An HTML element that loads external content — like a video player — inside a web page, isolating it in its own browsing context.
An iframe (inline frame) is an HTML element that embeds an external web page inside your page. For video, this means loading a hosted video player from a service like host.video within a rectangular area on your site. The iframe acts as a window into another page — your visitors see the video player as part of your site, but the player code and video delivery are handled entirely by the hosting platform.
An iframe embed is a single line of HTML: <iframe src="https://player.example.com/video-id"></iframe>. When the browser encounters this tag, it creates an isolated browsing context and loads the source URL inside it. The video player loads, initializes, and handles all playback logic independently of your page's code.
This isolation is both the strength and limitation of iframes. On the positive side, the player cannot interfere with your page's CSS or JavaScript, and your page cannot accidentally break the player. Security is enforced by the browser's same-origin policy — the iframe and your page are sandboxed from each other.
The limitation is that communication between your page and the iframe requires explicit messaging via the postMessage API. If you want to trigger playback from a button on your page, or listen for when the video ends, you need the hosting platform to support these message events. Most professional hosting platforms provide a JavaScript API alongside the iframe for this purpose.
Iframe embedding is the simplest way to add video to any web page. It works on every platform that allows HTML — Webflow, Squarespace, WordPress, Notion, custom sites — without requiring a build step or JavaScript knowledge. For teams that need to get video onto their site quickly and reliably, iframe embeds are the standard approach.
host.video provides iframe embed codes for every video, with a white-label player that carries no third-party branding. Custom domain support means the iframe loads from your own domain, reinforcing your brand identity.