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🎬 Wasabi HLS Streaming Architecture
Complete guide to how HLS video streaming works with Wasabi storage and proxy CDN architecture.
📋 Table of Contents
- Overview
- Upload & Conversion Flow
- Streaming Flow
- URL Rewriting Flow
- Why Local Testing is Slow
- Production Performance
🎯 Overview
Problem: Wasabi free trial doesn't allow public bucket access
Solution: Server acts as proxy CDN - streams files from Wasabi to clients
Benefit: No direct Wasabi URLs exposed, full control over streaming
📤 Upload & Conversion Flow
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ UPLOAD & HLS CONVERSION FLOW │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 1: User uploads video file
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
┌──────────┐
│ Client │ POST /wasabi/upload-video-hls
│ (Browser)│ Content-Type: multipart/form-data
└─────┬────┘ { video: video.mp4 }
│
│ HTTP Upload
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageController │
│ @Post('upload-video-hls') │
│ │
│ • Receives file via multer │
│ • Saves to: ./resources/temp/ │
│ • Generates uploadId │
│ (e.g., 1766933325669-42b7k6) │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Call service
▼
Step 2: Async HLS Conversion (FFmpeg)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageService │
│ startVideoProcessing() │
│ │
│ Returns uploadId immediately │
│ (non-blocking, async processing) │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Async processing in background
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HlsConversionService │
│ convertVideoToAdaptiveHLS() │
│ │
│ Converts video to HLS format: │
│ • 1080p (1920x1080, 5500k bitrate) │
│ • 720p (1280x720, 3000k bitrate) │
│ • 480p (854x480, 1200k bitrate) │
│ • Audio-only (128k bitrate) │
│ │
│ Generates files: │
│ • master.m3u8 (main playlist) │
│ • index_1080p.m3u8 │
│ • index_720p.m3u8 │
│ • index_480p.m3u8 │
│ • index_audio.m3u8 │
│ • segment_1080p_000.ts to XXX.ts │
│ • segment_720p_000.ts to XXX.ts │
│ • segment_480p_000.ts to XXX.ts │
│ • segment_audio_000.ts to XXX.ts │
│ │
│ Saved to: /tmp/streamflix-hls/ │
│ {uploadId}/ │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Conversion complete
▼
Step 3: Upload all files to Wasabi
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageService │
│ uploadHLSFilesToWasabi() │
│ │
│ Uploads to Wasabi S3: │
│ • hls/{uploadId}/master.m3u8 │
│ • hls/{uploadId}/index_1080p.m3u8 │
│ • hls/{uploadId}/index_720p.m3u8 │
│ • hls/{uploadId}/index_480p.m3u8 │
│ • hls/{uploadId}/index_audio.m3u8 │
│ • hls/{uploadId}/segment_*.ts │
│ (all segments for all qualities) │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Upload complete
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Wasabi S3 Storage │
│ Bucket: streamflix-backed │
│ Region: us-west-1 │
│ │
│ Storage structure: │
│ hls/ │
│ └── 1766933325669-42b7k6/ │
│ ├── master.m3u8 │
│ ├── index_1080p.m3u8 │
│ ├── index_720p.m3u8 │
│ ├── index_480p.m3u8 │
│ ├── index_audio.m3u8 │
│ ├── segment_1080p_000.ts │
│ ├── segment_1080p_001.ts │
│ ├── ... (hundreds of segments) │
│ ├── segment_720p_000.ts │
│ ├── segment_480p_000.ts │
│ └── segment_audio_000.ts │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 4: Cleanup local files
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HlsConversionService │
│ cleanupFiles(uploadId) │
│ │
│ Deletes from local disk: │
│ • /tmp/streamflix-hls/{uploadId}/ │
│ • ./resources/temp/video-*.mp4 │
│ │
│ Result: Files only in Wasabi │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
📥 Streaming Flow (The Proxy CDN Magic)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HLS STREAMING FLOW (PROXY CDN) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 1: User requests master playlist
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
┌──────────┐
│ Client │ GET /wasabi/hls?uploadId=1766933325669-42b7k6
│ (HLS │
│ Player) │
└─────┬────┘
│
│ HTTP Request
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageController │
│ @Get('hls') │
│ @SkipApiToken() (public) │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Call service
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageService │
│ getRewrittenM3U8(uploadId) │
│ │
│ 1. Fetch from Wasabi: │
│ hls/{uploadId}/master.m3u8 │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Internal S3 request (presigned URL)
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Wasabi S3 Storage │
│ Returns master.m3u8 content: │
│ │
│ #EXTM3U │
│ #EXT-X-MEDIA:URI="index_audio.m3u8"│
│ #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=1328000│
│ index_480p.m3u8 │
│ #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=3128000│
│ index_720p.m3u8 │
│ #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=5628000│
│ index_1080p.m3u8 │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Stream master.m3u8 content
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageService │
│ getRewrittenM3U8() │
│ │
│ 2. Rewrite URLs (URL MAGIC!) │
│ │
│ Before: │
│ URI="index_audio.m3u8" │
│ index_480p.m3u8 │
│ index_720p.m3u8 │
│ │
│ After: │
│ URI="https://domain/wasabi/ │
│ file?path=hls%2F...%2F │
│ index_audio.m3u8" │
│ https://domain/wasabi/ │
│ file?path=hls%2F...%2F │
│ index_480p.m3u8 │
│ https://domain/wasabi/ │
│ file?path=hls%2F...%2F │
│ index_720p.m3u8 │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Return rewritten playlist
▼
┌──────────┐
│ Client │ Receives master.m3u8 with
│ (HLS │ absolute URLs to server proxy
│ Player) │
└─────┬────┘
│
│ Player parses, selects quality (e.g., 720p)
▼
Step 2: Player requests quality playlist
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
┌──────────┐
│ Client │ GET /wasabi/file?path=hls%2F...%2Findex_720p.m3u8
└─────┬────┘
│
│ HTTP Request
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageController │
│ @Get('file') │
│ @SkipApiToken() (public) │
│ │
│ Detects: .m3u8 file in hls/ folder │
│ Triggers: Automatic URL rewriting │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Call service
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageService │
│ streamFile(path) │
│ │
│ 1. Fetch from Wasabi: │
│ hls/{uploadId}/index_720p.m3u8 │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Internal S3 request
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Wasabi S3 Storage │
│ Returns index_720p.m3u8: │
│ │
│ #EXTM3U │
│ #EXTINF:6.000000, │
│ segment_720p_000.ts │
│ #EXTINF:6.000000, │
│ segment_720p_001.ts │
│ #EXTINF:6.000000, │
│ segment_720p_002.ts │
│ ... (more segments) │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Stream playlist content
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageService │
│ streamFile() - Auto Rewrite! │
│ │
│ 2. Rewrite segment URLs │
│ │
│ Before: │
│ segment_720p_000.ts │
│ segment_720p_001.ts │
│ segment_720p_002.ts │
│ │
│ After: │
│ https://domain/wasabi/ │
│ file?path=hls%2F...%2F │
│ segment_720p_000.ts │
│ https://domain/wasabi/ │
│ file?path=hls%2F...%2F │
│ segment_720p_001.ts │
│ https://domain/wasabi/ │
│ file?path=hls%2F...%2F │
│ segment_720p_002.ts │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Return rewritten playlist
▼
┌──────────┐
│ Client │ Receives quality playlist with
│ (HLS │ absolute URLs to server proxy
│ Player) │
└─────┬────┘
│
│ Player starts downloading segments
▼
Step 3: Player requests video segments (MANY PARALLEL REQUESTS)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
┌──────────┐
│ Client │ GET /wasabi/file?path=hls%2F...%2Fsegment_720p_000.ts
│ (HLS │ GET /wasabi/file?path=hls%2F...%2Fsegment_720p_001.ts
│ Player) │ GET /wasabi/file?path=hls%2F...%2Fsegment_720p_002.ts
└─────┬────┘ (Multiple parallel requests)
│
│ HTTP Requests (parallel)
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageController │
│ @Get('file') │
│ @SkipApiToken() (public) │
│ │
│ Detects: .ts file (video segment) │
│ Action: Direct stream (no rewrite) │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Call service
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageService │
│ streamFile(path) │
│ │
│ Fetch from Wasabi: │
│ hls/{uploadId}/segment_720p_000.ts │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Internal S3 request
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Wasabi S3 Storage │
│ Returns video segment: │
│ Content-Type: video/mp2t │
│ Size: ~1-2 MB (6 seconds of video) │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Stream segment (DIRECT PIPE)
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WasabiStorageService │
│ streamFile() │
│ │
│ ⚡ CRITICAL: Direct piping! │
│ result.stream.pipe(res) │
│ │
│ • NO buffering on server │
│ • Chunks stream immediately │
│ • Server memory stays low │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
│ Pipe stream chunks
▼
┌──────────┐
│ Client │ Receives video chunks in real-time
│ (HLS │ Player buffers and plays video
│ Player) │
└──────────┘
🔄 This repeats for EVERY segment (could be 100+ segments per quality)
🔧 URL Rewriting Flow (Technical Details)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ URL REWRITING LOGIC │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Problem: HLS playlists contain relative file paths
Wasabi bucket is NOT public (free trial restriction)
Direct Wasabi URLs won't work
Solution: Rewrite ALL URLs to point to our proxy server
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Original master.m3u8 from Wasabi:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-MEDIA:TYPE=AUDIO,GROUP-ID="audio",NAME="Audio",DEFAULT=YES,URI="index_audio.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=1328000,RESOLUTION=854x480,CODECS="avc1.64001f,mp4a.40.2",AUDIO="audio"
index_480p.m3u8
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=3128000,RESOLUTION=1280x720,CODECS="avc1.64001f,mp4a.40.2",AUDIO="audio"
index_720p.m3u8
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=5628000,RESOLUTION=1920x1080,CODECS="avc1.64001f,mp4a.40.2",AUDIO="audio"
index_1080p.m3u8
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Rewriting Process (2 patterns):
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Pattern 1: URIs inside quotes (audio track)
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Regex: /URI="([^"]+\.(m3u8|ts))"/g
Before: URI="index_audio.m3u8"
After: URI="https://domain/wasabi/file?path=hls%2F{uploadId}%2Findex_audio.m3u8"
Pattern 2: Standalone filenames on their own line
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Check: line.trim().endsWith('.m3u8') || line.trim().endsWith('.ts')
Before: index_480p.m3u8
After: https://domain/wasabi/file?path=hls%2F{uploadId}%2Findex_480p.m3u8
Before: segment_720p_000.ts
After: https://domain/wasabi/file?path=hls%2F{uploadId}%2Fsegment_720p_000.ts
Rewritten master.m3u8 sent to client:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-MEDIA:TYPE=AUDIO,GROUP-ID="audio",NAME="Audio",DEFAULT=YES,URI="https://domain/wasabi/file?path=hls%2F1766933325669-42b7k6%2Findex_audio.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=1328000,RESOLUTION=854x480,CODECS="avc1.64001f,mp4a.40.2",AUDIO="audio"
https://domain/wasabi/file?path=hls%2F1766933325669-42b7k6%2Findex_480p.m3u8
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=3128000,RESOLUTION=1280x720,CODECS="avc1.64001f,mp4a.40.2",AUDIO="audio"
https://domain/wasabi/file?path=hls%2F1766933325669-42b7k6%2Findex_720p.m3u8
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=5628000,RESOLUTION=1920x1080,CODECS="avc1.64001f,mp4a.40.2",AUDIO="audio"
https://domain/wasabi/file?path=hls%2F1766933325669-42b7k6%2Findex_1080p.m3u8
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Result: HLS player sees fully qualified URLs
All URLs point to our server (proxy CDN)
Player fetches everything through our API
🐌 Why Local Testing is Slow
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LOCAL TESTING BOTTLENECK ANALYSIS │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Scenario: Testing on localhost with slow home internet
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Your Network:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [Your Computer] <───────────┐ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ │ │
│ │ Browser │ │ Loopback (instant) │
│ │ HLS Player │ │ │
│ └───────┬──────┘ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ HTTP Request │ │
│ │ (localhost:5119) │ │
│ ▼ │ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ │ │
│ │ NestJS Server│◄────────────┘ │
│ │ (localhost) │ │
│ └───────┬──────┘ │
│ │ │
│ │ ⚠️ BOTTLENECK: Downloads from Wasabi │
│ │ via your home internet (slow upload!) │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Home Internet │ Upload: 5-20 Mbps (typical home internet) │
│ │ Router/Modem │ Download: 50-200 Mbps │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
└─────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
│ Internet (slow home upload speed)
▼
┌───────────────────┐
│ Wasabi S3 │ Located in: us-west-1 (California)
│ Storage │ Upload/Download: Very fast (datacenter speeds)
└───────────────────┘
The Problem (Request Flow):
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
1. Browser requests segment:
GET /wasabi/file?path=segment_720p_000.ts
2. Server receives request (instant - localhost)
3. ⚠️ Server downloads from Wasabi:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ NestJS Server │
│ └─> Wasabi S3 Request │
│ │
│ Download speed LIMITED BY: │
│ • Your home internet UPLOAD speed (5-20 Mbps typical) │
│ • Wasabi is downloading TO your home (uses upload speed!) │
│ • Segment size: ~1-2 MB │
│ │
│ Time: 1-2 MB ÷ 10 Mbps upload = 0.8-1.6 seconds per chunk │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
4. Server streams to browser (instant - localhost)
5. ⚠️ Player needs 3-5 segments buffered before playing
Total time: 3 segments × 1.5s each = 4.5 seconds initial load
Why it's slow:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
❌ Home internet upload speed is slow (5-20 Mbps typical)
❌ Wasabi → Your Server uses your UPLOAD bandwidth
❌ Multiple segments needed before playback starts
❌ Each segment takes 1-2 seconds to download from Wasabi
Visual Timeline:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Time Browser Server Wasabi
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
0.0s Request seg_000.ts ──> Waiting
0.1s Request to Wasabi ──────> Processing
0.2s Downloading.............. Sending
0.5s Downloading.............. Sending
1.0s Downloading.............. Sending
1.5s Download complete <────── Done
1.6s Receiving chunk <──── Streaming to browser
2.0s Request seg_001.ts ──> Waiting (repeat above)
🚀 Production Performance (Why Server Deployment is Fast)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PRODUCTION DEPLOYMENT PERFORMANCE │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Scenario: Server deployed on cloud (AWS, DigitalOcean, Heroku, etc.)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Production Network:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CLIENT SIDE │
│ [User's Device] │
│ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ Browser │ │
│ │ HLS Player │ │
│ └───────┬──────┘ │
└──────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
│ Internet (user's speed doesn't affect server-to-wasabi)
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SERVER SIDE (CLOUD) │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Cloud Datacenter (AWS/DigitalOcean/Heroku) │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ ┌──────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ NestJS Server│ │ │
│ │ │ (Production) │ │ │
│ │ └───────┬──────┘ │ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ ⚡ FAST: Datacenter-to-datacenter connection │ │
│ │ │ Speed: 1-10 Gbps (1000-10000 Mbps) │ │
│ │ │ Latency: 5-20ms │ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ ▼ │ │
│ │ ┌───────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ High-Speed │ Upload: 1-10 Gbps │ │
│ │ │ Datacenter │ Download: 1-10 Gbps │ │
│ │ │ Network │ Unlimited bandwidth │ │
│ │ └────────┬──────────┘ │ │
│ └───────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
│ High-speed datacenter backbone
│ Speed: 1-10 Gbps
│ Latency: ~10ms
│
▼
┌────────────────────┐
│ Wasabi S3 │ Located in: us-west-1 (California)
│ Storage │ Datacenter: High-speed connections
└────────────────────┘
Performance Comparison:
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Local Testing Production Server
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Server Network Home Internet Cloud Datacenter
Upload Speed 5-20 Mbps 1,000-10,000 Mbps
Download Speed 50-200 Mbps 1,000-10,000 Mbps
Server→Wasabi Uses upload (slow) Datacenter speed (fast)
Latency 50-100ms 5-20ms
Segment Download 1-2 seconds 0.05-0.2 seconds
Initial Load 4-6 seconds 0.5-1 second
Buffering Frequent Rare/Never
Production Request Flow (FAST!):
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
1. Browser requests segment:
GET /wasabi/file?path=segment_720p_000.ts
2. Server receives request (fast - CDN)
3. ✅ Server downloads from Wasabi:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ NestJS Server (Cloud Datacenter) │
│ └─> Wasabi S3 Request │
│ │
│ Download speed: │
│ • Datacenter connection: 1-10 Gbps │
│ • Wasabi datacenter: 1-10 Gbps │
│ • Segment size: ~1-2 MB │
│ │
│ Time: 1-2 MB ÷ 1 Gbps = 0.01-0.02 seconds per chunk │
│ (50-100x FASTER than home internet!) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
4. Server streams to browser (depends on user's internet)
5. ✅ Player starts playing almost immediately
Total time: 3 segments × 0.05s each = 0.15 seconds initial load
Visual Timeline (Production):
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Time Browser Server (Cloud) Wasabi
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
0.00s Request seg_000.ts ──> Waiting
0.01s Request to Wasabi ──────> Processing
0.02s Download complete <────── Done (FAST!)
0.03s Receiving chunk <──── Streaming to browser
0.10s Request seg_001.ts ──> Waiting
0.11s Request to Wasabi ──────> Processing
0.12s Download complete <────── Done (FAST!)
0.13s Receiving chunk <──── Streaming to browser
0.20s 🎬 Video starts playing (smooth!)
Why Production is Fast:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
✅ Datacenter network: 1-10 Gbps (100-1000x faster than home)
✅ Low latency: 5-20ms (vs 50-100ms home internet)
✅ Unlimited bandwidth: No ISP throttling
✅ Parallel downloads: Server can handle 100+ concurrent requests
✅ Geographic proximity: Server and Wasabi both in datacenters
Optimization Techniques Applied:
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
1. ⚡ Direct Piping (No Buffering)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
result.stream.pipe(res)
• Chunks stream immediately (no waiting for full download)
• Server memory stays low (no buffering in RAM)
• Start streaming to client while still downloading from Wasabi
2. ⚡ No Processing Overhead
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
For .ts segments: Pure streaming (no URL rewriting)
For .m3u8 files: Only rewrite text (very fast string operation)
3. ⚡ HTTP Range Support
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Accept-Ranges: bytes
• Allows video seeking (jump to any point)
• Browser only downloads needed chunks
• No need to download entire video
4. ⚡ CORS Enabled
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
• Works with any HLS player
• No preflight request delays
5. ⚡ CDN-Ready Headers
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Cache-Control: public, max-age=2592000
• Browser caches segments for 30 days
• Repeated views = instant playback
• Can add Cloudflare/CDN in front for global edge caching
📊 Performance Comparison Summary
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PERFORMANCE METRICS COMPARISON │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Metric Local Testing Production Server Improvement
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Server Network Speed 10 Mbps 1,000 Mbps 100x faster
Server→Wasabi Latency 50-100ms 5-20ms 5x faster
Segment Download Time 1-2 seconds 0.05-0.2 seconds 10-20x faster
Initial Video Load 4-6 seconds 0.5-1 second 5-10x faster
Buffering Frequency Every 3-5 seg Rare/Never Smooth
Concurrent Users 1-2 100-1000+ Scalable
Memory Usage Low (piping) Low (piping) Efficient
CPU Usage Low (no proc) Low (no proc) Efficient
Bottleneck Analysis:
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Local Testing:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ Browser ←─── [INSTANT] ───→ Server ←─── [SLOW!] ───→ Wasabi │
│ (Fast) (Localhost) (Home Internet) │
│ ↑ │
│ └── BOTTLENECK HERE │
│ (5-20 Mbps upload) │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Production:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ Browser ←─ [User Speed] ─→ Server ←─── [FAST!] ───→ Wasabi │
│ (Varies) (Cloud) (Datacenter) │
│ ↑ │
│ └── NO BOTTLENECK │
│ (1-10 Gbps) │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Takeaway:
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
📌 Local testing is slow because your HOME INTERNET UPLOAD SPEED limits
the server's ability to download from Wasabi.
📌 Production is fast because SERVER-TO-WASABI happens at datacenter speeds
(1000x faster than home internet).
📌 Your slow internet does NOT affect the production server's performance!
📌 Deploy to cloud → Experience true speed! 🚀
🎯 Architecture Benefits
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WHY THIS ARCHITECTURE? │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
✅ Works with Wasabi Free Trial
• No need for public bucket access
• No need to pay for CDN features
• Full control over access
✅ Security
• All Wasabi credentials stay on server
• No direct Wasabi URLs exposed to clients
• Can add authentication/authorization later
✅ Flexibility
• Can add rate limiting per user
• Can track analytics (views, bandwidth)
• Can add watermarks or DRM later
✅ Cost Effective
• Wasabi storage: Very cheap ($6/TB/month)
• No egress fees (unlimited downloads)
• No need for separate CDN service
✅ Scalability
• Direct piping = Low memory usage
• Can handle 100+ concurrent streams
• Can add Cloudflare/CDN layer later for global reach
✅ Performance
• Direct piping = Fast streaming
• No buffering on server = Low latency
• Works with any HLS player
⚠️ Trade-off: Server bandwidth
• All video traffic goes through your server
• For high traffic, add CDN layer (Cloudflare) in front
• But for most apps, this is fine!
🔍 Debugging Tips
When video is slow/not loading:
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
1. Check server logs:
• Look for "Streaming file:" messages
• Check for errors in WasabiStorageService
• Verify uploadId exists in Wasabi
2. Check network tab in browser:
• Are requests returning 200 OK?
• Check Content-Type headers (should be video/mp2t for segments)
• Look at response times (should be fast in production)
3. Check Wasabi bucket:
• Verify files exist: hls/{uploadId}/master.m3u8
• Check file sizes (master.m3u8 should be small, segments ~1-2 MB)
4. Test with curl:
curl "http://localhost:5119/wasabi/hls?uploadId=1766933325669-42b7k6"
# Should return rewritten m3u8 content
5. Check APP_URL in .env:
• Must match your actual domain
• Local: http://localhost:5119
• Prod: https://yourdomain.com
📝 Summary
Upload Flow: Video → FFmpeg HLS Conversion → Upload to Wasabi → Cleanup Local Files
Streaming Flow: Browser → Server (proxy) → Wasabi → Server → Browser
URL Rewriting: All playlists rewritten to point to server proxy endpoints
Performance:
- Local testing: Slow (limited by home internet upload speed)
- Production: Fast (datacenter-to-datacenter speeds, 100x faster)
Key Insight: Your slow local internet does NOT affect production performance! 🚀