How do you handle external video content in a Discourse community?

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1

Hi everyone,

I’m learning more about building web tools and I’m curious about how Discourse communities handle external video content.

For example, if members share videos from platforms such as Kuaishou, TikTok, or other video platforms, what is the preferred approach for handling those URLs in Discourse?

I’m particularly interested in:

  • How external video URLs are detected and displayed
  • Whether there are recommended plugins or integrations for this
  • How developers handle platforms that don’t provide standard embeds
  • Any security or moderation considerations when processing external media URLs

I’d love to hear how others have approached this in their Discourse communities.

2

Welcome to the community!

There are lots of ways to handle video content in Discourse. In the topic composer, where a user would type in a new topic or reply to an existing topic, it is possible to upload video files. Most video files appear in a onebox which usually includes a nice preview image. There is also a livestream plugin which can be used in a stand alone topic or a Discourse Calendar and Events . There is even a Video stream plugin which supports RTMPS broadcasting!

Also the brand new Resenha plugin that allows you to add Discord style video and voice rooms to Discourse