PeerTube was released in 2018 by Framasoft, a French non-profit, and it is not a website so much as a piece of software that anybody can run. Each installation is an independent server with its own rules and its own community, and they connect to one another so that a video posted on one can be watched and followed from another.
It uses the same federation protocol as Mastodon, which is why the two ecosystems overlap. Delivery is genuinely peer-to-peer where browsers support it: viewers watching the same video share the load between them, which is what makes it practical for a small organisation to host video at all without a large hosting bill.
The consequence for anyone using it is that there is no single address to learn. A PeerTube video might be on a university's server, a film collective's, a hobbyist's or a public broadcaster's, and each has its own domain. That is the point of the design rather than a rough edge.
Why people save PeerTube video
Instances are run by individuals and small organisations, and they close. A server maintained by one person as a side project has a different life expectancy from a service owned by a public company, and when it goes, everything on it goes.
Availability is also variable by design. A small instance has modest bandwidth, and peer-to-peer delivery works best when several people are watching at once. A file avoids the question entirely.
And the audience that chooses PeerTube tends already to believe in holding its own copies, which is much the same instinct that led them to a federated platform rather than a corporate one.
Saving a PeerTube video
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1
Copy the address from the instance
Take the address straight from your browser. It will be the domain of whichever server hosts the video, followed by a path containing a video identifier. There is no single PeerTube domain to look for.
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2
Present the address above
Paste the whole thing into the field at the top of this page, which begins reading it immediately.
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3
Take the PeerTube resolution
PeerTube instances transcode to whatever resolutions their administrator configured, so the choices vary from server to server. Each is listed with its file size.
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4
Hold the copy yourself
Tap the row when it turns blue. Downloads on Android, the Files app on an iPhone.
Federation, and why addresses vary
A single video can legitimately be reached through more than one address, which confuses people arriving from centralised platforms.
Home instance against the one you are browsing
If you follow a channel from a different server, your own instance shows you the video through its own domain. The file itself still lives on the server that originally hosted it, and both addresses are valid ways of reaching it.
Either usually works here, but the original instance is the more reliable of the two. If an address fails, opening the video on its home server and copying that address is the first thing to try.
Many PeerTube instances also provide a download link directly under the player, because the software includes one by default. Where that exists it is the most direct route and the administrator plainly intended you to use it.
PeerTube download questions
There is no peertube.com — which address do I use?
Whichever server the video is on. PeerTube is software that thousands of independent instances run, so the domain differs every time. Copy what is in your browser bar.
Does PeerTube have its own download button?
Often, yes. The software includes one and most administrators leave it enabled, which makes it the simplest route where it appears.
Can I use an address from a different instance?
Usually, since federation makes the video reachable from several places. The original instance is the more reliable option if one fails.
What resolutions will there be?
Whatever that instance's administrator configured. Smaller servers often transcode to fewer options to save on storage and processing.
Is the video actually peer-to-peer?
Delivery is, where the browser supports it. Viewers share the load between them, which is what makes hosting affordable for small operators.
Is PeerTube connected to Mastodon?
They use the same federation protocol, so you can follow a PeerTube channel from a Mastodon account. They are separate projects.
Where does the PeerTube file save?
Downloads on Android, the Files app on an iPhone.
An instance I used has disappeared.
Small instances are run by individuals and organisations that sometimes stop. That is precisely the argument for keeping your own copies.
Is there a download limit?
None here. Individual instances may have their own bandwidth limits.
Is downloading from PeerTube acceptable?
The ecosystem is built by people who believe in owning their own data, and most instances offer downloads deliberately. Creators still hold the rights to their work, and many use explicit Creative Commons licences — worth a look, since they often tell you exactly what you may do.