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node-ffmpeg-stream

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Node.js bindings to ffmpeg command, exposing stream based API

// repository documentation

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# FFmpeg-Stream

[![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/ffmpeg-stream)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/ffmpeg-stream)
[![Codecov](https://img.shields.io/codecov/c/gh/phaux/node-ffmpeg-stream)](https://app.codecov.io/gh/phaux/node-ffmpeg-stream)

Node bindings to ffmpeg command, exposing stream based API.

> [!NOTE]
> FFmpeg must be installed and available in `PATH`.
> You can set a custom ffmpeg path via an argument (default is just `ffmpeg`).

## Examples

```js
import { Converter } from "ffmpeg-stream"
import { createReadStream, createWriteStream } from "node:fs"

async function convert() {
  const converter = new Converter()

// get a writable input stream and pipe an image file to it
  const converterInput = converter.createInputStream({
    f: "image2pipe",
    vcodec: "mjpeg",
  })
  createReadStream(`${__dirname}/cat.jpg`).pipe(converterInput)

// create an output stream, crop/scale image, save to file via node stream
  const converterOutput = converter.createOutputStream({
    f: "image2",
    vcodec: "mjpeg",
    vf: "crop=300:300,scale=100:100",
  })
  converterOutput.pipe(createWriteStream(`${__dirname}/cat_thumb.jpg`))

// same, but save to file directly from ffmpeg
  converter.createOutputToFile(`${__dirname}/cat_full.jpg`, {
    vf: "crop=300:300",
  })

// start processing
  await converter.run()
}
```

# API

- **class** `Converter`

Creates a new instance of the ffmpeg converter class.
  Converting won't start until `run()` method is called.

- **method** `createInputStream(options: Options): stream.Writable`

Defines an ffmpeg input stream.
    Remember to specify the [`f` option](https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.html#Main-options), which specifies the format of the input data.
    The returned stream is a writable stream.

- **method** `createInputFromFile(file: string, options: Options): void`

Defines an ffmpeg input using specified path.
    This is the same as specifying an input on the command line.

- **method** `createBufferedInputStream(options: Options): stream.Writable`

This is a mix of `createInputStream` and `createInputFromFile`.
    It creates a temporary file and instructs ffmpeg to use it,
    then it returns a writable stream attached to that file.
    Using this method will cause a huge delay.

- **method** `createOutputStream(options: Options): stream.Readable`

Defines an ffmpeg output stream.
    Remember to specify the [`f` option](https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.html#Main-options), which specifies the format of the output data.
    The returned stream is a readable stream.

- **method** `createOutputToFile(file: string, options: Options): void`

Defines an ffmpeg output using specified path.
    This is the same as specifying an output on the command line.

- **method** `createBufferedOutputStream(options: Options): stream.Readable`

This is a mix of `createOutputStream` and `createOutputToFile`.
    It creates a temporary file and instructs ffmpeg to use it,
    then it returns a readable stream attached to that file.
    Using this method will cause a huge delay.

- **method** `run(): Promise<void>`

Starts the ffmpeg process.
    Returns a Promise which resolves on normal exit or kill, but rejects on ffmpeg error.

- **method** `kill(): void`

Kills the ffmpeg process.

- **type** `Options`

Object of options which you normally pass to the ffmpeg command in the terminal.
  Documentation for individual options can be found at [ffmpeg site](https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.html) in audio and video category.
  For boolean options specify `true` or `false`.
  If you'd like to specify the same argument multiple times you can do so by providing an array of values. E.g. `{ map: ["0:v", "1:a"] }`

# FAQ

## How to get video duration and other stats

You can use `ffprobe` command for now. It might be implemented in the library in the future, though.

## Is there a `progress` or `onFrameEmitted` event

Currently, no.

## Something doesn't work

Try running your program with `DEBUG=ffmpeg-stream` environment variable.
It will print the ffmpeg command it executes and all the ffmpeg logs.
The command usually looks something like `ffmpeg -f … -i pipe:3 -f … pipe:4`.
`pipe:number` means it uses standard input/output instead of a file.

## Error: Muxer does not support non seekable output

When getting error similar to this:

```
  [mp4 @ 0000000000e4db00] muxer does not support non seekable output
  Could not write header for output file #0 (incorrect codec parameters ?): Invalid argument
  Error initializing output stream 0:1 --
  encoded 0 frames
  Conversion failed!

at ChildProcess.<anonymous> (<DirPath>\node_modules\ffmpeg-stream\lib\index.js:215:27)
    at emitTwo (events.js:106:13)
    at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:191:7)
    at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:215:12)
```

ffmpeg says that the combination of options you specified doesn't support streaming. You can experiment with calling ffmpeg directly and specifying `-` or `pipe:1` as output file. Maybe some other options or different format will work. Streaming sequence of JPEGs over websockets worked flawlessly for me (`{ f: "image2pipe", vcodec: "mjpeg" }`).

You can also use `createBufferedOutputStream`. That tells the library to save output to a temporary file and then create a node stream from that file. It wont start producing data until the conversion is complete, though.

## How to get individual frame data

You have to set output format to mjpeg and then split the stream manually by looking at the bytes. You can implement a transform stream which does this:

```js
import { Transform } from "node:stream"

class ExtractFrames extends Transform {
  constructor(magicNumberHex) {
    super({ readableObjectMode: true })
    this.magicNumber = Buffer.from(magicNumberHex, "hex")
    this.currentData = Buffer.alloc(0)
  }

_transform(newData, encoding, done) {
    // Add new data
    this.currentData = Buffer.concat([this.currentData, newData])

// Find frames in current data
    while (true) {
      // Find the start of a frame
      const startIndex = this.currentData.indexOf(this.magicNumber)
      if (startIndex < 0) break // start of frame not found

// Find the start of the next frame
      const endIndex = this.currentData.indexOf(
        this.magicNumber,
        startIndex + this.magicNumber.length,
      )
      if (endIndex < 0) break // we haven't got the whole frame yet

// Handle found frame
      this.push(this.currentData.slice(startIndex, endIndex)) // emit a frame
      this.currentData = this.currentData.slice(endIndex) // remove frame data from current data
      if (startIndex > 0) console.error(`Discarded ${startIndex} bytes of invalid data`)
    }

done()
  }

_flush(done) {
    this.push(this.currentData)
    done()
  }
}
```

And then use it like that:

```js
import { Converter } from "ffmpeg-stream"

const converter = new Converter()

converter
  .createOutputStream({ f: "image2pipe", vcodec: "mjpeg" })
  .pipe(new ExtractFrames("FFD8FF")) // use jpg magic number as delimiter
  .on("data", frameData => {
    /* do things with frame data (instance of Buffer) */
  })

converter.run()
```

## How to create an animation from a set of image files

> I have images in Amazon S3 bucket (private) so I'm using their SDK to download those.
> I get the files in Buffer objects.
> Is there any way I can use your package to create a video out of it?
>
> So far I've been downloading the files and then using the following command:
> `ffmpeg -framerate 30 -pattern_type glob -i '*.jpg' -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p out.mp4`
>
> But now want to do it from my node js application automatically.

```js
import { Converter } from "ffmpeg-stream"

const frames = ["frame1.jpg", "frame2.jpg", ...etc]

// create converter
const converter = new Converter()

// create input writable stream (the jpeg frames)
const converterInput = converter.createInputStream({ f: "image2pipe", r: 30 })

// create output to file (mp4 video)
converter.createOutputToFile("out.mp4", {
  vcodec: "libx264",
  pix_fmt: "yuv420p",
})

// start the converter, save the promise for later
const convertingFinished = converter.run()

// pipe all the frames to the converter sequentially
for (const filename of frames) {
  // create a promise for every frame and await it
  await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    s3.getObject({ Bucket: "...", Key: filename })
      .createReadStream()
      .pipe(converterInput, { end: false }) // pipe to converter, but don't end the input yet
      .on("end", resolve) // resolve the promise after the frame finishes
      .on("error", reject)
  })
}
converterInput.end()

// await until the whole process finished just in case
await convertingFinished
```

## How to stream a video when there's data, otherwise an intermission image

You can turn your main stream into series of `jpeg` images with output format `mjpeg` and combine it with static image by repeatedly piping a single `jpeg` image when there's no data from main stream.
Then pipe it to second ffmpeg process which combines `jpeg` images into video.

```js
import * as fs from "node:fs"
import { Converter } from "ffmpeg-stream"

// create the joiner ffmpeg process (frames to video)
const joiner = new Converter()
const joinerInput = joiner.createInputStream({ f: "mjpeg" })
const joinerOutput = joiner.createOutputStream({ f: "whatever format you want" })
joinerOutput.pipe(/* wherever you want */)

joiner.run()

// remember if we are streaming currently
let streaming = false

/**
 * A function which streams a single video.
 *
 * @param {import("node:stream").Readable} incomingStream - The video stream.
 * @param {string} format - The format of the video stream.
 *
 * @returns {Promise<void>} Promise which resolves when the stream ends.
 */
async function streamVideo(incomingStream, format) {
  if (streaming) throw new Error("We are already streaming something else")
  streaming = true

// create the splitter ffmpeg process (video to frames)
  const splitter = new Converter()

// pipe video to splitter process
  incomingStream.pipe(splitter.createInputStream({ f: format }))

// get jpegs and pipe them to joiner process
  splitter.createOutputStream({ f: "mjpeg" }).pipe(joinerInput, { end: false })

try {
    await splitter.run()
  } finally {
    streaming = false
  }
}

setInterval(() => {
  // if we are streaming - do nothing
  if (streaming) return

// pipe a single jpeg file 30 times per second into the joiner process
  // TODO: don't actually read the file 30 times per second
  fs.createReadStream("intermission_pic.jpg").pipe(joinerInput, { end: false })
}, 1000 / 30)
```

## I want intermission image with audio and other complicated stuff

You should probably use [beamcoder](https://github.com/Streampunk/beamcoder) instead.

node-ffmpeg-stream

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