@dfloresc/ffmpeg-macos-lgpl

FFmpeg 9.0.1 for macOS 12.0 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel, lgpl variant (LGPL-2.1-or-later): ffmpeg, ffprobe and the shared FFmpeg libraries, built by GitHub Actions from official, checksum-pinned sources in ffmpeg-macos-builds.

npm install @dfloresc/[email protected]

const ffmpeg = require("@dfloresc/ffmpeg-macos-lgpl");
const { execFileSync } = require("node:child_process");

execFileSync(ffmpeg.ffmpegPath, ["-version"], { stdio: "inherit" });
ffmpeg.forArch("x64").ffmpegPath; // the Intel build, for example to package an app for Intel

This package installs @dfloresc/ffmpeg-macos-lgpl-arm64 and @dfloresc/ffmpeg-macos-lgpl-x64 as optional dependencies, which npm skips on other systems. The top-level paths (ffmpegPath, ffprobePath, binDir, libDir, packageDir) belong to the Mac the code runs on.

Pin the exact version. npm treats 9.0.1-1 as a prerelease version, so a ^ range does not pick up later FFmpeg versions.

gpl or lgpl?

• @dfloresc/ffmpeg-macos-gpl includes x264 and x265, the H.264 and HEVC software encoders. The binaries are GPL-2.0-or-later.
• @dfloresc/ffmpeg-macos-lgpl has no GPL code and encodes H.264 and HEVC with VideoToolbox. The binaries are LGPL-2.1-or-later: the choice for closed-source software and the Mac App Store.

Electron

Programs cannot run from inside app.asar. With electron-builder, keep this package in devDependencies and copy the architecture being built into the app's resources:

{
  "devDependencies": {
    "@dfloresc/ffmpeg-macos-lgpl": "9.0.1-1"
  },
  "build": {
    "extraResources": [
      {
        "from": "node_modules/@dfloresc/ffmpeg-macos-lgpl-${arch}",
        "to": "ffmpeg",
        "filter": ["bin/**", "lib/**", "LICENSES/**", "BUILDINFO.txt"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

The packaged app then runs path.join(process.resourcesPath, "ffmpeg", "bin", "ffmpeg").

Licenses and sources

Each architecture's package has LICENSES/ with the license of every component and BUILDINFO.txt with the exact sources, configure line and toolchain. The v9.0.1-1 release has the corresponding source code. When you redistribute the binaries, include LICENSES/ and point to those sources. Not legal advice: H.264 and HEVC may also be covered by patents in some countries.

The packages are published from GitHub Actions with npm provenance; npm audit signatures verifies them.