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Why Vaults uses URL embeds instead of file uploads (and why that's a good thing)

2026-05-21

If you have used Vaults recently, you probably noticed something: when you set a video background, an image background, or use the image host, you paste a URL instead of uploading a file. That is on purpose. Here is the full reason, no spin.

The honest version

Storing files (especially video) is the single most expensive part of running a site like this. Every time someone visits a profile with a 20MB looping background, the server has to send that 20MB out, and that bandwidth (called "egress") is metered. A profile that goes viral with a video background can quietly cost more per month than the entire rest of the site combined.

We do not want to add subscriptions. We do not want to start charging the people who already paid the one time €5 Lifetime. The cleanest way to keep Vaults cheap forever is to never pay for that bandwidth in the first place. So we don't host the heavy media. You host it on a free service (YouTube, Streamable, Imgur, Catbox, Discord), and Vaults just embeds the URL.

What this means for you

  • You get full quality video backgrounds (4K if you want), with no upload size cap from us.
  • Your profile loads from a CDN that is built for video (YouTube, Vimeo) instead of our origin.
  • We can keep the free tier actually free, and Lifetime stays at €5 one time.
  • You stay in control of your media. If you delete it from your host, it is gone everywhere.

What about image and audio?

Same thing. The image host accepts external URLs (Imgur, Catbox, Postimages, Discord CDN). Music is YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify, or a direct MP3 URL from somewhere you host it. Avatars are still uploaded to us because they are tiny and load on every visit, that one stays.

Where do I host my video / image for free?

For video backgrounds: YouTube (set unlisted, paste the URL), Streamable, Vimeo, or a direct .mp4 on Catbox / Discord.

For images: Imgur, Postimages, Catbox.moe, or upload to a Discord channel and right click "Copy link". All free, no account needed for most of them.

For audio: YouTube for any track, Soundcloud, or a direct .mp3 URL.

The embed dialog inside Vaults has a tips section that walks you through it. Try it on your profile →

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