Deploy and Host FFmpeg REST API on Railway

A REST API that wraps FFmpeg for media processing operations. Convert videos to MP4, extract audio tracks, extract frames, convert audio to MP3/WAV, convert images to JPG, and probe media metadata. Built with Node.js, Hono, and BullMQ for reliable async job processing.

About Hosting FFmpeg REST API

Hosting FFmpeg REST API requires a Node.js environment with FFmpeg binaries and Redis for job queue management. The API processes media files asynchronously using BullMQ workers and supports two storage modes: Stateless Mode (default) and S3 Mode.

Stateless Mode (Default)

Files are processed and returned directly in the HTTP response. Simple and straightforward for immediate consumption.

Cost Consideration: On Railway, stateless mode is cheaper than running S3 Mode unless you have free egress at your S3-storage provider (like Cloudflare R2). Railway charges $0.05/GB egress vs S3's typical $0.09/GB, but you trade off file persistence - processed files aren't stored for later retrieval.

S3 Mode

Processed files are uploaded to S3-compatible storage and a URL is returned. This mode significantly reduces egress bandwidth costs since users download the processed files directly from S3 rather than through your API server. Ideal for production deployments where bandwidth costs matter.

Why Cloudflare R2? R2 is S3-compatible and offers no egress fees, which dramatically lowers costs when serving processed media from your bucket via Cloudflare's global network. While any S3-compatible storage works, R2 is the only major provider with zero egress charges - making it the optimal choice for media delivery.

Configure S3 mode by setting STORAGE_MODE=s3 and providing S3 credentials in your environment variables (see Environment Configuration below).

The API is production-ready with OpenAPI documentation, type-safe validation, and configurable concurrency for optimal resource utilization.

Common Use Cases

• Video conversion and transcoding (any format to MP4)
• Audio extraction from video files (mono/stereo tracks)
• Frame extraction for thumbnail generation or video previews
• Audio format conversion (any format to MP3 or WAV)
• Image format conversion and optimization
• Media metadata analysis and inspection
• Batch media processing workflows
• Automated video processing pipelines

Dependencies for FFmpeg REST API Hosting

• Node.js 20+
• FFmpeg (installed and available in PATH)
• Redis (for BullMQ job queue)
• S3-compatible storage (optional, for production deployments)

Deployment Dependencies

• FFmpeg Download - Media processing engine
• Redis Documentation - Job queue backend
• Node.js - JavaScript runtime
• Railway Redis Plugin - Managed Redis instance
• BullMQ Documentation - Background job processing

Implementation Details

Environment Configuration:

# Required for all deployments
PORT=3000
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
WORKER_CONCURRENCY=5

# Storage mode ("stateless" or "s3")
STORAGE_MODE=stateless

# S3-compatible storage configuration (required when STORAGE_MODE=s3)
S3_ENDPOINT=https://.r2.cloudflarestorage.com
S3_REGION=auto
S3_BUCKET=ffmpeg-rest
S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=
S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=

# Public base URL for serving files (e.g., via Cloudflare CDN / custom domain)
S3_PUBLIC_URL=https://media.yourdomain.com

# Optional prefix for organizing objects in the bucket
S3_PATH_PREFIX=ffmpeg-rest

Why Deploy FFmpeg REST API on Railway?

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying FFmpeg REST API on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway.