Set up basic CloudFront integration with MediaTailor - AWS Elemental MediaTailor
PrerequisitesConfiguring CloudFront distributionConfiguring cache behaviorsUpdating MediaTailor configurationTesting your integrationExample configurationNext steps

Set up basic CloudFront integration with MediaTailor

AWS Elemental MediaTailor integration with Amazon CloudFront improves content delivery performance for your viewers. This topic guides you through setting up a basic CloudFront distribution for MediaTailor. With this integration, your viewers can access personalized content through the CloudFront network. You'll also learn how to configure proper caching for different content types.

For information about passing query parameters through CloudFront for authorization and routing, see MediaTailor manifest query parameters. For advanced routing using dynamic variables, see MediaTailor domain variables for multiple content sources.

Prerequisites

Before configuring CloudFront with MediaTailor, ensure you have the following:

  • An active AWS account with permissions to create and manage CloudFront distributions

  • A configured MediaTailor playback configuration (see Using AWS Elemental MediaTailor to insert ads)

  • Your content origin server properly set up and accessible

  • Basic understanding of video streaming concepts (HLS/DASH)

Configuring CloudFront distribution

Follow these steps to create and configure a CloudFront distribution for MediaTailor:

To create a CloudFront distribution for MediaTailor

  1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the CloudFront console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/v3/home.

  2. Choose Create Distribution.

  3. For Origin domain, enter your MediaTailor endpoint URL (for example, a1b2c3d4.mediatailor.us-west-2.amazonaws.com).

  4. For Protocol, select HTTPS only.

  5. For Name, enter a name that helps you identify this origin (for example, mediatailor-origin).

  6. Configure the default cache behavior settings:

    1. For Path pattern, use the default value (*).

    2. For Compress objects automatically, select Yes.

    3. For Viewer protocol policy, select Redirect HTTP to HTTPS.

    4. For Allowed HTTP methods, select GET, HEAD.

    5. For Cache policy, select CachingDisabled.

    6. For Origin request policy, select AllViewer to forward all headers for the default behavior.

      Note

      The default behavior uses AllViewer to safely handle any content that doesn't match specific path patterns. Specific cache behaviors for manifests and segments will be configured separately with appropriate policies.

  7. Configure the distribution settings:

    1. For Price class, select the option that best matches your audience locations.

    2. For AWS WAF web ACL, select an existing web ACL or leave as Do not enable security protections.

    3. For Default root object, leave empty.

    4. For Standard logging, select On to enable logging.

  8. Choose Create Distribution.

Configuring cache behaviors

After creating your distribution, you need to configure additional cache behaviors to handle different types of content appropriately. This section covers basic cache behavior setup for CloudFront.

For comprehensive caching optimization including advanced TTL settings, cache key configurations, and performance tuning, see Caching optimization for CDN and MediaTailor integrations in the CDN optimization guide.

Configuring manifest cache behavior

Do not cache manifests because they contain personalized content. Follow these steps to configure the cache behavior:

To configure manifest cache behavior

  1. In the CloudFront console, select your distribution.

  2. Choose the Behaviors tab.

  3. Choose Create behavior.

  4. For Path pattern, enter *.m3u8 to match HLS multivariant and media playlists.

  5. For Origin, select your MediaTailor origin.

  6. For Cache policy, select CachingDisabled.

  7. For Origin request policy, select AllViewer to forward all required headers for dynamic content.

  8. Choose Create.

  9. Repeat these steps for DASH manifests using the path pattern *.mpd to match MPDs.

This configuration ensures that each viewer receives a personalized manifest with their specific ad content. The CDN doesn't cache these manifests, so each request goes directly to MediaTailor.

Configuring segment cache behavior

Configure separate cache behaviors for ad segments and content segments to optimize performance and ensure proper CORS handling.

Configuring ad segment cache behavior

Ad segments served through the /tm/* path pattern require specific configuration to handle CORS properly. Follow these steps:

To configure ad segment cache behavior

  1. In the CloudFront console, select your distribution.

  2. Choose the Behaviors tab.

  3. Choose Create behavior.

  4. For Path pattern, enter /tm/* to match ad segments served by MediaTailor.

  5. For Origin, select your MediaTailor segments origin (using the segments.mediatailor.region.amazonaws.com hostname).

  6. For Cache policy, select CachingOptimized.

  7. For Origin request policy, select None.

  8. For Response headers policy, select CORS-with-preflight-and-SecurityHeadersPolicy to ensure proper CORS headers are included in responses.

  9. Choose Create.

Configuring content segment cache behavior

Content segments can use standard caching policies for optimal performance. Configure separate behaviors for different segment formats:

To configure content segment cache behavior

  1. In the CloudFront console, select your distribution.

  2. Choose the Behaviors tab.

  3. Choose Create behavior.

  4. For Path pattern, enter *.ts to match HLS content segments.

  5. For Origin, select your content origin.

  6. For Cache policy, select CachingOptimized.

  7. For Origin request policy, select None.

  8. For Response headers policy, select CORS-with-preflight-and-SecurityHeadersPolicy to ensure consistent CORS handling across all content types.

  9. Choose Create.

  10. Repeat these steps for other content segment formats using appropriate path patterns:

    • *.mp4 for MP4 segments

    • *.m4s for DASH segments

    • *.cmfv and *.cmfa for CMAF segments

This configuration ensures that ad segments and content segments are cached appropriately with proper CORS handling. Ad segments use the MediaTailor segments origin with CORS protection, while content segments use your content origin with optimized caching policies.

Updating MediaTailor configuration

After setting up your CloudFront distribution, update your MediaTailor configuration to use the CloudFront domain:

To update your MediaTailor configuration

  1. Open the MediaTailor console.

  2. Select the configuration you want to update.

  3. In the CDN configuration section, enter your CloudFront distribution domain name (for example, d1234abcdef.cloudfront.net) in the CDN content segment prefix field.

  4. Save your changes.

With this configuration, MediaTailor generates manifests with URLs that point to your CloudFront distribution instead of directly to the origin.

Testing your integration

After configuring your CloudFront distribution and updating your MediaTailor configuration, test the integration:

To test your CloudFront and MediaTailor integration

  1. Request a manifest through your CloudFront distribution (for example, https://d1234abcdef.cloudfront.net/v1/master/12345/my-config/index.m3u8).

  2. Verify that the manifest contains segment URLs that point to your CloudFront domain.

  3. Play the content through a video player and verify that both content and ads play correctly.

  4. Check CloudFront logs to ensure requests are being routed correctly.

Example configuration

Here's an example of a CloudFront distribution configuration for MediaTailor with proper cache behaviors:

Example CloudFront distribution configuration example

{
  "DefaultCacheBehavior": {
    "TargetOriginId": "mediatailor-origin",
    "ViewerProtocolPolicy": "redirect-to-https",
    "AllowedMethods": {
      "Quantity": 2,
      "Items": ["GET", "HEAD"]
    },
    "CachePolicyId": "4135ea2d-6df8-44a3-9df3-4b5a84be39ad",
    "OriginRequestPolicyId": "59781a5b-3903-41f3-afcb-af62929ccde1",
    "Comment": "Default behavior with CachingDisabled and AllViewer"
  },
  "CacheBehaviors": [
    {
      "PathPattern": "*.m3u8",
      "TargetOriginId": "mediatailor-origin",
      "ViewerProtocolPolicy": "redirect-to-https",
      "CachePolicyId": "4135ea2d-6df8-44a3-9df3-4b5a84be39ad",
      "OriginRequestPolicyId": "59781a5b-3903-41f3-afcb-af62929ccde1",
      "Comment": "Manifest behavior with CachingDisabled and AllViewer"
    },
    {
      "PathPattern": "*.ts",
      "TargetOriginId": "mediatailor-origin", 
      "ViewerProtocolPolicy": "redirect-to-https",
      "CachePolicyId": "658327ea-f89d-4fab-a63d-7e88639e58f6",
      "OriginRequestPolicyId": "88a5eaf4-2fd4-4709-b370-b4c650ea3fcf",
      "Comment": "Segment behavior with CachingOptimized and HostHeaderOnly"
    }
  ]
}

This example shows:

  • Default behavior: Uses CachingDisabled and AllViewer to safely handle any content that doesn't match specific path patterns

  • Manifest behavior (*.m3u8): Uses CachingDisabled and AllViewer for dynamic content

  • Segment behavior (*.ts): Uses CachingOptimized and CORS-with-preflight-and-SecurityHeadersPolicy

Next steps

After setting up your basic CloudFront integration with MediaTailor, consider these next steps: