System Design

Adaptive Bitrate Video Streaming with HLS/DASH

System Design diagram · made in Skemio

Architecture diagram of HLS adaptive bitrate streaming showing transcoder, master manifest, chunk storage, CDN, and player throughput probe.
Architecture diagram of HLS adaptive bitrate streaming showing transcoder, master manifest, chunk storage, CDN, and player throughput probe.
Open it in SkemioMake your own

What it shows

  • Encoders split master video into 2-6s chunks across 5+ bitrates.
  • Master manifests index audio/video streams and resolution manifests.
  • Players probe network throughput per chunk to adapt quality seamlessly.

The takeaway

Dynamic manifest switching lets clients trade resolution for playback continuity.

More system design diagrams