What Is a Video API?

Want to add video functionality to your product, service, or application? You’re going to need a video application programming interface (API).

Sure, you can find plenty of out-of-the-box video platforms and solutions out there, but these don’t allow customization, flexibility, and scale like a dedicated video API.

But that’s not to say that you can buy truly innovative video applications—oh no, you have to build them. And thanks to a premium video platform, you don’t have to construct it from the ground up—you can get a jump-start with an API.

Below, we’ll walk you through what a video API is and how you can use it to deliver top-notch customer (and developer) experiences.

What is a video API?

A video API lets you add video functionality to your application, products, services, or website by connecting to an online video platform provider. Video APIs also empower you to add on-demand video, live streaming, real-time 1:1 meetings, group chats, and more.

For example, imagine you’re a healthcare provider who wants to host videos on your mobile application while ensuring compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). You might want to provide:

• Exercise video libraries
• HIPAA-compliant 1:1 meetings with clients
• Employee team meetings
• Live-streaming all hands
• Webinars
• Videos with quizzes
• Virtual classrooms

Without a video API, you would need to build a complex application—requiring plenty of developers and experience. With an API, on the other hand, you could write a few lines of code and get your app up and running with video functionality in no time.

Video API use cases

Here are a few ways you can use video APIs to improve your product, service, or application:

• 1:1 video chats: Host secure GDPR-compliant meetings.
• Group video chats: Bring together 3 or more video participants.
• Video on demand: Provide videos your users can watch when they want.
• Live streaming: Live stream to your audience.
• Video playback: Add your branding and let users change the resolution, speed, and captions tailored to their preferences.
• Video analytics: Learn important audience information like playtime, rewind time stamps, viewing location, and videos to watch next.
• Interactive video: Empower users to interact with quizzes, surveys, real-time chat, and more.

Benefits of a video API

So why should someone use a video API rather than building video solutions or using out-of-the-box platforms? Here are a few of the benefits of a video API:

• Customize everything: Change everything from the branding to the video playback user interface to provide the perfect experience your customers need.
• Streamline development: Use a video API that lets you tap into video functionality from the get-go without expensive developer resources and trial and error.
• Add advanced functionality: Append advanced functionality (virtual backgrounds, video recordings, and noise cancellation) to your applications in minutes instead of months with a video API.
• Integrate anywhere: Add video functionality to any website, desktop application, mobile application, or platform.

How to choose the right video API

As you can see, video APIs provide next-level customer experiences. But, how do you find the right one for your needs?

Every platform and solution will have unique needs, but here are a few criteria to keep in mind as you explore your video API options:

• Affordability: Pay for exactly what you need—nothing more, nothing less.
• Video SDKs: Streamline development with software development kits.
• Documentation: Choose a platform that has extensive documentation, demos, and sample code.
• Customization: Pick a platform that empowers you to build a one-of-a-kind video experience.
• Noise cancellation: Block out background noise with high-quality audio powered by artificial intelligence technology.
• Video recording: Record your video and audio tracks for editing, mixing, and publishing later.
• Permissions: Control which meetings to record to protect user privacy.
• Video analytics: Learn how video performs within your application make data-backed changes and improvements.
• Low latency: Choose the best geolocation to support your video application.
• Uptime: Find a video API provider with a high uptime that you can trust.
• GDPR compliance: Keep your data secure and compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation.

Build a better video experience with Twilio’s video API

Twilio Video empowers you to build customized video experiences for applications at scale. So whether you need a virtual platform for hiring or HIPAA-compliant 1:1 and group calls for your healthcare practice, Twilio’s video API does it all.

See for yourself. Launch a 1:1 video application for free or start a free trial to build a group video calling application. Find the right starter plan on our Video pricing page.