Probe.dev API Documentation

Overview

Probe.dev can analyze media files from various sources including traditional file formats, adaptive streaming formats (HLS, DASH), and live streaming protocols (RTMP, RTSP, SRT). Simply provide a direct link to your media asset, and our API will securely fetch and analyze it.

Static Media Files

Public URLs

The simplest approach is to provide a direct HTTP/HTTPS URL to your media file:

{
    "url": "https://example.com/videos/sample.mp4"
}

Requirements:

Must be publicly accessible
Must be a direct link to the media file (not a webpage)
Supports HTTP and HTTPS protocols

Streaming Formats

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)

Analyze HLS playlists and their associated media segments:

{
    "url": "https://probelibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/hls/sample/big_buck_bunny.m3u8"
}

Supported HLS features:

Master playlists (multi-bitrate)
Media playlists (single bitrate)
Video, audio, and subtitle tracks
Variant streams analysis
Segment information

HLS analysis provides detailed information about adaptive bitrate ladders, segment durations, and track configurations.

For HLS compliance validation against Apple’s specifications, use the dedicated /v1/probe/mediastreamvalidator endpoint. Essential for App Store submissions and debugging playback issues.

DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming)

Examine DASH manifests and media presentations:

{
    "url": "https://cdn.bitmovin.com/content/assets/art-of-motion-dash-hls-progressive/mpds/f08e80da-bf1d-4e3d-8899-f0f6155f6efa.mpd"
}

Supported DASH features:

Media Presentation Description (MPD) analysis
Adaptation sets and representations
Video, audio, and text tracks
Segment templates and timelines
Initialization segments

DASH analysis reveals codec profiles, bitrate ladders, and segment structure for adaptive streaming optimization.

Streaming Protocols

RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol)

Analyze live RTMP streams and Video on Demand (VOD) content:

{
    "url": "rtmp://matthewc.co.uk/vod/scooter"
}

Common RTMP URL formats:

rtmp://server.example.com/live/stream_key
rtmp://server.example.com/vod/video_name
rtmps://secure.example.com/live/stream_key

RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol)

Probe RTSP streams for metadata and technical specifications:

{
    "url": "rtsp://server.example.com:554/stream/video"
}

Common RTSP URL formats:

rtsp://server.example.com/stream_name
rtsp://server.example.com:554/live/stream
rtsps://secure.example.com/secure_stream

SRT (Secure Reliable Transport)

Analyze SRT streams for low-latency video delivery:

{
    "url": "srt://server.example.com:1234"
}

SRT URL formats:

srt://server.example.com:port
srt://server.example.com:port?streamid=stream_name

Streaming protocol analysis may have longer processing times compared to static files due to the need to establish connections and buffer content.

Content Types Supported

All streaming formats and protocols support analysis of:

Video Streams

Codec identification
Resolution and frame rate
Bitrate analysis
Color space information

Audio Tracks

Audio codec details
Channel configuration
Sample rate and bit depth
Bitrate information

Subtitle/Caption Tracks

Text track formats
Language identification
Timing information
Accessibility features

Example Analysis Results

HLS Stream Analysis

When analyzing an HLS playlist, you’ll receive information about:

{
  "master_playlist": {
    "variant_streams": [
      {
        "bandwidth": 1200000,
        "resolution": "1280x720",
        "codecs": "avc1.4d401f,mp4a.40.2",
        "uri": "720p.m3u8"
      }
    ]
  },
  "media_segments": {
    "target_duration": 10,
    "sequence_number": 0,
    "segments_count": 180
  }
}

RTMP Stream Analysis

RTMP stream analysis provides real-time stream characteristics:

{
  "stream_info": {
    "video_codec": "H264",
    "audio_codec": "AAC",
    "resolution": "1920x1080",
    "frame_rate": 30,
    "bitrate": 2500000
  }
}

Amazon S3 Integration

Public S3 Buckets

For publicly accessible S3 objects, use the standard S3 URL format:

{
    "url": "https://my-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/path/to/video.mp4"
}

Key-Based Authorization

For private S3 objects, include your AWS access credentials directly in the URL:

https://KEY:SECRET@s3.amazonaws.com/BUCKET/PATH
s3://KEY:SECRET@BUCKET/PATH

Example:

{
    "url": "https://AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE:wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY@s3.amazonaws.com/my-bucket/video.mp4"
}

Be careful when using access keys in URLs as they may appear in logs. Consider using presigned URLs for better security.

Presigned URLs

For private S3 objects, create a presigned URL with temporary access:

{
    "url": "https://my-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/sample-video.mp4?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE%2F20250506%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20250506T121314Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=9a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1"
}

Benefits:

Temporary access (configurable expiration)
No credentials in the URL path
More secure than embedded keys

Creating Presigned URLs

AWS CLI

AWS SDK (Node.js)

Use the AWS SDK to generate presigned URLs programmatically:

const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
const s3 = new AWS.S3();

const params = {
    Bucket: 'my-bucket',
    Key: 'video.mp4',
    Expires: 3600 // 1 hour
};

const url = s3.getSignedUrl('getObject', params);

AWS SDK (Python)

Generate presigned URLs with boto3:

import boto3
from botocore.exceptions import ClientError

s3_client = boto3.client('s3')

try:
    response = s3_client.generate_presigned_url(
        'get_object',
        Params={'Bucket': 'my-bucket', 'Key': 'video.mp4'},
        ExpiresIn=3600
    )
except ClientError as e:
    logging.error(e)
    return None

Other Cloud Storage

Google Cloud Storage

{
    "url": "https://storage.googleapis.com/my-bucket/video.mp4"
}

Azure Blob Storage

{
    "url": "https://mystorageaccount.blob.core.windows.net/my-container/video.mp4"
}

Cloudflare R2

{
    "url": "https://my-bucket.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/video.mp4"
}

CDN and Streaming Services

Probe.dev works with media served through CDNs and streaming platforms:

Content Delivery Networks

CloudFront - Amazon’s CDN
CloudFlare - Global CDN
Fastly - Edge cloud platform
KeyCDN - High performance CDN

Streaming Platforms

Vimeo - Direct links to video files
YouTube - Public video URLs
Twitch - VOD direct links

Some platforms require specific URL formats or may have rate limiting. Ensure you’re using direct media file URLs, not embed links.

URL Validation Tips

Valid URL Examples ✅

https://example.com/video.mp4
https://cdn.example.com/media/stream.mkv
https://bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/folder/file.avi
https://probelibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/hls/sample/playlist.m3u8
https://cdn.bitmovin.com/content/manifest.mpd
rtmp://server.com/live/stream_key
rtsp://camera.example.com:554/stream
srt://server.example.com:1234
ftp://server.com/media/video.mov

Invalid URL Examples ❌

https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc123        // Embed page, not direct file
https://example.com/player.html           // HTML player page
https://drive.google.com/file/d/abc       // Google Drive share link
file:///local/path/video.mp4              // Local file path

Security Best Practices

Access Control

Use presigned URLs for private content
Set appropriate expiration times
Limit access to specific IP ranges when possible
Monitor access logs for unusual activity

URL Management

Don’t embed credentials in URLs when possible
Use HTTPS for all media URLs
Validate URLs before sending to API
Consider URL shortening for very long presigned URLs

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Error	Cause	Solution
`403 Forbidden`	Private content, credentials missing	Use presigned URL or add credentials
`404 Not Found`	Incorrect URL or file doesn’t exist	Verify URL and file existence
`Timeout`	Large file, slow connection, or stream buffer time	Check file size, network connectivity, and stream availability
`Invalid URL`	Malformed URL	Validate URL format
`Stream Unavailable`	RTMP/RTSP stream offline	Verify stream is active and accessible

Testing Media Sources

Verify your media URL is accessible:

# Test static files with curl
curl -I "https://your-media-url.com/video.mp4"

# Test HLS playlist
curl -I "https://your-hls-url.com/playlist.m3u8"

# Should return HTTP 200 and appropriate Content-Type

Testing Streaming Protocols

# Test RTMP stream with FFprobe
ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_format rtmp://server.com/live/stream

# Test RTSP stream
ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_format rtsp://camera.com:554/stream

Core Concepts

Streaming & Validation

Advanced Integration

​Overview

​Static Media Files

​Public URLs

​Streaming Formats

​HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)

​DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming)

​Streaming Protocols

​RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol)

​RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol)

​SRT (Secure Reliable Transport)

​Content Types Supported

Video Streams

Audio Tracks

Subtitle/Caption Tracks

​Example Analysis Results

​HLS Stream Analysis

​RTMP Stream Analysis

​Amazon S3 Integration

​Public S3 Buckets

​Key-Based Authorization

​Presigned URLs

​Creating Presigned URLs

​Other Cloud Storage

​Google Cloud Storage

​Azure Blob Storage

​Cloudflare R2

​CDN and Streaming Services

​Content Delivery Networks

​Streaming Platforms

​URL Validation Tips

​Valid URL Examples ✅

​Invalid URL Examples ❌

​Security Best Practices

Access Control

URL Management

​Troubleshooting

​Common Issues

​Testing Media Sources

​Testing Streaming Protocols

​Next Steps

Report Types

Sample Library

Overview

Static Media Files

Public URLs

Streaming Formats

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)

DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming)

Streaming Protocols

RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol)

RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol)

SRT (Secure Reliable Transport)

Content Types Supported

Example Analysis Results

HLS Stream Analysis

RTMP Stream Analysis

Amazon S3 Integration

Public S3 Buckets

Key-Based Authorization

Presigned URLs

Creating Presigned URLs

Other Cloud Storage

Google Cloud Storage

Azure Blob Storage

Cloudflare R2

CDN and Streaming Services

Content Delivery Networks

Streaming Platforms

URL Validation Tips

Valid URL Examples ✅

Invalid URL Examples ❌

Security Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Testing Media Sources

Testing Streaming Protocols

Next Steps