Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions AVideo users and administrators ask most often. Follow the linked guide when you need detailed steps.
| I need help with... | Go to |
|---|---|
| First setup | Getting started |
| Upload or Encoder | Uploading and encoding |
| Playback or privacy | Playback and users, privacy, and permissions |
| Live streaming | Live streaming |
| Storage and growth | Storage options and backups |
| Plugins and business features | Plugins and design and monetization |
AVideo is self-hosted software. You normally need a Linux web server, a database, storage, HTTPS, and an Encoder. If another company hosts it for you, ask that provider which server tasks they manage.
See Hardware Requirements and the Quick Start Guide.
The AVideo Platform, sometimes called the Streamer, is the website where users manage and watch content. The Encoder processes uploaded files and sends the finished versions to the platform. They may be installed on the same server or on separate servers.
See the Glossary and About Video Upload.
For a new server, use the Ubuntu 24.x guide. Pages for Ubuntu 16, Ubuntu 18, Debian 9, and other end-of-life systems are historical references for existing legacy installations, not recommendations for new servers.
Shared hosting often blocks the long-running processes, command-line tools, file sizes, and CPU usage required for video encoding and live streaming. AVideo is designed for Linux servers. Docker or a virtual machine can be useful for testing, but production capacity still depends on the host server.
See Running AVideo with Docker and Hardware Requirements.
For testing or a very small private site, start around 2–4 CPU cores and 4–8 GB RAM. For a small production site with uploads, 4–8 CPU cores and 8–16 GB RAM is a more comfortable starting point. SSD space depends on the library and selected video qualities; CDN Storage is one managed remote-storage option.
The account is probably a normal user rather than an administrator. Signing in does not grant administration rights. Ask an existing administrator to check the account permissions.
Use Encode video and audio unless you know the source file is already compatible and understand the requirements of direct upload. Encoding is slower but produces browser-friendly output, thumbnails, and selected resolutions.
See About Video Upload.
First identify where it stopped:
- If the browser upload has not finished, check the file-size limits, network connection, and free disk space.
- If the upload finished but the job is waiting, check the Encoder queue and whether the Encoder can reach the AVideo URL.
- If encoding failed, read the Encoder error instead of repeatedly uploading the same large file.
Try a very small video. If it succeeds, the installation is connected and the problem is more likely related to size, format, resources, or timeout limits.
There is no guaranteed time based only on video duration. As a planning example, a 10-minute video may take about 5–15 minutes on a suitable server. Source resolution and codec, server CPU, selected output resolutions, HLS generation, and queued jobs all matter. Check whether progress is moving before treating a long job as failed.
The video may still be encoding, scheduled for a future release, inactive, unlisted, restricted to a user group, or marked as broken because output files are missing. Check its status in the video manager.
See Video Statuses, Video Privacy, and Broken/Missing Files.
The Encoder can import supported URLs when yt-dlp and the required tools are installed. The remote service may change without notice, and you must have permission to copy the content.
See Install yt-dlp and Import a Playlist.
The Encoder accepts many common sources, including MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, and WebM when the installed FFmpeg build supports their codecs. The source extension alone is not a compatibility guarantee; use the Encoder to create web-friendly output.
See About Video Upload.
Administrator access can bypass restrictions. Test while signed out or in a private browser window, then check status, release date, user-group restrictions, password protection, and whether embedding is allowed.
Common causes are missing output files, an encoding failure, HTTPS/mixed-content blocking, cross-origin restrictions, inaccessible storage, or an unsupported direct-upload codec. Check the browser console and the exact media request before re-encoding.
See Video Playback Troubleshooting.
Browsers often block autoplay with sound. Start muted and make sure an iframe includes the autoplay permission. Browser policy can still override the player setting.
See Autoplay and Browser Policies and Video Embed URLs.
Check the player's mute button, the device volume, Bluetooth/audio output, and whether the source file contains an audio track. Autoplaying players often start muted by browser policy.
You need the Live plugin, a correctly configured live server such as NGINX RTMP, an allowed network/firewall path, and broadcasting software such as OBS. The AVideo website alone is not an RTMP server.
See How to Make a Live Stream and Set Up a Stream Server.
Confirm the stream key and server URL, then check whether the live server is receiving data, whether the HLS output is being created, whether HTTPS URLs are correct, and whether the viewer can request the playlist and segments.
See Live Playback Troubleshooting.
Yes, when recording is configured on the live server and the AVideo recording workflow is enabled. Recording consumes disk space and the final file may still need encoding.
See Record a Live Stream.
Restream sends a live input to other destinations. Rebroadcaster schedules existing media to be transmitted like a live event. Choose based on whether your source is live now or already recorded.
Yes, AVideo can send supported live streams to multiple outside destinations when the appropriate Restream workflow is configured. Each destination has its own keys, rules, limits, and rights requirements. See Restream and Rebroadcaster.
Use the video's status and user-group access. Unlisted is not the same as private: anyone with an unlisted link may still be able to open it. Test restrictions with a normal account that does and does not belong to the allowed group.
See Video Privacy and User Groups.
Use user permissions and, where applicable, plugin-specific permissions. Do not make someone a full administrator just to grant one operational task.
See Users Permissions and Permissions Plugin.
Create the group in the administrator's user-group area, add the intended users, and assign that group to the video. Then test with one member and one non-member. See Create Non-Public Videos and User Groups.
Following a channel is normally free and helps viewers find updates from a creator. The Subscription plugin creates paid plans and time-limited membership access. They are separate features.
Saving SMTP settings is not enough; send a test message. Check the sender address, port and encryption combination, app-password requirements, spam folder, and the mail-provider log. Never publish the SMTP password in a support request.
See Set Up Email Sending.
The notification type may require a plugin, a user preference, a verified email address, a scheduled task, or push-notification permission in the browser. Identify the exact notification type first.
See Email and Push Notification Guide.
Use the Plugin Documentation Index to match the technical name shown in the Plugin Manager with its setup guide.
No. Enable only the features you need. Each plugin can add settings, scheduled work, external dependencies, or new permissions. Enable and test one plugin at a time.
Not as the first step. A reset can remove configuration and, depending on the plugin, may affect plugin data. Record the current settings, check logs and dependencies, and make a backup before resetting.
Clear the AVideo cache, reload without browser cache, and verify that a theme or custom CSS is not overriding the setting. Make one change at a time.
See Design FAQ.
AVideo can support advertising, pay-per-view, subscriptions, paid promotion, wallets, and payment providers through the relevant plugins. You choose the business model and enable only the pieces it needs. Compare the options in How to Make Money.
| Goal | Related plugin/page |
|---|---|
| Recurring paid membership | Subscription Plugin |
| Sell one video or event | PayPerView Plugin |
| Advertising | AVideo advertising options |
| Sell creator storage plans | Disk Upload Quota + CDN Storage |
Write down the exact time and action, then check the AVideo log, web-server error log, browser console/network request, Encoder log, or live-server log that corresponds to that action. “It does not work” is not enough to identify the failing component.
See How to Find Errors.
For a page/button problem, Browser Console Diagnostics explains how to capture the first failed request instead of only the final visible message.
The Encoder must reach the exact public AVideo base URL from its own server or container. Check DNS, HTTPS certificate, redirects, firewall/proxy rules, and the URL saved in the Encoder. A site opening on your laptop does not prove the Encoder server can reach it.
See Encoder Cannot Find the Streamer.
Record the numeric error code first. A stopped database, wrong hostname/socket, incorrect credentials, connection exhaustion, packet size, slow queries, disk pressure, or a damaged table require different fixes. Do not grant the application global/root privileges or install a public database tool as a shortcut.
See MySQL Troubleshooting and Error While Sending QUERY Packet.
Yes, through the Encoder and the configured output profiles. The generated formats depend on the source, enabled profiles, and plugins such as VideoHLS. See Automatic MP4 and MP3 Conversion and About Video Upload.
Use the supported cache control or Cache Plugin first. Broad manual deletion can remove the wrong files when the installation path or cache design differs. If a guide calls for a filesystem action, verify the exact directory and keep a backup.
Only after removing passwords, database credentials, API keys, stream keys, cookies, authorization headers, private URLs, and personal information. Treat a complete configuration file as secret.
Back up the database and files, then run git pull in both the Streamer and Encoder checkouts. If local tracked files block the pull, discard them with the reset procedure in the update guide. After the files are current, run any offered database migrations, update plugins and install their new tables before testing the site.
See Update AVideo and Backups.
At minimum: the database, videos/configuration.php, uploaded media or a documented storage backup, custom plugins/themes, and any server configuration needed to restore the site. A backup stored only on the same disk as the live site is not sufficient.
Include:
- What you were trying to do
- The exact steps to reproduce it
- What you expected and what happened
- The exact error text and time
- AVideo version and relevant plugin name
- Browser/device or server component involved
- Relevant sanitized log lines
Do not include secrets. For installation-specific help, also state the operating system, web server, PHP version, and whether the Encoder or live server is separate.
