Installing FFmpeg on Laravel Cloud

Laravel Cloud is out, and I’ve already been using it for a few projects. Recently, I ran into a limitation: Laravel Cloud doesn’t allow installing persistent dependencies like FFmpeg. While they might offer this feature in the future, for now, we need to get creative.

Using Build Commands to Install FFmpeg

Laravel Cloud provides a Build Commands feature that lets you execute shell scripts during the build process. We’ll leverage this to install FFmpeg every time the app is deployed.

Initial Build Commands

By default, your build commands should look something like this:

Now, let’s modify these steps to install FFmpeg.

Installing FFmpeg

We’ll download and install FFmpeg into the project’s home directory ($HOME/bin) so that it’s available during runtime.

Using the Correct Binaries

Now that FFmpeg is installed, you can use it in your Laravel application. If you’re using the php-ffmpeg/php-ffmpeg package, configure it like this:

Refactoring the Installation Script

While adding the installation steps directly into your build commands works, it’s cleaner and more maintainable to move them into a dedicated script.

Creating a Deployment Script

Let’s create a file at ./deploy/ffmpeg.sh to handle the installation.

Updating Build Commands

Now, update your Laravel Cloud Build Commands to use the script:

Deploying & Verifying

Push your code and trigger a new deployment. If everything works correctly, your build logs should contain something like this:

And that’s it! You now have FFmpeg installed and running on Laravel Cloud. 🎉