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How does video streaming use CDN?

Our Video Streaming distributes video content through the Gcore CDN network. The CDN is fully integrated into the streaming platform – no additional configuration is required to start delivering content globally. Edge servers pull videos from storage or live streams from the media server and deliver them quickly to end users across 210+ locations worldwide.

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Integrated CDN delivery

When you activate Video Streaming, CDN delivery is automatically enabled and configured under the hood. Your content is immediately distributed through Gcore’s global CDN infrastructure with:
  • Automatic caching at edge locations closest to your viewers
  • Adaptive bitrate delivery for optimal playback quality
  • Built-in player with CDN-optimized streaming
  • Global coverage across 210+ edge locations
No additional CDN setup is required – streaming and CDN work together out of the box.

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Billing for integrated CDN

Video Streaming with integrated CDN is billed on a per-minute basis according to your selected tariff plan. The billing is calculated based on seconds and then converted to minutes. Billing calculation: You’re charged based on the total minutes of content delivered to viewers, making it easy to predict and manage costs.
Example: If viewers watch a total of 10,000 minutes of your content in a month, you’re billed for 10,000 minutes according to your plan’s per-minute rate.
Important billing note: If a player downloads a video segment to buffer, it’s considered delivered and will be billed. For example, if a player buffers 30 seconds of video before playing, the CDN delivers those 30 seconds and they will be counted toward billing—regardless of whether the viewer actually watches the content or closes the video player immediately.

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Default CDN subdomain

Content is distributed to viewers from a CDN resource subdomain. When you create an account and activate Video Streaming, we automatically create a default subdomain in the format: 
clientID.gvideo.io
The clientID is your unique account identifier, found in the General section under the “Client ID” field. For example, if your clientID is 12345, your default subdomain will be 12345.gvideo.io. Important: This default CDN resource is invisible in the dedicated CDN resource list and is managed automatically by the Video Streaming platform. You don’t need to configure or manage it separately. This subdomain is included in the URLs of all your videos and live streams:
  • Live stream: https://12345.gvideo.io/cmaf/12345_00000/master.m3u8
  • Video (VoD): https://12345.gvideo.io/videos/12345_ABcdefg123HiJ

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Choosing your delivery approach

Gcore offers three different approaches to deliver your content, depending on your needs:
FeatureVideo StreamingHybrid (Transcoding + Custom CDN)Video CDN only
Availability✅ Immediate (automatically enabled)⚠️ Manual activation required⚠️ Manual activation required
Pricing modelPer-minute (all-inclusive)Per-minute (transcoding) + Per-GB (CDN bandwidth)Per-GB (bandwidth only)
Transcoding✅ Included✅ Included❌ Not included (bring your own)
Custom domains❌ Not available✅ Supported✅ Supported
Geo-blocking❌ Not available✅ Country access policies✅ Country access policies
Referrer validation❌ Not available✅ Domain restrictions✅ Domain restrictions
IP allowlists/blocklists❌ Not available✅ IP access policies✅ IP access policies
Secure tokens❌ Not available✅ Configurable✅ Configurable
Advanced caching rulesDefault settings✅ Full control✅ Full control
Separate security policiesOne policy for all✅ Multiple resources✅ Multiple resources
What it does:
  • Accepts raw video input (RTMP, SRT, WebRTC, or pulls HLS)
  • Transcodes your stream into multiple quality levels (ABR ladder up to 1080p)
  • Packages into HLS and MPEG-DASH formats
  • Delivers via Gcore CDN with built-in player
  • Billed per-minute of content streamed
Choose this if:
  • You have a raw stream (RTMP, SRT, WebRTC) that needs transcoding
  • You want Gcore to handle adaptive bitrate (ABR) encoding
  • You need multiple quality levels generated automatically
  • You want to reduce delivery load on your own servers
  • You need DVR or recording features
  • You prefer simple per-minute billing
  • You don’t need advanced CDN features (geo-blocking, custom domains)
Example use cases:
  • Streaming from OBS, vMix, or hardware encoders
  • Pulling an HLS stream but wanting better ABR quality options
  • Broadcasting live events with automatic quality adaptation
Need help deciding?
  • Start simple: Use Video Streaming (Transcoding) for most use cases
  • Need advanced features with transcoding: Use Hybrid approach
  • Already have HLS/DASH streams: Use Video CDN only

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Advanced CDN features

The default integrated CDN setup works perfectly for most use cases. If you need advanced features like custom domains, geo-blocking, or enhanced access control, consider the Hybrid (Transcoding + Custom CDN) approach described above. For detailed setup instructions and configuration options, see the Custom CDN resource guide.

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Next steps

  • Start streaming: Use the integrated CDN—no additional setup needed
  • Need custom domains or geo-blocking? See Custom CDN resource
  • Need access control for paid/private content? See Video secure token