Subscriber-only video without giving away the files.
Membership catalogues live or die on access control and on the cost of serving people who watch a lot. Both are structural, not features you bolt on later.
Short answer
Expiring signed URLs, on video you still own.
Members-only video needs playback that authorises each viewer and expires. NULX issues short-lived signed URLs with optional domain restrictions against files that stay in your own R2 bucket, so access control does not require handing custody to a vendor.
Because delivery is billed by Cloudflare at $0 egress, subscribers who watch heavily do not make the platform bill grow - which is the failure mode of per-delivered-GB pricing on an engaged audience.
Estimate this workload in the calculator See how BYO storage works
What matters here
Three things membership video demands.
Engaged subscribers are the point of the business and the source of the cost problem.
Per-viewer authorisation
A link that works forever is a link that ends up outside the paywall. Signatures expire in minutes and can be re-issued during playback.
Predictable cost at high engagement
Your best subscribers watch the most. Storage-based pricing means engagement does not translate into a larger bill.
Portability
If the business moves platforms, the catalogue should not have to be re-uploaded. Files already in your bucket make that a URL change.
Engagement scenarios
What heavy viewing costs under each model.
| Monthly viewing | Per-GB delivery at $0.03 | NULX + R2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 hours | about $45 | $0 delivery |
| 5,000 hours | about $225 | $0 delivery |
| 20,000 hours | about $900 | $0 delivery |
| 50,000 hours | about $2,250 | $0 delivery |
Assumes about 1.5 GB per viewing hour at 1080p and a $0.03/GB delivery rate for illustration. Storage and the $19 platform fee still apply to the NULX column; the point is that the delivery line does not move.
Common questions
Access and cost questions.
Is this DRM?
No. It is signed, expiring playback with optional domain restrictions. It stops shared links and hotlinking; it does not stop screen recording, and we do not market it as DRM.
How do I revoke a cancelled member?
Stop issuing signatures for that member. Any URL they already hold expires on its own within its window.
Can I restrict which sites can embed?
Yes, domain restrictions are configured per folder, so playback fails on origins you did not approve.
Does storage grow forever?
It grows with the catalogue, not the audience. Archiving old masters and trimming unused renditions keeps it in check.
Sources
Rates checked September 10, 2026 · Page updated September 10, 2026
Next step
Model your subscriber base.
Put your catalogue size and expected monthly viewing into the calculator.