FFmpeg is a powerful, open-source multimedia framework that can be used for a wide range of tasks, such as video and audio encoding, decoding, transcoding, muxing, demuxing, filtering, and streaming. It is highly flexible, supports a wide variety of formats, and is available on various platforms, including macOS.
FFmpeg macOS Binary: No Support for RTMPS
By default, the FFmpeg binary available for macOS does not support RTMPS (Real-Time Messaging Protocol Secure Socket Layer) streaming. RTMPS is a secure protocol used for streaming video and audio over the internet. It encrypts the data sent between the client and server, ensuring that the content is protected during transmission.
The lack of support for RTMPS in the macOS FFmpeg binary can be a significant issue for those who need to stream content securely. However, there is a solution: building a custom FFmpeg binary that is statically linked with OpenSSL, which provides RTMPS support.
Building a Custom FFmpeg Binary for macOS
Building a custom FFmpeg binary for macOS involves several steps, including downloading and compiling the FFmpeg source code, configuring the build options to include RTMPS support, and installing the required dependencies.
Step 1: Download the FFmpeg Source Code
The first step is to download the FFmpeg source code from the official website (https://ffmpeg.org/download.html). At the time of writing, the latest version is 4.4.1. Choose the “Source Code” link, and download the “FFmpeg-4.4.1.tar.bz2” file.
Step 2: Install Required Dependencies
Before building FFmpeg, it is necessary to install several required dependencies, including:
- Xcode command line tools
- Yasm (aassembler for x86 and x86_64)
- OpenSSL (for RTMPS support)
You can install Xcode command line tools and Yasm using Homebrew (https://brew.sh/) by running the following commands:
$ brew install yasm
To install OpenSSL using Homebrew, run:
$ brew install openssl
Note: It is essential to install OpenSSL version 1.1.1 or later, as earlier versions may have security vulnerabilities.
Step 3: Configure the FFmpeg Build
After extracting the FFmpeg source code, navigate to the extracted directory using the terminal, and run the following command to configure the build options:
$ ./configure \
--prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/ffmpeg/4.4.1 \
--enable-shared \
--enable-static \
--extra-version=custom \
--enable-libxml2 \
--enable-gpl \
--enable-nonfree \
--enable-version3 \
--enable-avresample \
--cc=clang \
--host-cflags="-I/usr/local/opt/openssl/include" \
--host-ldflags="-L/usr/local/opt/openssl/lib" \
--enable-openssl \
--enable-libmp3lame \
--enable-libopus \
--enable-libvorbis \
--enable-libvpx \
--enable-libx264 \
--enable-libx265 \
--enable-pic \
--enable-libfontconfig \
--enable-libfreetype \
--enable-libass \
--enable-libbluray \
--enable-libsnappy \
--enable-zlib \
--enable-librtmp \
--enable-libsrt \
--enable-ffplay \
--enable-ffprobe \
--enable-sdl2 \
--extra-libs="-L/usr/local/opt/openssl/lib"
This command configures FFmpeg with static linking, RTMPS, and various other libraries, such as MP3 LAME, Opus, Vorbis, VP9, and HEVC.
Step 4: Compile and Install FFmpeg
After configuring the FFmpeg build, compile using the following command:
$ make
Finally, install FFmpeg on the system using:
$ sudo make install
This will install the custom FFmpeg binary to the /usr/local/Cellar/ffmpeg/4.4.1 directory.
- The default FFmpeg binary for macOS does not support RTMPS streaming.
- Building a custom FFmpeg binary for macOS is necessary to add RTMPS support.
- To build FFmpeg, download the source code, install required dependencies (Xcode command line tools, Yasm, OpenSSL), configure the build options with RTMPS support, compile, and install.
- Use the new custom FFmpeg binary to stream content securely over RTMPS.
References
- FFmpeg Download
- < ```css a href="https://brew.sh/">Homebrew
- OpenSSL Source Code
- FFmpeg Documentation
- FFmpeg Compilation Guide for MacOSX ```