Best Approach for Developing a MODX Video-on-Demand (VOD) Website

Development
1

Hi,

I’m currently working on a project for a client who wants to sell video series and I’d like to get your advice on the best approach.

Here are the key questions I’m considering:

  1. Payment & Hosting Strategy:

    • Should I use MODX Commerce with an integrated payment system (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) and host the videos directly on the site (via a CDN or self-hosted solution)?

    • If so, what are the best practices for video hosting (e.g., AWS S3, BunnyCDN, or a dedicated VOD platform like Mux or Cloudflare Stream)?

    • Alternatively, would it be simpler to integrate an external provider (e.g., Udemy, Vimeo On Demand, or Teachable) and link to their platform for sales and streaming?

  2. Pros & Cons:

    • Self-hosted (MODX Commerce + custom solution):

      • Pros: Full control over branding, user experience, and revenue (no platform fees).

      • Cons: Higher development/maintenance effort (security, scalability…).

    • External provider (Vimeo, Udemy, etc.):

      • Pros: Quick setup, built-in payment processing, and reliable streaming.

      • Cons: Less customization, platform fees, and potential limitations on branding.

  3. Technical Considerations:

    • If I go with MODX Commerce, what add-ons or workflows would you recommend for managing subscriptions, access control, or one-time purchases?

    • Are there any security concerns (e.g., video piracy, payment fraud) I should address upfront?

  4. Alternatives:

    • Are there other MODX-friendly VOD solutions (e.g., plugins, third-party services) that could simplify the process?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the most scalable, cost-effective, and user-friendly approach for this project. Any recommendations or past experiences with similar setups would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help.

2

I think this is not the space to post that kind of question because it’s not related to ModX support, it’s just a personal project.
Anyway, ModX allow you to do anything technically, any approach you decided to use will be perfect for ModX. Now if you decide to go self hosted or external it’s based on your hosting not on the CMS.
If you want to play with videos I’ll recommended to use an external platform like vimeo or even youtube depending on what do you want to do, take in consideration that video will destroy your bandwidth if you have enough users and decided to go selfhosted.
For subscriptions, etc… you can develop a simple system linked with stripe for example and use the ModX users to manage subscriptions, you don’t really need a shopping cart for something like that unless you want to sell products or something like that.
Let me know if you need any help, cheers mate!

3

I don’t agree. This is not an official MODX support channel; it’s a forum for people who use MODX, which OP clearly is. Anyone using MODX to build a site is welcome here, regardless of what else may be involved with the site.

That said, I don’t actually have an answer to the question. Never worked with VoD. I just wanted to make sure @spheerys felt welcome. But @ysanmiguel is right–MODX will work with anything. :slightly_smiling_face:

4

Yep, what I mean is that there is not a technicall ModX question, it’s a project question, that’s all.
Obviously always in the best mood to help if it is possible. :+1:

5

Thank you for your responses!

After discussing with my client, I think to simplify the approach by adding Stripe payment links directly to the product pages (with a maximum of 10 differents products). So for now, I think I won’t be using Commerce with the full checkout workflow.

The videos will be hosted on YouTube, but I’m still exploring the best way to handle delivery:

  • Option 1: The client could manually email private YouTube links to customers after purchase. However, this is time-consuming and not very scalable or professional.

  • Option 2: I could integrate MODX user accounts into the checkout process, but without Commerce and relying solely on Stripe, I’m unsure how to automate this.

  • Option 3: I could create paid-user pages with private links, but I’m not sure how to dynamically link the purchased product to the corresponding page.

Additional concern: Does YouTube support one-time payments? They primarily offer subscriptions, and I’m not sure if it’s possible to sell individual videos without a recurring plan.
If not, should I consider using Vimeo instead ?

Any suggestions or insights on the best approach would be greatly appreciated!