n8n-nodes-ffmpeg-wasm

Process video and audio files in n8n workflows using FFmpeg.wasm - No native binary required, pure JavaScript/WebAssembly implementation.

Features

• No FFmpeg binary installation required
• Pure JavaScript/WebAssembly - Runs entirely in Node.js
• 21 operations covering video, audio, and format processing
• Works in Docker - No volume mounts or binary installation needed
• Memory efficient - Virtual filesystem with automatic cleanup
• Custom FFmpeg WASM URLs via optional credentials

Installation

cd ~/.n8n/custom
npm install n8n-nodes-ffmpeg-wasm

Restart n8n and the node will be available in the node panel.

Note: This node requires n8n version 1.0 or higher.

Operations

Video

Operation	Description
Convert	Convert media between formats with optional codec/quality control
Resize	Scale video to custom dimensions with aspect ratio preservation
Thumbnail	Extract a frame at a specific timestamp as JPG
Trim/Cut	Extract a segment by start/end time or duration
Merge Videos	Concatenate multiple videos into one
Video Filters	Apply brightness, contrast, saturation, blur, grayscale, sepia
Speed Adjustment	Change playback speed (0.25x to 4x) with audio sync
Rotate/Flip	Rotate 90/180/270 degrees, flip horizontal/vertical
Video Overlay	Watermark or picture-in-picture with opacity and positioning
Subtitle Burn-in	Burn SRT/ASS/VTT subtitles into video
GIF/WebP Animation	Create animated GIF or WebP with palette optimization
Image Sequence	Export video frames as individual images
Social Media Preset	One-click optimization for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter

Audio

Operation	Description
Extract Audio	Extract audio track with quality selection
Audio Mix	Mix multiple audio tracks into one
Audio Filters	Volume, bass, treble, high/low pass filters
Audio Normalize	Normalize loudness to LUFS standard

Utility

Operation	Description
Media Info	Extract metadata (duration, resolution, codec, bitrate) as JSON
Remux (Fast Convert)	Change container format without re-encoding (near-instant)
Compress to Size	Compress video to a target file size in MB
Custom	Run any FFmpeg command with full argument control

Usage Examples

Convert with Codec Selection

1. Add the FFmpeg.wasm node
2. Select operation: Convert
3. Set output format (e.g., webm)
4. Optionally set Video Codec (H.264, H.265, VP9) and Quality (CRF)

Social Media Optimization

1. Select operation: Social Media Preset
2. Pick a platform: YouTube 1080p, Instagram Reels, TikTok, Twitter, etc.
3. The video will be scaled, padded, and encoded to match platform requirements

Extract Media Info

1. Select operation: Media Info
2. The node outputs JSON with duration, resolution, codec, bitrate, and format info
3. No binary output - useful for routing decisions in workflows

Create GIF from Video

1. Select operation: GIF/WebP Animation
2. Set start time, duration, frame rate, and width
3. Choose palette size and dithering for quality control

Compress to Target Size

1. Select operation: Compress to Size
2. Set target size in MB (e.g., 25 for email attachments)
3. Audio bitrate is configurable (default 128k)

Configuration

Optional Credentials (FFmpeg.wasm API)

Configure custom URLs for the FFmpeg WASM core, binary, and worker files. Useful for self-hosting the WASM assets or pinning to a specific version. Leave empty to use defaults.

Input/Output Binary Properties

The node reads from and writes to n8n binary properties. Common input sources:

• HTTP Request node (downloaded file)
• Read Binary Files node (local file)
• Google Drive / AWS S3 nodes

Output can be passed to Write Binary File, uploaded to cloud storage, or processed by another node.

Docker Usage

This node works in Docker without modifications:

version: '3.8'
services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    volumes:
      - ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n

No need to install FFmpeg in the container.

Performance Considerations

Memory Usage

• FFmpeg.wasm uses WebAssembly memory
• Large files (>500MB) may cause memory issues
• Process files in batches if possible

Processing Speed

• Single-threaded (WebAssembly limitation)
• Slower than native FFmpeg
• Suitable for small to medium files
• Use Remux for near-instant container format changes

Best Practices

1. Keep files under 500MB
2. Process at lower resolutions when possible
3. Use efficient formats (MP4/H.264, WebM/VP9)
4. Trim long videos before processing
5. Set appropriate timeouts via Additional Options

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm

Setup

git clone https://github.com/Prakashmaheshwaran/n8n-nodes-ffmpeg-wasm.git
cd n8n-nodes-ffmpeg-wasm
npm install
npm run build
npm run dev    # watch mode
npm test       # run tests
npm run lint   # lint code
npm run format # format code

Project Structure

n8n-nodes-ffmpeg-wasm/
├── credentials/
│   └── FFmpegWasmApi.credentials.ts
├── nodes/
│   ├── FFmpegWasm/
│   │   ├── FFmpegWasm.node.ts
│   │   ├── helpers.ts
│   │   ├── ffmpeg.svg
│   │   └── __tests__/
│   │       └── helpers.test.ts
│   └── index.ts
├── dist/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── jest.config.js
└── README.md

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"FFmpeg is not loaded" error

• The WASM loads automatically on first use. Wait for initialization.

"Out of memory" error

• File is too large. Increase Node.js memory: node --max-old-space-size=4096
• Process smaller files or lower resolution.

"Unsupported format" error

• Check input file format. Some formats may not be supported by FFmpeg.wasm.

Slow performance

• Expected with WASM. Use Remux for format changes without re-encoding.
• Consider native FFmpeg for batch processing of large files.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Reporting Issues

Please include: n8n version, Node version, file format/size, error message, and steps to reproduce.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file

Acknowledgments

• FFmpeg.wasm - WebAssembly port of FFmpeg
• n8n - Workflow automation platform

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

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Made for the n8n community