Upload a video. Get back a URL that plays.
Send Rend a video and it comes back ready to play behind a single URL, already encoded and stored for Tigris-backed HLS playback. You write one API call, not a pipeline, and private object-store URLs stay out of the browser.
What you get
Six things we think matter most, and what each one means when you build on Rend.
One call in, one link out
Send a file or a URL in a single API call. Rend encodes, packages and stores it, then hands back one playback URL that plays anywhere.
- Upload a file body or hand Rend a source URL to pull from. Either way it is one request.
- Rend returns an asset you can poll until it is playable, then a single same-origin playback URL.
- No buckets to wire up, no manifests to assemble, no separate CDN to configure.
Fast starts, even cold
Rend generates HLS during media processing and serves it from Tigris-backed origin through Rend-controlled URLs, so playback works without active edge nodes.
- HLS manifests and segments are available as soon as the asset reaches hls_ready.
- The player receives same-origin artifact URLs, not private object-store links.
- The bare-metal edge path is optional and dormant until regional coverage makes it worthwhile.
Simple pricing
You pay for delivered watch minutes and stored video minutes. Encoding is included, with no base fee, resolution multiplier, or egress charge.
- Delivery is $0.001 for each minute viewers watch.
- Storage is $0.003 for each minute of video stored for a month.
- Encoding is included on every upload, and every resolution costs the same.
100% open source
Every line is open: AGPL server, MIT player and SDKs. Run the same binary we run, on your own machines, with no phone-home and no licence to expire.
- The server is AGPL; the player and SDKs are MIT.
- It is the exact code that runs Rend Cloud, not a cut-down community edition.
- Self-host the whole thing free, with nothing phoning home and no licence to expire.
Easy for you and your AI
The whole guide fits on one page, with llms.txt, OpenAPI and a generated SDK, so you or the model in your editor can wire up Rend right the first time.
- The full integration guide fits on a single page at /docs.
- A copyable prompt gives agents the exact sources, key rules and smoke test path.
- An llms.txt index and OpenAPI contract point models at the stable reference they need.
Speed you can check
Don't take our word for it. Upload a video, press play from anywhere in the world, and time the first frame yourself. That's the number that matters.
- Time to first frame is the number viewers actually feel.
- Upload a real video and press play from anywhere in the world.
- Measure the first frame yourself instead of trusting a marketing figure.
From upload to playback in one flow
Upload a source, poll until it is playable, then embed one same-origin URL. The dashboard shows every asset, its renditions and how fast it starts.
- 1Upload a file or a source URL with a single authenticated call.
- 2Rend encodes the renditions players need and publishes HLS playback artifacts.
- 3Embed the returned playback URL, or hand it to the Rend player.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about what Rend does and how it fits your stack.
- What does Rend actually do?
- You hand Rend a video file or a URL in one API call. It encodes, packages and stores the video, then gives you back a single playback URL that plays anywhere. The renditions players need are built for you.
- Do I have to deal with encoding?
- No. Every upload is encoded for you, and it is included in the price. Rend builds the renditions players need so you never touch a transcoding pipeline.
- What do I get back to play the video?
- An adaptive HLS ladder served through Rend-controlled playback URLs. Browser playback uses same-origin URLs with no tokens to manage, so you drop in one source and it plays.
- Can I run it on my own servers?
- Yes. Rend is open source and installs as a single binary, so you can self-host it for free. Or use Rend Cloud and let us run the hosted playback stack for you.
- Is it easy to wire up with an AI coding assistant?
- Yes. The whole guide fits on one page, and Rend ships llms.txt, OpenAPI, a generated TypeScript SDK and a copyable agent prompt so the model in your editor can set it up correctly the first time.