How to build your own little YouTube

      Why depend on giants like YouTube if you can do everything yourself? PeerTube is like a homemade YouTube, only without Google servers, algorithms, and billion—dollar budgets. I installed it on the server, uploaded the video, and voila — you are the owner of your video hosting.

      Your own network — your own rules

       PeerTube is not one huge platform, but a bunch of small but proud video servers. They join together in a federated network and exchange content like neighbors with treats. Everything is different here: there is no one center, but there is freedom, P2P and many volunteers.

       Viewers' browsers don't just consume traffic, they help each other. I watched a video and helped another person upload it. Just like in the good old days with torrents, only with a web interface and a user-friendly player. Subscriptions, notifications, and channels are not a problem. If you want to watch only cats or political talk shows, set up filters and go ahead. If you want to stream, you connect OBS and broadcast even from the kitchen.

      What's new in version 7.2

      In the latest release, the developers decided to clean up the interface. Now the videos are not drowned in an endless feed, but neatly arranged on the pages. You can enable and disable columns with the necessary information, for example, to hide the number of views if it hurts your self—esteem.

       Publishing and updating videos has also become easier. Everything was divided into sections, a side menu was added, an undo button and the ability to drag the file with the mouse directly into the browser. Yes, now the video can be replaced without falling into a stupor from the interface.

       We also added a feature for working with "sensitive content". If your video is on edge, you can put up a warning. And the audience will decide if they want to see it or if it's better to blur the thumbnail. Or never see it at all.

      Decentralized networks are the most alive of all

       At the moment, there are already 1,357 servers on the PeerTube network. And they are all independent, with their own admins and rules. If you don't like one, switch to the other or raise your own. There's even a Docker image for the lazy called chocobozzz/peertube.

       At first, PeerTube worked on WebTorrent and WebRTC, but then it moved to HLS so that the videos would adapt to the connection speed. The interface is written in Angular, so everything is beautiful and modern (well, as modern as possible).

       In general, PeerTube is not just an alternative to YouTube. It's a way to take control of your video, your data, and your rules. And at the same time, don't be a loner, because a network of like—minded people is always there.

      Business Benefits

       PeerTube may seem like a toy for geeks or a project for those who are tired of YouTube, but it has quite serious advantages for business. Here are some reasons why companies should pay attention to it.:

       First, it's full autonomy. Your videos are yours alone. You host them on your server, under your control. No bans "by mistake" or deleted videos for violating the "community rules" that no one has read. Everything works according to your conditions — you are the boss, and you set the rules.

       Next is the branding. On PeerTube, you can create a fully customized video hosting service: logo, colors, address, interface — everything is customizable. It's not just a video platform, but part of your ecosystem. Customers watch videos directly on your site, without being distracted by competitor ads and YouTube "recommendations" that lead them somewhere else.

       Another advantage is data protection. Videos don't merge into unknown places, aren't analyzed by third parties, and don't expose you to risks. Everything is stored with you, on your server, you control access and can ensure confidentiality. This is especially important for corporate training videos, internal instructions, and event recordings.

       PeerTube scales perfectly. You can start with a single server and, if necessary, connect to a federation or create your own distributed network. This allows you to save on traffic, because viewers take over part of the load — P2P technologies are in business. And if one server crashes, the others continue broadcasting. Stability is our everything.

       Finally, a very important issue is money. There is no need to pay for expensive SaaS services or for cloud video hosting. PeerTube is open source, free, and it can be deployed even on Raspberry Pi, even in the cloud, even on an old server. It all depends on your needs and imagination.

       As a result, PeerTube is like building your own YouTube, but for yourself. Without ads, surveillance, or imposed algorithms. It is suitable for media, educational platforms, IT companies, online courses, creative studios, and even just for teams that love order and independence.