Folders vs. Projects in the API

In the Wistia app, the containers that hold your media are called folders. In parts of the Wistia API, the same concept is called a project. They are the same thing — a named container of medias — and the name you'll see depends on which API and which version you're using.

This page explains where each term applies so you can read the API responses and build requests without second-guessing which one to use.

Folders and projects are the same concept

A folder (in the UI) and a project (in older API surfaces) both refer to one container of medias, identified by a hashed ID. There is no behavioral difference — only the name changed over time as the product settled on "folder" as the user-facing term.

You don't need to migrate any data or re-create anything. An account's folders and its projects are the same records; only the labels in the API differ by version.

Which term applies where

Data API v1

The original Data API uses projects. You'll list containers at /v1/projects, reference a media's container by its project field, and filter or move media with project_id.

GET https://api.wistia.com/v1/projects
GET https://api.wistia.com/v1/medias?project_id=abc123

Data API 2026-01 and later

Starting with the 2026-01 release, the resource was renamed to folders to match the app. The project_id parameter became folder_id, and media responses now carry a folder field instead of project.

GET https://api.wistia.com/v1/folders
GET https://api.wistia.com/modern/medias?folder_id=abc123

For the full list of renamed fields and endpoints, see the Migration Guide: API v1 to API 2026-01.

Stats API — still uses "projects"

The Stats API is the one exception. Its project endpoints were not renamed, even in 2026-01. Use projects and projectId there regardless of which Data API version you're on.

GET https://api.wistia.com/stats/projects/{projectId}

Uploading media into a folder

The Upload API still uses the older project_id name, even though the container it targets is a folder. Pass the destination folder's hashed ID as project_id and the uploaded media lands in that folder:

curl -i -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE" \
  -F project_id=abc123 \
  -F file=@/path/to/video.mp4 \
  https://upload.wistia.com/

Importing from a URL works the same way — add project_id alongside the url parameter.

If you omit project_id, Wistia files the media in an auto-created folder named Uploads on YYYY-MM-DD (the current date), so uploads never go missing. For a predictable destination, always pass the folder's hashed ID.

Subfolders aren't a separate upload target

The Upload API can only target a folder, not a subfolder. There is no subfolder parameter — media always land at the top level of the folder you name in project_id. To organize uploads into a subfolder, upload to the parent folder first, then move the media into the subfolder from within the Wistia app.

Quick reference

• Building against Data API v1? Use project / project_id.
• Building against Data API 2026-01+? Use folder / folder_id.
• Calling the Stats API? Use project / projectId, always.
• Uploading via the Upload API? Target a folder with project_id; subfolders aren't a valid upload target.