{"id":15545,"date":"2026-04-09T14:43:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manual.m-path.io\/?post_type=ht_kb&p=15545"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:22:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T09:22:53","slug":"file-hosting","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/app-manual-wp-001-atfsdabuggg7fzdq.germanywestcentral-01.azurewebsites.net\/knowledge-base\/file-hosting\/","title":{"rendered":"File hosting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When creating engaging questionnaires and interventions in m-Path, you may want to include rich media such as images, audio clips, or videos. Because m-Path itself is a tool for building and delivering questionnaires, it does not permanently store these heavy media files for you. Instead, you need to “self-host”<\/strong> them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is File Hosting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

File hosting simply means uploading your media file (like a .jpg<\/code> image or .mp4<\/code> video) to a specialized online storage service. Once your file is uploaded, the hosting service provides you with a direct web link<\/strong> (URL).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of uploading the file directly into m-Path, you simply paste this link<\/strong> into the appropriate m-Path widget. When your participants take the questionnaire, the m-Path app will use that link to instantly fetch and display the media on their screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video hosting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bunny.net<\/a> is a highly popular and affordable Content Delivery Network (CDN) and cloud storage provider. When you upload a video to a regular server, a user halfway across the world might experience buffering or slow load times. A CDN solves this by keeping cached copies of your video on servers all over the globe. When a participant opens your m-Path questionnaire, the video is delivered from the server physically closest to them, ensuring lightning-fast and smooth playback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For m-Path, this is an excellent tool to self-host heavier media files like .mp4<\/code> videos safely while getting a direct, permanent link that won’t unexpectedly expire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Create an Account<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Go to bunny.net<\/a> and sign up for an account.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Add your billing details (bunny.net is a paid service, but it is pay-as-you-go and generally costs only pennies per month for small-scale questionnaire usage).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Step 2: Create a Video library<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    1. In the left-hand menu of your bunny.net dashboard, click on Stream<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Click the + Add Video<\/strong> Library<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Give your library a name (e.g., mpath-study-videos<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Select your Main Storage Region<\/strong>. Pick the region closest to where you or your participants are located.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Click Add Storage Zone<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Step 3: Upload your Video<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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      1. Go back to Stream<\/strong> on the left menu and click on the video library you just created.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. You are now inside the File Manager<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. You can click Upload<\/strong> or simply drag and drop your .mp4<\/code> video files directly into the browser to upload them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Step 4: Open access to video<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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        1. To enable direct file access, go to the Security tab while on the Stream page<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Click on general, there there will be a toggle for ‘Block direct url file access’<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Toggle this one off, this makes m-Path able to get the video to show during a questionnaire.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Step 5: Copy the link to the file<\/h4>\n\n\n\n