Designing Scalable Video Apps: Architecture, Upload, Playback, and Storage

1. What is the basic architecture of a video application?

Upload process: the client generates a video, applies effects, creates an MP4 file, then a global scheduler selects the nearest upload point to store it on Qiniu or S3. After upload, the server takes screenshots, runs moderation, and completes the upload flow.

Playback process: based on the operating system, an appropriate video format is chosen. The global scheduler then selects the nearest high‑quality CDN node to stream the video.

2. How to handle traffic spikes?

Video sharing demands instant delivery; a celebrity’s video can generate a massive burst of requests. The system is designed from the start for such high‑volume spikes, with horizontal scalability, two‑level caching to offload the database, and elastic cloud platforms for logical services.

For video services, multiple CDN providers (Wangsu, BlueCloud, DILIAN) are integrated, and a real‑time monitoring service quickly isolates faulty nodes while selecting the optimal node for each request based on cost, speed, and availability.

3. How does the client process video?

A dedicated video‑processing team continuously optimizes the workflow. The mobile capture module uses the Vitamio (VCamera) SDK to record and compress videos to a size suitable for network sharing. The server does not perform secondary processing, accelerating preparation and enabling rapid propagation.

4. How is server‑side storage optimized?

Storage focuses on security and read performance. The solution deploys storage clusters in three regions across the country, synchronizing three copies of each video to ensure safety and provide fast, nearby access.