Designing an API workflow for video hosting and delivery

I’m building a small API-driven workflow for handling video assets produced from my editing pipeline. The idea is to treat video delivery as a structured system rather than manual uploads:

  • Export videos from video editor (MP4)

  • Send metadata + file reference to a REST API (Postman used for testing)

  • Store assets in cloud storage (S3/R2-style backend)

  • Serve videos through a delivery endpoint for portfolio/client pages

I’m currently using Postman to simulate and validate the flow between upload endpoints, metadata handling, and retrieval APIs before wiring it into automation. A few questions for those working with similar setups:

  • What’s your preferred approach for video delivery APIs (direct storage links vs signed URLs vs CDN-backed endpoints)?

  • Do you typically handle transcoding (HLS/DASH) inside your API layer or via external services?

  • Any best practices for structuring “video asset” objects in API responses for scalable portfolio or client systems?

I’m aiming for a clean separation between editing, API management (Postman/testing), and delivery infrastructure.