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Access control
Access control — labeled "Who can watch" on a media item — decides who is allowed to view your video or audio. Ink Player offers three modes, and how strongly each is enforced depends on the provider behind the media.
The three modes
Public
Anyone can watch. No sign-in and no password.
Private
Only logged-in WordPress users can watch. Visitors who are not signed in see a sign-in prompt instead of the player.
Password
Viewers must enter a password before the media plays.
What each provider supports
Access control can be truly enforced for some sources and not others.
| Source | Enforceable access control? |
|---|---|
| Bunny.net (Stream & Classic Storage) | Yes — supports signed/token playback |
| Mux | Yes — supports signed/token playback |
| Protected (private) uploads | Yes |
| Public WordPress media library URLs | No — the file URL stays reachable |
| Platform embeds (YouTube / Vimeo) | No — cannot be truly access-protected |
WARNING
Public WordPress media-library URLs and platform embeds (YouTube/Vimeo) cannot be truly access-protected. You can gate the page they appear on, but the underlying URL remains reachable to anyone who has it.
Signed (token) playback
Bunny.net and Mux support signed/token playback. With signed playback, the stream URL itself is protected and expiring — so the media is secured at the source, not just at the page.
INFO
Page gating vs. URL protection. A "public" stream placed on a gated page is gated at the page — but its stream URL stays reachable. To protect the stream URL itself, use a provider that supports signed playback (Bunny.net or Mux) together with Private or Password access.
Choosing the right setup
- Just hiding content from casual visitors? Private or Password on any source gates the page.
- Need the media itself to be secure and not shareable by URL? Use Bunny.net or Mux with signed playback, plus a Private or Password mode.
- Using a public file URL or a YouTube/Vimeo embed? Understand that the page can be gated but the underlying URL cannot be locked down.
Related
- Providers — what each source type is and how to add it
- Settings → Integrations — connect Bunny.net and Mux