# Hosting course video without a course platform

Host each lesson as its own video, group modules as playlists, and protect them with a password or a domain-locked embed inside your members’ area — then use per-lesson retention curves to find the lesson that loses students. You do not need a course platform to deliver video; you need controlled embeds and per-video analytics.

- Section: Blog (https://videokr.com/blog)
- Page: https://videokr.com/blog/course-video-hosting
- Last updated: 2026-08-18

## Structure

- **One video per lesson.** Not one file per module: per-lesson retention is the whole point.
- **A [playlist](/docs/playlists) per module**, embedded once on the module page with the queue beside the player.
- **Chapters within long lessons** so a returning student can find the part they need.

## Access

Two mechanisms, usually together:

1. **Domain-locked embeds** — the lesson plays only on your members' hostnames, so a copied embed code is worthless.
2. **Password or token** for anything shared as a link rather than embedded.

Say the honest thing to yourself: this stops casual sharing, not screen recording. Price and support your course as though a determined student can copy it, because they can. See [private video](/docs/privacy).

## What analytics tell you about a course

More than a completion certificate does:

- The lesson with a cliff in its first minute has a bad opening, not bad students.
- The lesson people rewind (a bump upward in the [retention curve](/docs/analytics)) went too fast — usually a screen with commands or code on it.
- The lesson people never start is either misnamed or in the wrong place in the module.

## Delivery mechanics

- Long lessons: host the master where it already lives and [link it as HLS](/docs/sources) so mobile students get adaptive quality.
- Captions on every lesson. Non-native speakers rely on them more than anyone.
- No autoplay between lessons; students hate losing their place.
- Fixed 200 MB per upload — a real limit for hour-long lessons, and the reason linking is the usual pattern for a full course.

## Cost shape

Per-play metering suits courses well: a cohort of two hundred students working through twelve lessons in a month is at most 2,400 plays, well inside a 10,000-play plan — and a student re-watching lesson three all month adds nothing, because plays are de-duplicated per video per month. See [plans and limits](/docs/plans-and-limits).

## FAQ

### Can I stop students sharing course videos?

You can make it pointless to share links or embeds — domain locking and passwords — but no hosted player prevents screen recording. Plan for that rather than paying for the illusion.

### How many plays does a course use?

One per lesson per student per month, because plays are de-duplicated per video per calendar month. Re-watching within the month adds nothing.

## Related

- [How to password protect and privately share a video](https://videokr.com/guides/password-protect-video)
- [Playlists and related videos](https://videokr.com/docs/playlists)
- [Private video: passwords, domain locking and unlisted](https://videokr.com/docs/privacy)
- [A video SEO checklist you can finish this afternoon](https://videokr.com/blog/video-seo-checklist)

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Videokr — Videokr is hosted video for marketing sites: upload or link a video, brand the player, capture emails inside it, embed it anywhere and read second-by-second retention. Free tier forever, $69 lifetime, or metered plans.
Plans: https://videokr.com/#pricing · Full reference: https://videokr.com/llms-full.txt