Registry / messaging / node-ffmpeg-stream

node-ffmpeg-stream

library1.1.0jsnpmunverified

Node-ffmpeg-stream is a Node.js library for converting RTSP streams to WebSocket streams, enabling multi-view surveillance camera display in web browsers. It wraps FFmpeg to transcode RTSP feeds into MPEG-TS chunks served via WebSocket, and includes built-in HTTP endpoints for stream management (list, add, remove). Version 1.1.0 is the current stable release; the project appears to have irregular updates and limited community adoption. It differentiates from alternatives like node-rtsp-stream by offering a more integrated API with Express.js support and screenshot capabilities.

messaging

npm install node-ffmpeg-stream

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · NODE-FFMPEG-STREAM

node-ffmpeg-stream

messagingjavascriptv1.1.0

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

default

✓ import RTSP2Web from 'node-ffmpeg-stream';

✗ const rtsp2web = require('node-ffmpeg-stream');

This package is ESM-only. CommonJS require will fail.

Stream

✓ import { Stream } from 'node-ffmpeg-stream';

✗ const { Stream } = require('node-ffmpeg-stream');

Named exports similarly require ESM imports.

createServer

✓ import { createServer } from 'node-ffmpeg-stream';

✗ const { createServer } = require('node-ffmpeg-stream');

ESM-only; CommonJS won't work.

Shows how to set up an Express server that serves RTSP streams via WebSocket, adding a camera stream and starting the service.

import RTSP2Web from 'node-ffmpeg-stream'; import express from 'express'; const app = express(); const rtsp2web = new RTSP2Web(); app.get('/stream/:id', (req, res) => { const stream = rtsp2web.getStream(req.params.id); if (stream) { res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'video/mp2t' }); stream.pipe(res); } else { res.status(404).send('Stream not found'); } }); rtsp2web.addStream('camera1', 'rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.100:554/stream1'); rtsp2web.start(); app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'));

Debug

Known issues

gotchaFFmpeg must be installed and accessible in PATH or specified via options.

fix

Install FFmpeg via package manager or download from ffmpeg.org, and ensure ffmpeg command works in terminal.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaOnly MPEG-TS format is supported for WebSocket output; other formats may not work.

fix

Ensure client expects video/mp2t MIME type.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaRTSP authentication credentials are passed in plain text in the URL.

fix

Avoid hardcoding credentials; use environment variables. Consider RTSP over TLS if supported.

affects: >=1.0.0

breakingAPI changed between 0.x and 1.0: addStream signature changed.

fix

Update addStream(id, rtspUrl) call to the new signature (no options object as third argument).

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: FFmpeg not found. Please install FFmpeg and ensure it's in your PATH.

FFmpeg binary is missing or not in system PATH.

fix

Install FFmpeg, e.g., on Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg. On Windows, download and add to PATH.

TypeError: rtsp2web.getStream is not a function

Using CommonJS require with an ESM-only module.

fix

Change require to import: import RTSP2Web from 'node-ffmpeg-stream';

Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 192.168.1.100:554

RTSP server is not reachable or camera is offline.

fix

Check network connectivity and camera status; verify IP and port.

Upgrade

Version history

1.1.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

ffmpegrequiredFFmpeg binary required for transcoding; not an npm dependency but a system-level tool.

Agent activity

12 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/uk2nk/node-ffmpeg-stream ↗

packagenode-ffmpeg-stream ↗

homepagehttps://github.com/uk2nk/node-ffmpeg-stream#readme ↗