Manifest

Definition

A manifest refers to a text file that describes other files that can be fetched as part of Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR). A master manifest is a text file which describes a list of rendition manifests along with the resolution, bitrate, location (URL) and other details of each rendition. A rendition manifest is a text file which contains the file names and locations (URLs) of each video segment. The video player uses the rendition manifest to fetch segments in a sequential order to fill the buffer for video playback.

Common manifest formats include HLS (.m3u8) and MPEG-DASH (.mpd).