Embedding video

There are two honest ways to put video on a page you own: host the file yourself, or embed a player from somewhere else. Both work here.

A self-hosted video

If you keep the file, you keep control. The HTML <video> element needs no third party and no JavaScript. The clip below ships in this post’s folder, so turn your sound on — it has audio:

Drop the .mp4 in the post’s folder and point src at it the same way you would an image. (The clip is Big Buck Bunny, © Blender Foundation, CC-BY 3.0.)

A YouTube embed

When the video already lives on a platform, use Hugo’s built-in shortcode — no raw HTML, just the video id:

The shortcode renders a responsive, privacy-aware iframe. {{< vimeo id >}} works the same way for Vimeo. Reach for an embed when you want the platform’s reach; reach for <video> when you want the file to outlive the platform.