portable-ffmpeg 0.2.0

Downloads static ffmpeg builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Portable FFmpeg

Downloads static ffmpeg builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

• Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Supports x86_64 architecture on all platforms, ARM64 on macOS and Linux
• Automatic platform detection and binary caching

Usage

Python API

from portable_ffmpeg import get_ffmpeg
ffmpeg_path, ffprobe_path = get_ffmpeg()
print(ffmpeg_path)  # Path to ffmpeg executable

Command Line Interface

After installation, you can use static_ffmpeg and static_ffprobe directly from the command line:

# Use static ffmpeg
static_ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.mp3

# Use static ffprobe
static_ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_format input.mp4

# Print paths to the binaries
print_paths

The CLI commands automatically download and cache the appropriate static binaries for your platform.

PATH Management

You can also programmatically manage your PATH:

from portable_ffmpeg import add_to_path, remove_from_path

# Add FFmpeg binaries to PATH
add_to_path()

# Add only if FFmpeg is not already available (weak mode)
add_to_path(weak=True)

# Remove from PATH
remove_from_path()

Sources of Static Builds

This package downloads static FFmpeg binaries from the following trusted sources:

Windows (x86_64) and Linux (x86_64 and arm64)

• Source: BtbN FFmpeg Builds
• Description: GitHub Actions-built GPL static binaries with daily automated releases, supporting tagged version builds (8.0, 7.1)
• Versions: LATEST (master), V8 (8.0), V7 (7.1)
• Legacy V5/V6 (Linux only): Older builds are sourced from John Van Sickle

macOS

Intel (x86_64)

• Source: OSXExperts.net
• URLs:
  • FFmpeg: https://www.osxexperts.net/ffmpeg80intel.zip
  • FFprobe: https://www.osxexperts.net/ffprobe80intel.zip
• Description: Static FFmpeg 8.0 binaries for macOS Intel processors

Apple Silicon (arm64)

• Source: OSXExperts.net
• URLs:
  • FFmpeg: https://www.osxexperts.net/ffmpeg80arm.zip
  • FFprobe: https://www.osxexperts.net/ffprobe80arm.zip
• Description: Static FFmpeg 8.0 binaries optimized for Apple Silicon processors

Alternative Sources

The following sources provide FFmpeg static builds but are not currently used by this package:

• CODEX FFMPEG @ gyan.dev

  • Platforms: Windows only
  • Architectures: x86_64
  • Description: Official Windows builds with essentials and full variants

• FFmpeg Martin Riedl

  • Platforms: macOS, Linux
  • Architectures: x86_64, ARM64
  • Description: Regularly updated static builds with comprehensive codec support

• EverMeet FFmpeg

  • Platforms: macOS only
  • Architectures: x86_64
  • Description: Long-standing macOS static builds provider

• FreeBSD FFmpeg Static

  • Platforms: FreeBSD only
  • Architectures: Various
  • Description: Static builds specifically for FreeBSD systems

• John Van Sickle

  • Platforms: Linux
  • Architectures: x86_64, ARM64, i686, armhf, armel
  • Description: Static Linux builds (used for legacy V5/V6 version support)

Caching

Downloaded binaries are cached in the package's binaries/ directory to avoid re-downloading. Each virtual environment gets its own copy of the binaries.

The cache is organized by platform and architecture (e.g., linux-amd64, windows-amd64, osx-arm64).

Cache Management

from portable_ffmpeg import clear_cache

# Clear all cached binaries
clear_cache()

Or use the command line:

clear_cache