How to encode and stream video files with Node.js

media services logo v3

Looking for Media Services v2 documentation?

This quickstart shows you how easy it is to encode and start streaming videos on a wide variety of browsers and devices using Azure Media Services. An input video file can be specified using HTTPS URLs, SAS URLs, or paths to files located in Azure Blob storage.

By the end of this quickstart you will know:

  • How to encode with Node.js
  • How to stream with Node.js
  • How to upload a file from an HTTPS URL with Node.js
  • How to use an HLS or DASH client player with Node.js

The sample in this article encodes content that you make accessible via an HTTPS URL. Note that currently, AMS v3 does not support chunked transfer encoding over HTTPS URLs.

Play the video

If you don't have an Azure subscription, create a free account before you begin.

Prerequisites

Download and configure the sample

Clone a GitHub repository that contains the streaming Node.js sample to your machine using the following command:

git clone https://github.com/Azure-Samples/media-services-v3-node-tutorials.git

The sample is located in the StreamFilesSample folder.

Open index.ts in your downloaded project. Update the sample.env file in the root folder with the values and credentials that you got from accessing APIs. Rename the sample.env file to .env (Yes, just the extension).

The sample performs the following actions:

  1. Creates a Transform with a Content Aware Encoding preset. It first checks if the specified Transform exists.
  2. Creates an output Asset that is used by the encoding Job to contain the output
  3. Optionally uploads a local file using the Storage Blob SDK
  4. Creates the Job input that is based on an HTTPS URL or uploaded file
  5. Submits the encoding Job, using the input and output that was created earlier
  6. Checks the Job's status
  7. Downloads the output of the encoding job to a local folder
  8. Creates a Streaming Locator to use in the player
  9. Builds streaming URLs for HLS and DASH
  10. Plays the content back in a player application - Azure Media Player

Run the sample

  1. The application downloads encoded files. Create a folder where you want the output files to go and update the value of the outputFolder variable in the index.ts file. It is set to "Temp" by default.

  2. Open a command prompt, browse to the sample's directory.

  3. Change directory into the AMSv3Samples folder.

    cd AMSv3Samples

  4. Install the packages used in the packages.json file.

    npm install

  5. Change directory to the StreamFilesSample folder.

    cd StreamFilesSample

  6. Launch Visual Studio Code from the AMSv3Samples Folder. (This is required to launch from the folder where the .vscode folder and tsconfig.json files are located.)

    cd ..
code .

Open the folder for StreamFilesSample, and open the index.ts file in the Visual Studio Code editor. While in the index.ts file, press F5 to launch the debugger.

Test with Azure Media Player

Use Azure Media Player to test the stream. You can also use any HLS or DASH compliant player, like Shaka player, HLS.js, Dash.js, or others.

You should be able to click on the link generated in the sample and launch the AMP player with the DASH manifest already loaded.

Note

If a player is hosted on an https site, make sure to update the URL to "https".

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://aka.ms/azuremediaplayer/.
  2. In the URL: box, paste one of the streaming URL values you got when you ran the application.You can paste the URL in HLS, Dash, or Smooth format and Azure Media Player will switch to an appropriate streaming protocol for playback on your device automatically.
  3. Press Update Player.

Azure Media Player can be used for testing but should not be used in a production environment.

Clean up resources

If you no longer need any of the resources in your resource group, including the Media Services and storage accounts you created for this tutorial, delete the resource group.

Execute the following CLI command:

az group delete --name amsResourceGroup

More developer documentation for Node.js on Azure

See also

Next steps

Media Services concepts