Direct uploads

The Assets class provides methods to upload your media files to the platform. This method creates an asset that you can use in different workflows.

Workflow

1

Upload your file using the assets.create method. You receive the asset ID in the response.

2

Asset processing is asynchronous. Poll the assets.retrieve method until the status field is ready before proceeding.

3

What you do next depends on your use case:

  • For creating embeddings (videos, audio, images): Use the asset ID with the Embed API v2.
  • For entity search (images): Use the asset ID to create entities.
  • For search and analysis (videos): Index your asset using the asset ID.

Methods

Create an asset

Description: This method creates an asset by uploading a file to the platform. Assets are media files that you can use in downstream workflows, including indexing, analyzing video content, and creating entities.

The platform processes uploads asynchronously. This method returns immediately with the asset in the processing status, which then transitions to ready on success or to failed when the file is invalid or corrupt, typically within a few seconds to a few minutes. Poll the assets.retrieve method until the status field is ready before you use the asset. This applies to every upload, including small files.

Supported content: Video, audio, and images.

Upload methods:

  • Local file: Set the method parameter to direct and use the file parameter to specify the file.
  • Publicly accessible URL: Set the method parameter to url and use the url parameter to specify the URL of your file.

Upload limits:

  • Video and audio, local files: Up to 200 MB
  • Video and audio, public URLs: Up to 4 GB
  • Images: Up to 32 MB

Asset creation does not enforce a maximum duration. Each model applies its own file size and duration limits. For details, see the requirements below.

Additional requirements depend on your workflow:

Note

This method is rate-limited. For details, see the Rate limits page.

Function signature and example:

1create(
2 request: TwelvelabsApi.AssetsCreateRequest,
3 requestOptions?: Assets.RequestOptions
4): core.HttpResponsePromise<TwelvelabsApi.Asset>

Parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
requestTwelvelabsApi.AssetsCreateRequestYesParameters for creating an asset.
requestOptionsAssets.RequestOptionsNoRequest-specific configuration.

The TwelvelabsApi.AssetsCreateRequest interface has the following properties:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
methodTwelvelabsApi.AssetsCreateRequestMethodYesSpecifies the upload method for the asset. Use direct to upload a local file or url for a publicly accessible URL.
fileFile | fs.ReadStream | Blob | undefinedNoThe local file to upload. This parameter is required when method is set to direct.

Local video and audio files support up to 200 MB. Image files support up to 32 MB.
urlstringNoThe publicly accessible URL of a media file to upload. This parameter is required when method is set to url.

Public video and audio URLs support up to 4 GB. Image URLs support up to 32 MB.
filenamestringNoThe optional filename of the asset. If not provided, the platform determines the filename from the file or URL.
enableHlsbooleanNoWhen set to true, the platform generates an HLS playlist and segments for streaming. Applicable to video and audio assets only. Default: false.
enableThumbnailbooleanNoWhen set to true, the platform generates thumbnail images from the uploaded content. Default: false.
userMetadatastringNoMetadata that helps you categorize your assets. You can specify a list of keys and values. Keys must be of type string, and values can be of the following types: string, integer, float, or boolean. Send this value as a JSON-encoded string.

Return value

Returns an HttpResponsePromise that resolves to a TwelvelabsApi.Asset object representing the created asset.

The TwelvelabsApi.Asset interface contains the following properties:

NameTypeDescription
idstringThe unique identifier of the asset.
methodTwelvelabsApi.AssetMethodIndicates how the asset was uploaded or imported. Values: direct (uploaded from your local file system), url (uploaded from a publicly accessible URL), multipart (uploaded using the multipart upload flow), connector (imported through a data connector).
statusTwelvelabsApi.AssetStatusIndicates the current processing status of the asset. Values: processing (the asset is not yet usable; the upload is still in progress, or the platform is validating the file), ready (the platform validated the asset successfully and it is ready to use), failed (the platform could not process the file; the error field describes the reason).
errorTwelvelabsApi.AssetErrorThe reason the asset failed. The platform returns this field only when status is failed.
filenamestringThe name of the file used to create the asset.
fileTypestringThe MIME type of the asset file.
sizenumberThe file size of the asset in bytes. Present once the asset finishes processing. The assets.create method always returns the asset in the processing status and therefore never includes this field.
durationnumberThe duration of the asset in seconds. Present for video and audio assets once processing finishes. The assets.create method always returns the asset in the processing status and therefore never includes this field.
createdAtDateThe date and time, in RFC 3339 format (“YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ”), when the asset was created.
userMetadataTwelvelabsApi.UserMetadataUser-defined metadata for this asset. This field is absent when no metadata has been set.

The TwelvelabsApi.AssetError interface contains the following properties:

NameTypeDescription
messagestringA human-readable message describing the failure, such as a corrupted or unsupported file, a file the platform could not access, or a video that failed a playability check. The exact text is not part of the contract. Do not parse it.

API Reference

Create an asset