--- title: "What Is a Signed URL? Tokenized Video Playback Explained | RentAnOTT" description: "A signed URL is a stream address that carries an expiring, tamper-proof token, so only an authorized viewer can use it. See how tokenized playback works." url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/signed-url" markdown_url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/signed-url.md" category: "Security" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # What is a signed URL (tokenized playback)? A signed URL is a web address for a video stream that includes a cryptographic signature and an expiry time. The CDN serves the content only if the signature is valid and the link has not expired, so a copied or shared link stops working. Using signed URLs for playback is called tokenized playback. ## How a signed URL works When an entitled viewer presses play, the streaming service builds the stream address and adds a token: an expiry time and any restrictions, signed with a secret key that only the service and the CDN know. The CDN recomputes the signature on each request. If anything in the URL was altered, or the time has passed, it refuses. ## What a token can restrict - Time: valid for minutes or hours - Path: only this title, or this rendition - IP address or network: only the device that requested it - Country: only licensed territories - Session or user: tied to a single playback session ## What it prevents Without it, a stream address works for anyone who has it, forever. One subscriber could post the link and the whole internet could watch at your expense. Signed URLs stop link sharing, hotlinking from other sites and automated scraping of your catalog. ## Signed URLs and DRM They solve different problems and are used together. A signed URL controls who may fetch the stream. DRM controls who may decrypt it and what the device may do with it. A viewer with a valid token can still record an unencrypted stream, which is why licensed content adds DRM. Tokens must be short-lived enough to be useless when shared, yet renewable during a long film or a live event without interrupting playback. ## Signed URL on RentAnOTT Signed URLs and tokenized playback are part of controlled access on RentAnOTT, with geo rules, device limits and concurrent-stream caps. [See security features](https://www.rentanott.com/features#security). ## Related terms - [Secure video streaming](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/secure-video-streaming) — Secure video streaming is delivering video so that only authorized viewers can watch it and copies are hard to make. It is achieved by combining several layers: encrypted delivery, access tokens, DRM, account controls and watermarking. - [DRM](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/drm) — DRM (digital rights management) is technology that encrypts video and controls who can decrypt it. A viewer's device must obtain a license from a license server before it can play the stream, and the license sets the rules for that playback. - [AES-128 encryption](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/aes-128) — AES-128 is the Advanced Encryption Standard with a 128-bit key. In streaming it is used to encrypt video segments so they cannot be played without the key. The term usually refers to the basic encryption built into HLS, in which the player fetches the key from a URL listed in the playlist. - [Geo-blocking](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/geo-blocking) — Geo-blocking is restricting access to video according to the viewer's location, so that a title can only be played in the countries or regions where the service holds the rights to show it. - [CDN](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/cdn) — A CDN (content delivery network) is a network of servers spread across many locations that stores copies of content and delivers each request from a server near the viewer. For streaming, it is what carries the video segments from the platform to the audience. - [Concurrent stream limit](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/concurrent-stream-limit) — A concurrent stream limit is the maximum number of devices that can play video on one account at the same moment. When the limit is reached, a further device is refused or an existing stream is stopped. - [Video paywall](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-paywall) — A video paywall is the point in a streaming service where playback is blocked until the viewer pays, by subscribing, renting, buying or spending in-app currency. - [Video piracy](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-piracy) — Video piracy is the copying, distribution or restreaming of video without the permission of its rights holder. For a streaming service it means paying audiences watching for free elsewhere, and it can put content licenses at risk. ## Further reading - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing) - [White-label streaming platform buyer's guide](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/white-label-streaming-platform) - [How to start a streaming service](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/how-to-start-a-streaming-service) ## Frequently asked questions ### How long should a signed URL be valid? Long enough to start playback, with renewal as the session continues. Minutes to a few hours is typical; days is too long to stop sharing. ### Is a signed URL the same as a signed cookie? They do the same job. A signed cookie carries the token in the browser's cookie instead of the address, which is convenient when a stream has thousands of segment URLs. ### Are signed URLs enough for paid content? For content you own, often yes, combined with account limits. Licensed content normally needs DRM as well. All 163 terms: [Streaming and OTT glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary). ## Book a demo Tell RentAnOTT what you are launching. The team walks through the platform and maps the path to go-live around your catalog, markets and revenue model. Book a demo: https://www.rentanott.com/contact ## More from RentAnOTT - [Home](https://www.rentanott.com/index.md) — What RentAnOTT is, what every plan includes, and how launch works - [Features](https://www.rentanott.com/features.md) — Every core feature and optional add-on - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing.md) — Platform tiers, apps, add-ons, usage rates and example bills in INR and USD - [Free tools](https://www.rentanott.com/tools.md) — OTT app builder and calculators for streaming revenue, bandwidth, bitrate and pricing - [Insights](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs.md) — All streaming business articles - [Glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary.md) — Definitions of streaming and OTT terms - [Book a demo](https://www.rentanott.com/contact.md) — Talk to RentAnOTT about your launch Full site in one file: https://www.rentanott.com/llms-full.txt