Error Handling & Best Practices - Content Management

Error Handling & Best Practices

Error Handling

Error	Meaning	Resolution
HTTP 403	Access denied by access control rules	Check KS, referrer, IP, geo restrictions
HTTP 404	Entry not found or not READY	Verify entry exists and status=2
Empty manifest	No matching flavors for the requested format	Check flavor tags, format compatibility
ENTRY_DELETED_MODERATED	Entry was deleted or rejected by moderator	Entry is no longer available
Redirect loop	playManifest can't resolve a delivery profile	Check delivery profile configuration

Best Practices

• Use HLS (applehttp) as default format. It has the broadest device support and efficient adaptive bitrate switching.
• Always use HTTPS protocol. Partners with enforce_encryption will block non-HTTPS requests.
• Append KS for protected content. Access-controlled entries require a valid KS in the URL. Use short-lived user KS (type=0) for player embed, not admin KS.
• Use playSessionId for analytics. Include a unique session ID to track playback analytics accurately.
• Use referrer for domain restrictions. Base64-encode the page URL and pass it as the referrer parameter.
• Cache playManifest URLs. Manifest URLs are CDN-cached. For time-sensitive access control, use expiry and kt parameters.
• Use flavorAsset.getUrl for download links. It handles storage selection, CDN routing, and tokenization automatically.
• Use Access Control profiles for restrictions. The platform handles geo, IP, domain, and scheduling checks during playback — configure them in Kaltura and they're enforced on every request.
• Short-form parameter names (e, f, pt, etc.) are supported for all playManifest parameters for shorter URLs.
• Videos under 10 seconds: Akamai HDS format automatically falls back to progressive HTTP for very short videos.