Embed Code

Kinds of embed code

Kind	What it looks like	Typical content
Iframe	<iframe src="…">, which loads a small page (a player) inside a frame	Videos, maps, forms
Hosted image	<img src="…"> pointing at a URL served by the DAM or a CDN, often with srcset for several widths	Product photos, banners
Script	<script src="…">, which builds a widget in the page	Galleries, interactive viewers

The iframe element is defined in the HTML Living Standard maintained by WHATWG. Iframes are the most common form for video, because the player, its controls and its streaming logic stay with the host. A script embed can do more, but it runs code from another site inside your page, so many CMSs and security teams restrict it.

Embed codes, permalinks and downloads

A permalink (permanent link) is a URL meant to stay the same for as long as the item exists. In a DAM it usually points at one asset or one size of it, so a website or CMS can show the image without anyone copying the file.

	Download	Permalink	Embed code
What you hand over	A file	A URL	An HTML snippet
Where the file lives	On the recipient's system	With the owner	With the owner
Updates	Need a new copy	Possible at the source	Possible at the source
Withdrawal	Not possible once sent	Disable the link	Disable the embed

Every downloaded copy leaves the owner's control. A link or embed keeps the asset in one place, which is what makes rights expiry and withdrawal enforceable.

Controlling where embeds appear

• Domain allowlist. The host can send the Content Security Policy frame-ancestors directive (W3C), which tells the browser on which sites the page may be shown in a frame. On any other site, the browser displays a blocked frame.
• Revocation. Each embed should be tied to something the owner can switch off, such as a share or a publication link.
• Rights. An embed is a publication. The licence must cover web use in the relevant territories, and the embed should stop when the licence ends.
• Accessibility. Give the iframe a title, and add captions to videos: WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.2 requires captions for prerecorded video with sound.
• Autoplay. Browsers only start a video automatically when it is muted.

Embeds in marketing work

• A distributor shows the product video on its own product page with an iframe, and the embed only plays on that distributor's domain.
• The HR team embeds an onboarding video in the intranet instead of attaching a large file to every welcome email.
• The web team uses hosted image links in the CMS, so a licensed photo disappears from the site when its licence ends instead of staying online.
• A campaign landing page loads images in several widths from the same link, and the browser picks the right one.

Common mistakes: downloading a video and uploading it again to a website, which creates a copy nobody tracks; using autoplay with sound; and forgetting embeds that are still live when a licence ends.

Embed codes in Freedam

• Video embeds. The Embed button under a video's player gives an iframe snippet. You choose a size (480×270, 640×360, 854×480 or custom), a start time, and whether it autoplays, is muted, loops and shows controls. It needs the Share publicly permission, and the video's rights policy must allow publishing.
• Each embed is backed by a view-only public share, valid for a year and extended automatically while it is used. Revoking that share in Shares Management stops the embed. The player streams the video adaptively (HLS), shows the video's poster and offers its subtitles.
• Administrators can set a default embed domain allowlist for the workspace and a separate allowlist per share. Browsers then play the embed only on the listed sites.
• Embed codes can also be created, read and revoked through the REST API and the TypeScript SDK.
• Permanent image links. A website publication channel publishes the images that match its conditions and whose usage rights allow the channel's use and territory. On an asset's Publishing tab, Copy URL gives a link that does not expire, at any width up to the channel's largest size, in AVIF, WebP or JPEG depending on the browser, and usable in srcset. Rights are checked on every request, and the link stops working when the image leaves the channel. Publishing is part of the Business and Tailored plans.

Details: the embeds developer page, and Video Posters and Subtitles and Publishing in the Freedam docs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an embed code and a link?

A link sends the visitor to another page. An embed code shows the content inside your own page. Both keep the file with its owner, unlike a download.

How do I stop a website from embedding my video?

Restrict the embed to a list of allowed domains, which browsers enforce through frame-ancestors, or revoke the share or link behind the embed. Revoking stops it everywhere at once.

What is a permalink?

A permalink is a URL designed not to change, so it can be saved, cited or placed in a CMS. For images, a permanent link is useful when the DAM still checks rights on each request, so a link that stays the same does not mean the image stays online after its licence has ended.