> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.segmnt.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is segmnt

> What segmnt is, who it is for, when to use it, when not to, and how it compares with self-hosting video or using a public video platform.

segmnt is signed-URL video infrastructure. You upload a video once, through the API or the dashboard. segmnt encodes it to adaptive HLS, stores it, and streams it on your own domain. A video plays only when your server creates a playback token for it, and only on a domain you have verified.

## Who it is for

* Course platforms and edtech companies that sell or host courses.
* Training companies and agencies that deliver video for their clients. One account can hold several projects, so each client's videos stay apart.
* Creators and SaaS apps that need video inside their own product.

## When to use it

Use segmnt when:

* Your viewers should watch the video on your own pages.
* You want playback protected. Your server creates a token, and the video plays only on verified domains.
* You want your product to know when a video is ready. segmnt sends a `video.ready` webhook.
* You do not want to run your own encoding or video storage.

## When not to use it

Do not use segmnt when:

* You want a public video site with search, discovery or comments. segmnt is infrastructure. It has no public video platform.
* You need DRM. See [No DRM](https://docs.segmnt.cloud/how-it-works/no-drm.md).

## How it compares

| | Self-host the files | Public video platform | segmnt |
| - | - | - | - |
| Encoding | You build and run it yourself. | Done by the platform. | Done once at upload, to adaptive HLS. |
| Playback protection | You build it yourself. | Depends on the platform, and videos are often public. | Signed playback tokens and domain lock, included. |
| Where the video plays | Your pages. | Mostly the platform's own pages. | Your pages, with the embed code or the player. |
| Built for | Teams with a media engineering team. | Public audiences. | Products that need video inside their own product. |

## How to start

1. Sign in with Google or GitHub. A free account is created on your first sign-in.
2. Create a project and an API key.
3. Verify your domain. Videos do not play until a domain is verified.
4. Upload a video, then wait for the `video.ready` webhook or check the video status.
5. Create a playback token on your server and embed the player on your page.

The full steps are in the [quickstart](https://docs.segmnt.cloud/quickstart.md).

Every API key call uses the same base URL and header:

```bash theme={null}
curl -sS "https://api.segmnt.cloud/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/videos" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SEGMNT_KEY"
```

Base URL: `https://api.segmnt.cloud`. Send the API key in the `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header. Keep the key on your server. See [Authentication](https://docs.segmnt.cloud/authentication.md).

## Related pages

* [Quickstart](https://docs.segmnt.cloud/quickstart.md): your first signed video in a few steps.
* [API overview](https://docs.segmnt.cloud/api-overview.md): base URL, authentication and every public endpoint.
* [Playback protection](https://docs.segmnt.cloud/playback-protection.md): how signed playback and the domain lock work.
* [Glossary](https://docs.segmnt.cloud/glossary.md): the words segmnt uses.


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