration. With a proper video editing API, developers can integrate interactive video
capabilities and develop reliable video products faster.
 
**Example:**

- [**Shotstack**](https://shotstack.io/)
- [**Openshot**](https://www.openshot.org/cloud-api/)
 

#### Live Video Streaming API
 
Live streaming is streaming video files but in real-time, without being first recorded or stored. The entire streaming
process including compression, encoding, segmentation, CDN caching, etc… is done within seconds so that it feels like
real-time.
 
On the downside, the process of building a live streaming product from scratch is challenging and resource intensive.
Using a robust live streaming API to develop live streaming products or as a feature in your product can be the faster
solution.

**Example:**
 
- [**Twilio Video API**](https://www.twilio.com/video)
- [**Vimeo Live Streaming API**](https://livestream.com/developers/docs/api)
 

#### Video Platform API
 
A Video Platform API is an all-inclusive service that includes streaming capabilities, a video player, and a CMS that
can deliver most video delivery requirements. This includes core services like encoding and delivery with additional
features like a pre-built CMS. 

** There are two types of video Platform APIs: **
 
**Locked Video Platform API**:

This type of Video Platform API doesn't allow to fully customize platform features like the video player UI, CMS,
workflow, and monetization in some cases, etc. Although they provide all the platform features. Mostly, they are an
extension feature of the main product.
 
**Example:**

- [**YouTube**](https://developers.google.com/youtube)
- [**Vimeo**](https://developer.vimeo.com/api/guides/start)
- [**Twitch**](https://dev.twitch.tv/docs/api/)


**Customizable Video Platform API**

Also known as Online Video Platform (OVP), this type of platform provider supports all-inclusive services like the above
but also allows additional customization features to the videos application. For example, a custom branded video player,
full control over monetization, etc

**Example:**

- [**Brightcove**](https://www.brightcove.com/en/)
- [**Kaltura**](https://corp.kaltura.com/)
 

#### Client-side Video Player API:
 
A Client-side Video Player API is used whenever a video is displayed in the client's browser or device. Abstraction
level varies depending on the level of control one requires. These types of APIs are built-in to the client's browser or
application. 

**Example:**

- [**Media Source Extensions (MSE)**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Source_Extensions)
- [**Encrypted Media Extensions (EME)**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encrypted_Media_Extensions)
- [**ExoPlayer**](https://exoplayer.dev/)
- [**AVFoundation**](https://developer.apple.com/av-foundation/)
 
The right type of video API will vary with the requirements of your product. Using a reliable video API service will be
cost effective, enable you to launch faster, and efficient in the long-run. 
 
Hopefully this article helped you understand different types of video API and choose the right type for your
application.