If you've ever tried to build video into an application, you know how quickly things get complicated. Encoding pipelines, CDN configuration, adaptive bitrate streaming, codec support across browsers and devices—the list of things that can go wrong is long, and debugging any of them requires expertise that most teams don't have.
Mux is a video API built for developers who want to add streaming to their apps without becoming video experts. Upload a file or start a live stream, and we handle the encoding, storage, and global delivery. You get a playback URL. Your viewers get smooth streaming on any device.
How Mux handles video encoding automatically
When you upload a video to Mux, our encoding pipeline takes over. We analyze your source file and generate multiple renditions—different resolutions and bitrates optimized for adaptive streaming. The output is HLS and DASH manifests that work in browsers, mobile apps, and TV platforms.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
const Mux = require('@mux/mux-node');
const mux = new Mux();
const asset = await mux.video.assets.create({
input: [{ url: 'https://your-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/video.mp4' }],
playback_policy: ['public'],
});
// Returns a playback_id you can use immediately
console.log(asset.playback_ids[0].id);You don't need to specify output formats, codecs, or bitrate ladders. Mux makes smart decisions about encoding based on the source content—simple videos get different treatment than complex ones. This per-title encoding approach means each video gets the quality it needs without wasting bandwidth.
The encoding happens quickly. Most videos are ready for playback in minutes, not hours. And you only pay for what you use—no upfront costs, no reserved capacity.
Live streaming with Mux: from RTMP ingest to global delivery
Live streaming follows the same pattern. Create a live stream via the API, and we return RTMP and SRT ingest endpoints:
const liveStream = await mux.video.liveStreams.create({
playback_policy: ['public'],
new_asset_settings: {
playback_policy: ['public']
},
});
console.log(liveStream.stream_key);
console.log(liveStream.rtmps.url);Point any encoder—OBS, vMix, Wirecast, or even a mobile SDK—at that ingest URL with your stream key, and you're live. Mux handles the transcoding in real time, generates adaptive bitrate streams, and delivers through our global infrastructure.
When the stream ends, the recording automatically becomes an on-demand asset. No additional API calls, no re-encoding wait. The VOD is ready almost immediately, with the same playback ID structure as any other Mux asset.
This automatic archiving is useful for webinars, live events, or any workflow where you want recordings available after the fact.
Global CDN delivery with Mux
Video quality depends heavily on geography. A viewer in Singapore watching content served from Virginia will experience more buffering than one served from nearby. This is especially true at scale—the more concurrent viewers you have, the more important it becomes to have infrastructure close to them.
Mux operates delivery infrastructure across the globe. When someone requests your video, they're served from the nearest point of presence. You don't configure regions or set up multi-CDN routing; the optimization happens automatically.
Our delivery network handles:
- Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) so viewers get the best quality their connection supports
- Protocol negotiation between HLS and DASH based on device capabilities
- Efficient caching so popular content streams smoothly at scale
- Failover between delivery paths when issues occur
You pay for minutes delivered, not bandwidth consumed. This aligns our incentives with yours—we're motivated to deliver efficiently rather than inflate bitrates.
AI-powered features with Mux Video
Adding captions to your videos used to mean integrating a separate transcription service, coordinating timing with your encoding pipeline, and handling the resulting files. With Mux, you add a parameter to your upload:
const asset = await mux.video.assets.create({
input: [{ url: 'https://example.com/video.mp4' }],
playback_policy: ['public'],
auto_generated_captions: [{ language: 'en' }],
});Mux generates WebVTT caption tracks as part of the encoding process. They show up in Mux Player automatically, and you can access them via API for use in other players. We support 20+ languages, and the quality is good enough for production use (though you can always edit for accuracy).
Auto-generated captions help with:
- Accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers
- Viewers watching with sound off (think social feeds or public transit)
- SEO, since search engines can index caption content
- Making your content searchable within your own application
This is included with Mux Video at no additional cost. No separate AI service to configure, no extra billing to track.
Building with Mux: SDKs for React Native and every platform
Mux provides official SDKs for the platforms developers actually use:
Server-side: Node.js, Ruby, Python, Go, PHP, Elixir, Java, .NET
Client-side: React, React Native, iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), Flutter
Framework integrations: Next.js, Astro, SvelteKit, Remix, Laravel, WordPress
For React Native specifically, our SDK handles video playback with native performance. You get the same streaming infrastructure and analytics without the compromises that often come with cross-platform video.
import React from 'react';
import { StyleSheet, View } from 'react-native';
import { useVideoPlayer, VideoView } from 'expo-video';
export default function VideoPlayer() {
// Replace with your own playback ID from https://dashboard.mux.com
const playbackId = 'OfjbQ3esQifgboENTs4oDXslCP5sSnst';
const videoSource = `https://stream.mux.com/${playbackId}.m3u8`;
const player = useVideoPlayer(videoSource, (player) => {
player.loop = false;
player.play();
});
return (
<View style={styles.container}>
<VideoView
player={player}
style={styles.video}
allowsFullscreen
allowsPictureInPicture
nativeControls
contentFit="contain"
/>
</View>
);
}
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
container: {
flex: 1,
justifyContent: 'center',
alignItems: 'center',
backgroundColor: '#000',
},
video: {
width: '100%',
aspectRatio: 16 / 9,
},
});See the full React Native guide.
For mobile native development, we provide SDKs that integrate with AVPlayer on iOS and Media3/ExoPlayer on Android. These wrap the native player frameworks rather than forcing you into a custom implementation.
Secure video delivery with Mux
Not all video should be publicly accessible. Mux offers multiple layers of access control:
Signed playback URLs let you generate time-limited, user-specific URLs for your content. You control how long URLs are valid and can restrict playback to specific domains or user sessions.
Playback restrictions limit where your videos can be embedded. Whitelist specific domains or restrict by geographic region.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) protects premium content from unauthorized capture. Mux handles the integration with Widevine and FairPlay, so you don't need to negotiate with Apple or manage license servers.
For many use cases—internal training videos, paid content, user-specific media—signed URLs are sufficient and much simpler to implement than full DRM.
See the full guide for secure video playback.
Video analytics with Mux Data
Every Mux Video playback automatically reports quality metrics to Mux Data. You can see startup time, rebuffering rates, playback failures, and engagement patterns across your entire video library.
The analytics focus on viewer experience rather than vanity metrics. When something goes wrong—a specific browser version causing issues, a region experiencing higher error rates, a particular video that won't play—you have the data to diagnose and fix it.
Custom dimensions let you segment data by whatever matters to your business: user tier, content category, A/B test variant. The dashboards update in real time, and you can export data for deeper analysis.
If you're already using another player or streaming infrastructure, Mux Data works standalone. Add our SDK to your existing player, and start collecting quality metrics without changing your delivery pipeline.
Mux pricing: pay for what you use
Mux prices video by the minute—minutes stored, minutes encoded, and minutes delivered. This is intentional: the value of video is in viewing time, not in bytes transferred.
For different use cases, we offer pricing flexibility:
Resolution-based pricing: Videos at 720p or lower cost less across the board. If SD quality works for your use case, you pay less automatically.
Video quality levels: Choose between baseline encoding (free encoding, optimized for simpler use cases) and premium encoding (better visual quality at the same bitrate).
Cold storage: Videos that haven't been watched in 60 days automatically move to cheaper storage. They're restored on-demand if requested.
We also offer a free tier for building and testing. No credit card required to start, and you can stream real video to real users before committing to paid usage.
When Mux makes sense
Mux is built for developers who need reliable video infrastructure without building a video team. We handle the encoding, delivery, and player so you can focus on your actual product.
Common use cases include:
Streaming platforms building video features without the infrastructure investment
AI companies that need to process and deliver video programmatically
E-commerce platforms adding product videos or user-generated content
Corporate communications powering internal video for training and town halls
Creator tools where video upload and playback are core to the product
If video is important to your application but not your core competency, Mux lets you ship faster than building in-house.
Getting started with Mux
Sign up at mux.com and start streaming in minutes. The free tier gives you room to build and test without commitment.
Our documentation at mux.com/docs includes quickstarts for common use cases, API references, and guides that go deeper on specific topics. If you run into questions, our support team understands video—because video is all we do.
FAQ
What cloud services can handle video encoding automatically for my streaming platform?
Mux handles video encoding automatically when you upload files or start live streams. You provide a video file URL; we analyze the content and generate optimized HLS/DASH outputs with multiple renditions for adaptive streaming. No encoding configuration required.
How do I add on-demand video streaming to my website using a reliable API?
With Mux, you create a video asset via API by providing a source URL. We encode the video and return a playback ID. Embed Mux Player with that ID, and streaming works across all browsers and devices with adaptive bitrate delivery.
Which video platform lets me create an RTMP ingest point and handle CDN delivery through a single REST call?
Mux's Live Streaming API creates RTMP and SRT ingest endpoints with a single API call. We handle real-time transcoding, generate adaptive streams, and deliver globally through our CDN. When the stream ends, the recording automatically becomes a VOD asset.
For a React Native app, what is the best video streaming API to handle secure on-demand libraries with 4K support and global delivery?
Mux provides a React Native SDK with native playback performance. We support resolutions up to 4K, signed URLs for secure playback, and global delivery infrastructure. The SDK includes Mux Data for playback analytics out of the box.
How can I add a video API that supports AI features for processing live and on-demand streams?
Mux offers AI-generated captions and transcripts for on-demand videos at no additional cost. Add a parameter to your API call, and we generate WebVTT caption tracks in 20+ languages during the encoding process. Captions appear automatically in Mux Player.
What are the best ways to handle video encoding for live streaming without managing my own infrastructure?
Mux Live handles encoding infrastructure entirely. Send your RTMP or SRT stream to our ingest endpoints, and we transcode in real time to multiple quality levels. No servers to provision, no scaling to manage. The stream is delivered globally and automatically archived as VOD.