Public vs private video links: when to use signed URLs
A link anyone can open is fine for a demo. It is not fine for course material or work in progress. Here is how to choose between public, unlisted and signed links.
Most video hosts give you a choice of how a video can be seen. The names differ, but there are three ideas behind them. Knowing which one you are using stops you from leaking something by accident.
Public
Anyone can find it and watch it. Search engines can index the page. This is right for a product demo on your landing page, a video in your public docs, or a launch announcement.
If you would be happy to see the video on the front page of your site, make it public.
Unlisted
An unlisted video is not listed in search or on a channel page, but anyone who has the link can watch it, for as long as the link works. The link does not expire and it does not check who is opening it.
That makes unlisted a convenience, not a lock. A link can be forwarded, pasted in a public chat or picked up by a browser extension. Treat it as "not obvious", not "private".
Private with signed URLs
A signed URL includes a token that the host generates with a secret key. The host checks the token when someone opens the link. If the token is wrong, or it has expired, the video does not play.
That gives you three useful properties:
- Expiry. A link you send today can stop working next week.
- Control. The video cannot be watched without a valid token, even if someone guesses the address.
- Revocation. You can make a video private again and the old links stop working.
On Modo, new videos are public by default. Make a video private and it can only be watched through a signed link that expires. See public and private videos.
How to choose
Ask who should be able to watch, and for how long.
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Demo on your landing page | Public |
| Walkthrough in public docs | Public |
| Course lesson for paying members | Private, signed |
| Client video in review | Private, signed |
| Internal training | Private, signed |
| Something you will delete next week | Private, signed |
Two mistakes to avoid
Using an unlisted link for something sensitive. If it would hurt if the wrong person saw it, it is not an unlisted video.
Making everything private. Private videos need a signed link generated for every viewer or session, and that is extra work. If a video is meant to be seen by everyone, keep it public and let it do its job.
Signed links and your agent
If you work through an AI agent, you can ask it to make a video private and give you a link that expires. It does the same thing the web app does, using the Modo MCP tools. Read connecting your AI agent to set it up.
Written by
Peter Van Dijck
Peter Van Dijck builds Modo at Helpful Intelligence, from Madrid, Spain.