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@@ -42,10 +42,7 @@ very early prided itself on using a contributory design, both for creating
42communities as federated nodes (as [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/) for 42communities as federated nodes (as [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/) for
43example), and for seeding videos (instances can seed each other's videos). But that's not 43example), and for seeding videos (instances can seed each other's videos). But that's not
44enough because one video could become popular and overload the server. That is 44enough because one video could become popular and overload the server. That is
45why we need to use a P2P protocol to limit the server load. Thanks to 45why we need to use P2P in the web browser using WebRTC to limit the server load.
46[WebTorrent](https://github.com/feross/webtorrent), we can use BitTorrent
47inside most modern web browsers, and users become seeds as the video gets
48more viewers.
49 46
50 47
51## I don't like the name "PeerTube" 48## I don't like the name "PeerTube"
@@ -57,34 +54,15 @@ is named "Framatube".
57 54
58## If nobody watches a video, is it seeded? 55## If nobody watches a video, is it seeded?
59 56
60Yes, the origin server always seeds videos uploaded on it thanks to 57Yes, the player also downloads the video from the server using HTTP.
61[Webseed](http://www.bittorrent.org/beps/bep_0019.html).
62It can also be helped by other servers using [redundancy](https://docs.joinpeertube.org/contribute-architecture?id=redundancy-between-instances). 58It can also be helped by other servers using [redundancy](https://docs.joinpeertube.org/contribute-architecture?id=redundancy-between-instances).
63 59
64 60
65## What is WebSeed?
66
67It is a BitTorrent extension that allows a server to seed a file through HTTP.
68It just needs to statically serve a file, then the clients will request chunks
69with a `Content-Range` HTTP header.
70
71
72## If a client requests each chunk of a video through HTTP, will the server be overloaded?
73
74Not really. Reverse proxies like Nginx handle static file requests very well. In my tests, it can send chunks at 10MB/s without consuming more than 5% CPU on a very small VPS.
75
76
77## Will an index of all the videos of servers you follow be too large for small servers?
78
79In our benchmarks, 1,000,000 videos consume around 2GB of PostgreSQL storage.
80We think that is acceptable for a video platform.
81
82
83## Which container formats can I use for the videos I want to upload? 61## Which container formats can I use for the videos I want to upload?
84 62
85WEBM, MP4 or OGV videos are supported by default (they are streamable formats), 63WEBM, MP4 or OGV videos are supported by default (they are streamable formats),
86but instance administrators can additionally enable support for MKV, MOV, AVI 64but instance administrators can additionally enable support for additional formats
87and FLV formats when transcoding is enabled on their instance. 65when transcoding is enabled on their instance.
88 66
89 67
90## I want to change my domain name, how can I do that? 68## I want to change my domain name, how can I do that?
@@ -100,7 +78,9 @@ We need this information because Twitter requires an account for links share/vid
100 78
101## How are video views counted? 79## How are video views counted?
102 80
103Your web browser sends a view to the server after 30 seconds of playback. If a video is less than 30 seconds in length, a view is sent after 75% of the video. After giving a view, that IP address cannot add another view in the next hour. 81Your web browser sends a view to the server after 30 seconds of playback.
82If a video is less than 30 seconds in length, a view is sent after 75% of the video duration.
83After giving a view, that IP address cannot add another view in the next hour.
104Views are buffered, so don't panic if the view counter stays the same after you watched a video. 84Views are buffered, so don't panic if the view counter stays the same after you watched a video.
105 85
106 86
@@ -109,8 +89,9 @@ Views are buffered, so don't panic if the view counter stays the same after you
109PeerTube should run happily on a virtual machine with 2 threads/vCPUs, at least 1 Gb of RAM and enough storage for videos. In terms of bandwidth, a lot will depend on which PeerTube instances you federate with and what your relation with them is (more about that below). 89PeerTube should run happily on a virtual machine with 2 threads/vCPUs, at least 1 Gb of RAM and enough storage for videos. In terms of bandwidth, a lot will depend on which PeerTube instances you federate with and what your relation with them is (more about that below).
110 90
111As a real life example, the PeerTube demonstration server [https://peertube.cpy.re](https://peertube.cpy.re) runs on 2 vCores and 2GB of RAM. Average consumption is: 91As a real life example, the PeerTube demonstration server [https://peertube.cpy.re](https://peertube.cpy.re) runs on 2 vCores and 2GB of RAM. Average consumption is:
112 * **CPU**: nginx ~ 20%, peertube ~ 10%, postgres ~ 1%, redis ~ 3% 92 * **CPU**: nginx ~ 2%, peertube ~ 10%, postgres ~ 1%, redis ~ 1%
113 * **RAM**: nginx ~ 6MB, peertube ~ 120MB, postgres ~ 10MB, redis ~ 5MB 93 * **RAM**: nginx ~ 1MB, peertube ~ 150MB, postgres ~ 30MB, redis ~ 20MB
94 * **Network**: ~200GB sent per month (https://framatube.org: ~1.5TB sent per month)
114 95
115### CPU 96### CPU
116 97
@@ -120,7 +101,7 @@ You will hugely benefit from at least a second thread though, because of transco
120 101
121### RAM 102### RAM
122 103
1231 Gb of RAM should be plenty for a basic PeerTube instance, which usually takes at most 150 Mb in RAM. The only reason you might want more would be if you colocate your Redis or PostgreSQL services on a non-SSD system. 1041/2 GB of RAM should be plenty for a basic PeerTube instance, which usually takes at most 150 MB in RAM. The only reason you might want more would be if you colocate your Redis or PostgreSQL services on a non-SSD system.
124 105
125### Storage 106### Storage
126 107
@@ -143,25 +124,21 @@ But what if you need to serve more users? That's where PeerTube's federation fea
143 124
144If all your preparations and friends' bandwidth is not enough, you might prefer serving files from a CDN ; see our [remote storage guide](https://docs.joinpeertube.org/admin-remote-storage). 125If all your preparations and friends' bandwidth is not enough, you might prefer serving files from a CDN ; see our [remote storage guide](https://docs.joinpeertube.org/admin-remote-storage).
145 126
127
146## Can I seed videos with my classic BitTorrent client (Transmission, rTorrent...)? 128## Can I seed videos with my classic BitTorrent client (Transmission, rTorrent...)?
147 129
148Yes you can, but you won't be able to send data to users that watch the video in their web browser. 130Yes you can, but you won't be able to send data to users that watch the video in their web browser.
149The reason is they connect to peers through WebRTC whereas your BitTorrent client uses classic TCP/UDP.
150You can check if your BitTorrent client supports WebTorrent in this issue: https://github.com/webtorrent/webtorrent/issues/369
151 131
152 132
153## Why host on GitHub and Framagit? 133## Why host on GitHub and Framagit?
154 134
155The project was initially hosted on GitHub by Chocobozzz. A full migration to [Framagit](https://framagit.org/framasoft/peertube/PeerTube) would be ideal now that Framasoft supports PeerTube, but it would take a lot of time and is an ongoing effort. 135Historical reason.
156 136
157 137
158## Are you going to use the Steem blockchain? 138## Are you going to use a blockchain (like Steem)?
159 139
160Short answer: no, since like most appchains/votechains, it modifies the dynamic of creation, and as such cannot be integrated into mainline PeerTube. Read more about that in [the dedicated section](#what-is-creation-dynamic-and-why-not-modify-it). 140Short answer: no, since like most appchains/votechains, it modifies the dynamic of creation, and as such cannot be integrated into mainline PeerTube. Read more about that in [the dedicated section](#what-is-creation-dynamic-and-why-not-modify-it).
161 141
162Long answer is that the Steem blockchain goes astray of its promises of fairness and decentralization: the deliberate relaunching of the currency to ensure centralization, and the stake-based voting power, makes manipulation by wealthy users inevitable ([source here](https://decentralize.today/the-ugly-truth-behind-steemit-1a525f5e156)).
163Worse, money generated primarily goes to stakeholders ([source here](https://steemit.com/steemit/@orly/how-the-steem-pyramid-scheme-really-works) ).
164For more information, read the complete whitepaper analysis done by [Tone Vays](https://twitter.com/ToneVays/status/761975587451928576).
165 142
166## Are you going to support advertisements? 143## Are you going to support advertisements?
167 144
@@ -177,6 +154,7 @@ Read more about it in the 2018 study by Mathias Bärtl, [*YouTube channels, uplo
177To the best of our knowledge, small and medium-community creators are better off getting support from their community on platforms such as Liberapay, Tipeee or Patreon. 154To the best of our knowledge, small and medium-community creators are better off getting support from their community on platforms such as Liberapay, Tipeee or Patreon.
178Moreover, don't forget that advertisers already pay considering YouTube's large user base; with PeerTube's way smaller user base and refusal of user profiling, a pay-per-view that's lower than YouTube's could only be expected. 155Moreover, don't forget that advertisers already pay considering YouTube's large user base; with PeerTube's way smaller user base and refusal of user profiling, a pay-per-view that's lower than YouTube's could only be expected.
179 156
157
180## What is "creation dynamic" and why not modify it? 158## What is "creation dynamic" and why not modify it?
181 159
182We define creation dynamic as the way any original content, regardless of its monetary value, is created and incentivized. 160We define creation dynamic as the way any original content, regardless of its monetary value, is created and incentivized.
@@ -187,10 +165,12 @@ If you still want to use a functionality potentially altering that state of thin
187With that being said, know that we are not against these features *per se*. 165With that being said, know that we are not against these features *per se*.
188We are always open to discussion about potential PRs bringing in features, even of that kind. But we certainly won't dedicate our limited resources to develop them ourselves when there is so much to be done elsewhere. 166We are always open to discussion about potential PRs bringing in features, even of that kind. But we certainly won't dedicate our limited resources to develop them ourselves when there is so much to be done elsewhere.
189 167
168
190## I have found a security vulnerability in PeerTube. Where and how should I report it? 169## I have found a security vulnerability in PeerTube. Where and how should I report it?
191 170
192We have a policy for contributions related to security. Please refer to [SECURITY.md](./SECURITY.md) 171We have a policy for contributions related to security. Please refer to [SECURITY.md](./SECURITY.md)
193 172
173
194## Does PeerTube ensure federation compatibility with previous version? 174## Does PeerTube ensure federation compatibility with previous version?
195 175
196We **try** to keep compatibility with the latest minor version (2.3.1 with 2.2 for example). 176We **try** to keep compatibility with the latest minor version (2.3.1 with 2.2 for example).