PeerTube: Open-Source Video Sharing Platform for Decentralized Video Hosting

What is PeerTube?

PeerTube is an open-source, decentralized video sharing platform designed for self-hosted video hosting and federation. Built with a focus on freedom, privacy, and ease of deployment, PeerTube enables individuals and organizations to host and share videos without vendor dependency. Over 500 PeerTube instances serve thousands of content creators worldwide.

Unlike YouTube ($0-support) where videos are hosted on Google’s servers, PeerTube enables video hosting on your own infrastructure with federated sharing. Complete content control, privacy, and no surveillance make PeerTube ideal for content creators and organizations.

PeerTube serves as the video platform for creators. Content creators upload and share videos. Viewers watch and comment on content. Communities form around shared interests.

Key Features and Capabilities

Video Management

Video Upload: Upload videos in multiple formats
Transcoding: Automatic transcoding to multiple quality levels
Streaming: Stream videos at optimal quality for viewer
Channels: Create channels for organized content
Playlists: Create playlists of related videos
Live Streaming: Stream live content to viewers

Social Features

Comments: Allow viewers to comment on videos
Likes and Dislikes: Rate videos with likes and dislikes
Subscriptions: Subscribe to channels for new videos
Shares: Share videos with others
Notifications: Get notified of new uploads from subscribed channels

Federation

Federated Sharing: Share videos with other PeerTube instances
ActivityPub Protocol: Connect with Mastodon and other federated platforms
Video Federation: Videos available across federated network

System Requirements

Server Requirements

OS: Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+, Debian 10+)
Node.js: 12+ for application
PostgreSQL: 10+ for database
RAM: 2GB minimum, 4GB+ recommended
Storage: 100GB+ for video storage
CPU: Dual-core minimum
Bandwidth: High bandwidth for video streaming

Installation

Docker Installation

docker run -d 
  --name peertube 
  -p 3000:3000 
  -v peertube_data:/data 
  chocobozzz/peertube:latest

# Access at http://localhost:3000

Use Cases

Content Creators

Creators use PeerTube to host content without YouTube dependency. Complete video ownership ensures content isn’t removed. Monetization options provide revenue.