Cloudflare Stream vs Kurento: What are the differences?

## Introduction
Cloudflare Stream and Kurento are both video streaming platforms that offer different features and functionalities. Here are the key differences between Cloudflare Stream and Kurento.

1. **Hosting:** Cloudflare Stream is a cloud-based video streaming platform that allows users to host and stream videos directly from Cloudflare's global network of data centers. On the other hand, Kurento is an open-source media server that needs to be deployed on your own infrastructure or server.

2. **Scalability:** Cloudflare Stream provides automatic scalability and global content delivery through its vast network of data centers, ensuring seamless streaming experiences for users worldwide. In contrast, Kurento's scalability is limited to the capacity of the server it is deployed on, making it more suitable for smaller-scale deployments.

3. **Encoding and Transcoding:** Cloudflare Stream offers built-in encoding and transcoding capabilities, allowing users to upload videos in any format and have them automatically optimized for streaming. Kurento, on the other hand, requires users to handle encoding and transcoding separately, which can be more complex and time-consuming.

4. **Integrations:** Cloudflare Stream integrates seamlessly with other Cloudflare services such as security features and analytics, providing a comprehensive video streaming solution within the Cloudflare ecosystem. Kurento, being an open-source platform, allows for more customization and flexibility in terms of integrations with third-party services and tools.

5. **Cost:** Cloudflare Stream offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on usage, making it a cost-effective option for businesses of all sizes. In contrast, Kurento's costs may vary depending on the infrastructure and resources needed to deploy and maintain the media server, potentially leading to higher expenses in the long run.

6. **Support and Maintenance:** Cloudflare provides 24/7 customer support and ongoing maintenance for its Stream platform, ensuring reliability and performance for users. Kurento being open-source, relies on community support and may require more technical expertise for troubleshooting and maintenance.

In Summary, Cloudflare Stream offers a cloud-based, scalable, and cost-effective video streaming solution with built-in encoding, while Kurento provides more customization options but requires self-hosting and may involve higher maintenance costs.