How I Built a Video Platform with Laravel: The Architecture Behind 89vids

A behind-the-scenes look at how a scalable video platform was built using Laravel, queues, FFmpeg, and external storage — real lessons from 89vids.

 

How I Built a Video Platform with 89vids

Building a video platform is not just about uploading files. It involves architecture decisions that affect performance, scalability, and monetization.

This article breaks down the architecture behind 89vids and the lessons learned while building a real-world video platform with Laravel.

 

The Problems I Wanted to Solve

Before writing any code, the main challenges were clear:

• Large video uploads

• Long encoding times

• Monetization flexibility

• Scalable infrastructure

Solving these problems required designing the system around asynchronous processing from day one.

 

High-Level Architecture

The platform is built around:

• Laravel as the backend framework

• Queue-based video processing

• FFmpeg and Coconut for encoding

• External object storage

• Integrated payment gateways

Each component is isolated to avoid bottlenecks.

 

Video Processing Flow

Videos are never processed during a user request. Instead:

• Uploads are stored immediately

• Encoding jobs run in the background

• Multiple workers handle processing

• Storage is offloaded to external services

This keeps the platform fast even under load.

Monetization Layer

Monetization was a core requirement, not an add-on.

The platform supports:

• Subscription plans

• Pay-per-video access

• Creator wallets

• Payout tracking

By designing monetization early, the platform avoids painful refactors later.

Lessons Learned

Some key takeaways from building 89vids:

• Queues are mandatory for video platforms

• Encoding should never block requests

• Storage costs matter more than expected

• Owning your platform gives long-term flexibility

These lessons shaped every architectural decision.

From Internal Tool to Product

What started as an internal project evolved into 89vids, a platform used by creators, agencies, and startups.

By focusing on real-world constraints instead of demos, the platform became production-ready from the start.

Final Thoughts

If you are planning to build a video platform, architecture matters more than features.

Starting with a solid foundation can save months of development and countless infrastructure headaches.

Published on February 07, 2026