Set Up Cloudflare R2 — Zero-Egress Cloud Video Storage

Connect Cloudflare R2 to Video Downloader Plus for S3-compatible object storage with no egress fees, lower storage costs, and full multipart upload support.

Cloudflare R2 is an S3-compatible object storage service that eliminates egress fees entirely. It uses the same API key authentication pattern as AWS S3, so the setup flow is similar — create a bucket, generate a scoped API token, and connect in Video Downloader Plus.

Prerequisites

• A Video Downloader Plus account on the Professional plan
• A Cloudflare account with R2 Object Storage enabled
• An R2 bucket and a scoped API token

Step 1: Create an R2 bucket

1. Sign in to the Cloudflare Dashboard
2. Select R2 Object Storage from the left sidebar
3. Click Create bucket
4. Enter a name for the bucket — for example, vidow-videos
5. Set a location hint to the region closest to you to minimize latency
6. Click Create bucket

Step 2: Create an R2 API token

1. In the Cloudflare Dashboard, navigate to R2 Object Storage
2. Click Manage R2 API Tokens
3. Click Create API token
4. Configure the token:
   • Token name: something recognizable, like Video Downloader Plus Uploader
   • Permissions: Object Read & Write
   • Bucket access: scope it to only the bucket you created in Step 1
5. Click Create API Token
6. Copy the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key that appear

Cloudflare displays the Secret Access Key a single time. Copy it to a secure location before closing — there’s no way to retrieve it afterward without generating a new token.

Step 3: Get your R2 endpoint URL

R2 exposes an S3-compatible API at an endpoint that includes your Cloudflare Account ID:

https://ACCOUNT_ID.r2.cloudflarestorage.com

Your Account ID appears on the R2 overview page and in the right-hand sidebar of the Cloudflare Dashboard. Substitute it into the URL above to form your endpoint.

Step 4: Connect in Video Downloader Plus

1. Open Cloud Sync

   Go to vidow.io/cloud-sync and sign in to your Video Downloader Plus account.

2. Click Connect on Cloudflare R2

   Find the Cloudflare R2 card and click Connect to open the credentials form.

3. Enter your credentials

   Complete all four fields:

   • Access Key ID — The key ID from your R2 API token
   • Secret Access Key — The secret from the same token
   • Bucket name — Exactly as it appears in the Cloudflare Dashboard
   • Endpoint — Your full R2 endpoint URL including the Account ID
4. Test and save

   Video Downloader Plus tests the connection against your bucket. A successful validation saves the connection and enables cloud sync.

How uploads work

R2 follows the same S3 multipart upload protocol as AWS S3:

• Files larger than 100MB are divided into 10MB parts (minimum 5MB per part)
• Parts upload in parallel for maximum throughput
• Transfers can be paused and resumed without losing progress
• Supports files up to 50TB
• Files under 100MB are sent in a single direct request

Why choose R2?

Feature	AWS S3	Cloudflare R2
Storage cost	~$0.023/GB/month	~$0.015/GB/month
Egress (download) fees	$0.09/GB	Free
S3 API compatible	Native	Yes
Best for	AWS ecosystem users	Cost-sensitive storage

The egress cost difference is the main reason to consider R2. If you regularly download or stream your stored videos, those transfers are free with R2 — with S3, you pay $0.09 per GB out. For heavy video workloads, this adds up quickly.

Troubleshooting

Connection test fails

Verify that the endpoint URL matches the format https://ACCOUNT_ID.r2.cloudflarestorage.com with your actual Account ID substituted in. Also confirm the bucket name in Video Downloader Plus matches the name shown in the Cloudflare Dashboard — spelling and capitalization must be exact.

Permission denied

Your R2 API token must have Object Read & Write permissions and be explicitly scoped to the bucket you’re connecting. Tokens scoped to a different bucket or with read-only permissions will fail. Create a new token with the correct settings if needed.

Slow uploads

R2 routes traffic through Cloudflare’s network, and performance is influenced by the location hint you set when creating the bucket. If uploads are consistently slow, try creating a new bucket with a location hint that matches your geography more closely, then update the connection in Video Downloader Plus.