Why can't I just bundle ffmpeg into a Netlify Function?

Netlify Functions run on AWS Lambda, which caps deploys at roughly 50MB zipped and 250MB unzipped. A full ffmpeg binary plus its codecs doesn't fit, so the deploy fails or the binary never ships. Fotovid moves the work to an API call, so nothing about ffmpeg lives in your bundle.

What about the function timeout?

Netlify Functions default to a 10s timeout, and even background functions only stretch to 26s — usually too short for a real transcode. Because Fotovid processes the media on its own infrastructure, your function only needs to make and await one HTTPS request, not run ffmpeg to completion.

What do I get back from the API?

A flat JSON response: id, type, url, and expires_at (plus duration on some operations). The url is a Fotovid-hosted link to the finished file. Treat it as temporary and store your own copy rather than relying on a specific lifetime.

What operations are available besides watermarking?

Alongside POST /v1/video/watermark, Fotovid exposes trim, extract-audio, extract-cover, and probe for video, plus image watermark and audio trim. Each uses the same source_url + params envelope, so the calling pattern from your Netlify Function is identical.

How does pricing work?

Usage credits: $1 = 100 credits, and most operations cost 1 credit. You start with a free key, so you can wire it into your Netlify Function and confirm it works before spending anything.

Is Fotovid a full video platform like Cloudinary?

No — it's intentionally unbundled. Fotovid is a developer-first, pay-per-op ffmpeg microservice for serverless, not a media management suite. You call the specific operation you need and get a hosted result URL, without adopting a whole platform.

ffmpeg on Netlify Functions

ffmpeg on Netlify Functions: too big to bundle, hosted for you instead.

Netlify Functions run on AWS Lambda, so ffmpeg blows the bundle limit and the default timeout. Hand the job to Fotovid: one request out, a ready result URL back — well under any timeout.

Get your API key — free Read the docs →

// netlify/functions/watermark.mts
export default async (req: Request) => {
  const { videoUrl, logoUrl } = await req.json();

  const res = await fetch("https://api.fotovid.co/v1/video/watermark", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${Netlify.env.get("FOTOVID_API_KEY")}`,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      source_url: videoUrl,
      params: { type: "image", watermark_image_url: logoUrl, position: "bottom-right" },
    }),
  });

  const { url } = await res.json();
  return Response.json({ url });
};

Why ffmpeg on Netlify keeps failing

Netlify Functions execute on AWS Lambda, and that's exactly where ffmpeg runs into walls. A static ffmpeg binary is far too big for the ~50MB zipped / 250MB unzipped bundle limit, so the deploy either fails or the binary silently doesn't ship. Even when you squeeze it in, the default 10s function timeout kills any real transcode — background functions buy you 26s, which still isn't enough for most video work. It's the classic 'works on my laptop, times out in prod' trap.

ffmpeg binary + libs exceed the Lambda 250MB unzipped bundle limit
10s default timeout (26s background) kills real transcodes mid-run
Cold starts and layer wrangling add latency and packaging pain
Local success doesn't reproduce in the deployed function

Ways teams try to run ffmpeg on Netlify

Before Fotovid these were the options — each one is work you'd rather not own.

Option	What it costs you	Verdict
Bundle ffmpeg into your Netlify function	Exceeds the 250MB bundle and hits the 10s function timeout
Self-host a container or VM	Always-on cost plus patching, scaling, and monitoring
Run a job queue + worker	New infra: a queue, workers, retries, dead-letter handling
Transcode in the browser (WASM)	Slow, memory-hungry, and crashes on mobile
Call the Fotovid API	One HTTPS request; nothing to run, package, or scale

How it works

Your first call in three steps

1
Grab a free API key
Sign up and create a key. You authenticate with an Authorization: Bearer p6_<key_id>:<secret> header — no binaries, no Lambda layers, nothing to bundle into your Netlify Function.
2
POST your video to the watermark endpoint
From inside your Netlify Function, call POST /v1/video/watermark on https://api.fotovid.co. Send the standard envelope: a source_url pointing to your input video plus a params object — set type to image, text, or combo, then pick a position like bottom-right, plus opacity, scale, and padding. Fotovid does the ffmpeg work off-platform, so your function just makes one fast HTTPS request instead of shelling out to a binary it can't ship.
3
Use the hosted result URL
The response is flat JSON with an id, type, url, and expires_at. The url points to the finished, Fotovid-hosted video. Return it to your client or store your own copy — since results are hosted temporarily, download and re-persist it wherever you keep assets.

Frequently asked questions

Keep exploring

Serverless ffmpeg — all guides Run ffmpeg on Supabase Run ffmpeg on Cloudflare Workers Extract audio API Trim audio API Docs

Ship it with one API call

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