---
title: Upload with a link · Cloudflare Stream docs
description: If you have videos stored in a cloud storage bucket, you can pass a HTTP link for the file, and Stream will fetch the file on your behalf.
lastUpdated: 2025-04-04T15:30:48.000Z
source_url:
  html: https://dd6e49b2.preview.developers.cloudflare.com/stream/uploading-videos/upload-via-link/index.md
  md: https://dd6e49b2.preview.developers.cloudflare.com/stream/uploading-videos/upload-via-link/
---

If you have videos stored in a cloud storage bucket, you can pass a HTTP link for the file, and Stream will fetch the file on your behalf.

## Make an HTTP request

Make a `POST` request to the Stream API using the link to your video.

```bash
curl \
--data '{"url":"https://storage.googleapis.com/zaid-test/Watermarks%20Demo/cf-ad-original.mp4","meta":{"name":"My First Stream Video"}}' \
--header "Authorization: Bearer <API_TOKEN>" \
https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/{account_id}/stream/copy
```

## Check video status

Stream must download and encode the video, which can take a few seconds to a few minutes depending on the length of your video.

When the `readyToStream` value returns `true`, your video is ready for streaming.

You can optionally use [webhooks](https://developers.cloudflare.com/stream/manage-video-library/using-webhooks/) which will notify you when the video is ready to stream or if an error occurs.

```json
{
  "result": {
    "uid": "6b9e68b07dfee8cc2d116e4c51d6a957",
    "thumbnail": "https://customer-f33zs165nr7gyfy4.cloudflarestream.com/6b9e68b07dfee8cc2d116e4c51d6a957/thumbnails/thumbnail.jpg",
    "thumbnailTimestampPct": 0,
    "readyToStream": false,
    "status": {
      "state": "downloading"
    },
    "meta": {
      "downloaded-from": "https://storage.googleapis.com/zaid-test/Watermarks%20Demo/cf-ad-original.mp4",
      "name": "My First Stream Video"
    },
    "created": "2020-10-16T20:20:17.872170843Z",
    "modified": "2020-10-16T20:20:17.872170843Z",
    "size": 9032701,
    "preview": "https://customer-f33zs165nr7gyfy4.cloudflarestream.com/6b9e68b07dfee8cc2d116e4c51d6a957/watch",
    "allowedOrigins": [],
    "requireSignedURLs": false,
    "uploaded": "2020-10-16T20:20:17.872170843Z",
    "uploadExpiry": null,
    "maxSizeBytes": 0,
    "maxDurationSeconds": 0,
    "duration": -1,
    "input": {
      "width": -1,
      "height": -1
    },
    "playback": {
      "hls": "https://customer-f33zs165nr7gyfy4.cloudflarestream.com/6b9e68b07dfee8cc2d116e4c51d6a957/manifest/video.m3u8",
      "dash": "https://customer-f33zs165nr7gyfy4.cloudflarestream.com/6b9e68b07dfee8cc2d116e4c51d6a957/manifest/video.mpd"
    },
    "watermark": null
  },
  "success": true,
  "errors": [],
  "messages": []
}
```

After the video is uploaded, you can use the video `uid` shown in the example response above to play the video using the [Stream video player](https://developers.cloudflare.com/stream/viewing-videos/using-the-stream-player/).

If you are using your own player or rendering the video in a mobile app, refer to [using your own player](https://developers.cloudflare.com/stream/viewing-videos/using-the-stream-player/using-the-player-api/).
