First thing...

I thank God for graciously, through His mercy, giving me all the necessary knowledge acquired throughout my life and throughout the development of this project. It is only through His grace and provision that this was possible, and I am truly grateful for His presence every step of the way.

For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen. Apostle Paul in Romans 11:36

[!IMPORTANT] Domain Update Notice

Our previous domains — youphptube.com and youphp.tube — are being retired following a dispute initiated by Google LLC (YouTube).
Although we firmly believe that YouPHPTube has always been an independent, open-source project, created to empower developers and organizations to host their own video platforms, we have decided to respect the process and move forward peacefully.

🆕 Please update your bookmarks and references to the new official domain:

👉 https://streamphp.com/

Thank you for your continued support and for standing with open-source freedom.

AVideo

AVideo is a self-hosted video platform for publishing, managing, and monetizing on-demand videos and live broadcasts on your own infrastructure.

Try the live demo · Use cases · White label and layouts · Monetization · Content tools · Quickstart · Installation · How it works · Wiki · Website · Releases

The video gallery on AVideo Tutorials, a running AVideo installation.

Use cases

White label and layouts

AVideo can run as a video website under your own brand. Start with Site Design and Templates:

• Your identity: use your own domain, site title, logo, and favicon. Configure these through the site settings; see the Quick Start Guide.
• White-label branding: the paid Customize plugin lets you replace the Powered by AVideo footer, customize the About page and site colors, and replace default placeholder images.
• Custom design: add your own CSS or JavaScript, or build a separate frontend connected to the AVideo API.

Choose a presentation that fits your content:

The built-in homepage layouts are free and selected in Admin Panel → Design → First Page Style. The React frontend is deployed separately. See layout options for the differences.

You can also choose light and dark themes, change the player appearance, and adjust menus, buttons, and extra HTML with the free CustomizeAdvanced plugin.

Monetization

You can combine several revenue models on the same site. See the monetization overview for setup and payment flows.

Subscription, PayPerView, PayPerView Live, and FansSubscriptions are paid add-ons. Advertising includes free plugins and the paid GoogleAds IMA integration; see each guide for requirements.

Wallet-based purchases require YPTWallet and a configured payment gateway, such as PayPal or Stripe. Payment-provider fees and infrastructure costs apply; configure prices and creator shares for your business model.

For sites with multiple creators, see creator payment options for sales commissions, wallet withdrawals, and direct creator payments through the supported Stripe PPV configuration.

Content tools and platform growth

• AI publishing tools: request transcriptions, translations, dubbing, metadata suggestions, and suggested short clips. The included AI plugin uses a service paid with Marketplace credits; transcription and dubbing also require paid plugins. See AI tools and requirements.
• More content formats: publish video and audio, plus PDFs and images through the enabled upload options. Combine recorded lessons or talks with supporting materials. See content types and upload methods.
• Embeds and integrations: place the AVideo player on another website, connect applications through the API, or automate uploads from external applications.
• Grow your infrastructure: run a private Encoder on a separate server, choose remote storage, and add CDN delivery to reduce origin traffic as your audience grows. Storage plugins, provider accounts, and CDN services can add costs; see capacity planning.

What do I need to install?

Start with the website and the features you want to offer:

The Docker Compose option below installs the bundled components together. You can begin with recorded videos and configure live broadcasting or remote storage as you need them.

Why use your own Encoder?

A public Encoder is an option for a publicly reachable site. Install a private Encoder when you need:

• Your own processing capacity: uploads use your queue instead of sharing a public service. Processing speed depends on your server and workload.
• Control over your files: keep video conversion on infrastructure you control instead of sending files to a public service.
• A site on a private network: a public Encoder cannot send finished videos back to a site reachable only inside your network, such as localhost or a home or office network. Your own Encoder must be able to reach the site.

The Encoder can share the website's server for a small installation, or run on another server as uploads grow. Docker Compose already includes an Encoder.

Quickstart (Docker Compose)

The included Compose stack runs the Streamer, Encoder, live server, databases, and cache. You need a Linux server with Docker and the Docker Compose plugin.

git clone https://github.com/WWBN/AVideo.git
cd AVideo
cp -n env.example .env

Edit .env before the first start:

• Set SERVER_NAME to your domain, without https:// or a path.
• Set CONTACT_EMAIL and WEBSITE_TITLE.
• Set strong, unique values for SYSTEM_ADMIN_PASSWORD and DB_MYSQL_PASSWORD.
• Adjust CPUS_LIMIT and MEMORY_LIMIT to your server's capacity.

Your domain must point to the server, with ports 80 and 443 open for HTTPS certificate setup. Then start the stack:

docker compose up -d --build
docker compose ps
docker compose logs -f avideo

Wait for the initial installation to finish, open https://your-domain.com/, and sign in as admin with your SYSTEM_ADMIN_PASSWORD. Press Ctrl+C to stop watching the logs; the containers keep running.

See the Docker guide for certificates, persistent data, backups, updates, and troubleshooting.

How your site works

Each diagram answers a different question:

Diagram 1: Visitor navigation

Purpose: Shows the steps a visitor takes to find and watch a video or live broadcast. Your theme, settings, and enabled plugins determine the exact layout and available features.

flowchart LR
    Home["Open your site"] --> Browse["Browse or search<br/>videos, categories, channels"]
    Browse --> Choose["Choose a video<br/>or an available live broadcast"]
    Choose --> Watch["Watch on a computer<br/>or phone"]
    Watch -.->|optional| Account["Sign in and interact"]

When enabled and permitted by your settings, signed-in visitors can comment and use playlists.

Diagram 2: Video publication

Purpose: Shows the overall path from uploading a file to making the video available on your site. The Encoder prepares files that need conversion; already compatible files can use direct upload.

flowchart LR
    Upload["Upload a video"] --> Convert{"Needs conversion?"}
    Convert -->|Yes| Encoder["Encoder prepares<br/>the video"]
    Convert -->|Already compatible| Ready["Video ready<br/>on your site"]
    Encoder --> Ready
    Ready --> Publish["Publication follows<br/>your site settings"]
    Publish --> Watch["Visitors watch<br/>the published video"]

Choose the title, category, and publication options for your content, and allow processing to finish before checking playback. Embedded videos remain hosted by their external provider. See upload options for the available methods.

Diagram 3: Video processing in the Encoder

Purpose: Shows what happens behind the scenes when you choose an upload method that uses the Encoder. The Encoder is the service that prepares video files for playback on your website.

flowchart TB
    Upload["Video uploaded<br/>for conversion"] --> Queue["Wait for its turn<br/>in the Encoder queue"]
    Queue --> Prepare["Prepare playback versions<br/>and preview images"]
    Prepare --> Transfer["Transfer prepared media<br/>back to your website"]
    Transfer --> Storage["Save media in<br/>the configured storage"]
    Storage --> Ready["Website updates the video<br/>and applies publication settings"]
    Ready --> Watch["Visitors watch through<br/>the website player"]

Preparation can produce different video qualities and cover or preview images. The exact formats, qualities, and images depend on your Encoder settings and enabled features. Media can stay on the server or use a supported remote storage plugin.

After the file upload finishes, the video can still be waiting in the queue or undergoing conversion and transfer. Wait for the job to finish, then check playback on your site. Direct uploads of already compatible files and external embeds follow their own paths; they skip this conversion workflow. See upload methods for the differences.

For live broadcasts, you send a live feed to the live server, and visitors open the broadcast on your website. Follow the live setup guide when you are ready to add this feature.

flowchart TB
    Browser["Browser / player"] <-->|HTTPS| Streamer["Streamer<br/>PHP + Apache"]
    Streamer -->|conversion jobs| Encoder["Encoder<br/>FFmpeg / FFprobe"]
    Encoder -->|processed media| Streamer
    Streamer -->|site data| Database[("MariaDB / MySQL<br/>Site and Encoder databases")]
    Encoder -->|encoding queue| Database
    Streamer <-->|application events| Socket["Socket<br/>YPTSocket"]
    Socket <-->|WebSocket messages| Browser
    Publisher["OBS / broadcaster"] -->|RTMP| Live["Live server<br/>nginx-rtmp"]
    Live -->|publish / play callbacks| Streamer
    Live -->|HLS playback| Browser
    Streamer -->|media files| Local[("Local storage")]
    Streamer -.->|optional storage plugins| Cloud[("S3 / Backblaze B2")]
    Cloud -.->|video playback| Browser

Installation

For Docker, use the quickstart and Docker installation guide. For an installation directly on a server, follow the Ubuntu steps below.

Ubuntu server

Use a fresh Ubuntu Server with sudo access and no hosting control panel such as cPanel, Plesk, or Webmin. The installation guide assumes direct control of Apache, PHP, the database, and system packages.

1. Point your domain to the server and open ports 80 and 443.
2. Follow the Ubuntu installation guide to install the dependencies, download AVideo, and configure HTTPS.
3. Open https://your-domain.com/install/. Resolve any failed required checks, enter the database and site settings, and choose your administrator password. See the installation setup page for each field.
4. Sign in as admin with the password you chose.
5. Add a private Encoder if you need video conversion. Configure a live server if you need live broadcasts.

For a video walkthrough, watch Installing AVideo for Ubuntu 24. Follow the written installation guide for the current commands.

Publish your first video

After either installation:

1. Open the Admin Panel, set the site name and logo, and configure email.
2. Run Health Check and follow the Quick Start Guide to finish configuration and scheduled tasks.
3. Upload a short test video. If using the Encoder, wait for conversion and transfer to finish.
4. Confirm playback in a private browser window and on a phone before inviting users.

Server requirements

For sizing and deployment planning, see hardware and server requirements.

Features and plugins

• Video library: uploads, channels, categories, playlists, search, comments, and user management.
• Live broadcasts: live streaming, recording, restreaming to other platforms, and chat.
• HLS: VideoHLS for adaptive playback, encryption, and download protection. Download protection makes saving HLS videos harder; it does not prevent screen recording.
• Monetization: subscriptions, pay-per-view, advertising, fan memberships, and creator donations.
• Storage and delivery: local storage, external storage providers, and CDN options. See storage options.
• Integrations: the AVideo API for external applications and custom development.

Availability depends on the plugins installed and enabled. Some plugins are distributed separately and require purchase; review their documentation and the marketplace before planning your deployment.

Demos

Open a demo and sign in with one of the public test accounts below:

These are shared, public demo accounts. Choose your own administrator password when installing your site.

Flix demo payments are real: paid subscriptions use real money. Review the price, billing period, and renewal terms on the Flix subscription plans before paying.

Tutorials / Gallery demo — videos about setup and features, with likes, channel subscriptions, and comments for signed-in users. Video uploads are disabled on this demo.

Documentation and support

License and intended use

See LICENSE for the software license, including its requirement that the software be used for Good, not Evil.

The project's installation agreement prohibits using this software to create sexually explicit material, pornography, or adult-themed content.