The Swarm CDN Key is a public client identifier, meant to live on all your website’s public pages. It does not grant access to your Swarmify account or dashboard - it only tells our CDN which account a video belongs to. Seeing it in your page source is normal and expected.
⚠️ What unauthorized use looks like
Someone could copy an unrestricted key to use it on a site you don’t own. Until your key is locked to your domain(s), a valid key will serve videos from any site, and those views would count toward your monthly view total and plan limits.
🔒 How to lock your key to your domain(s)
Domain locking is applied manually by our team - there’s no self-serve toggle in the dashboard. Email support@swarmify.com with the domain(s) you want authorized, and we’ll add a rule so requests using your key from other sites are dropped.
A couple of things to know:
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It’s referrer-based anti-hotlinking/embedding protection - great for stopping casual copying and unwanted embeds, but not a substitute for DRM.
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Because it keys off the page’s referrer, viewers whose browser strips the referrer (some privacy tools or strict referrer policies) may be blocked too. Send us every domain you need authorized, including staging or temporary ones.
🌐 What if I suspect another site is using my key?
If you suspect another site is using your key, email support@swarmify.com with the page URL. Support can help with a domain-lock request; see the guidance above.
📊 Monitor your usage
Check your dashboard periodically for unexpected view spikes. If something looks off, contact support with the page URL and the domains you need authorized.