How to Get an FFmpeg API Key in 60 Seconds

Originally published at ffmpeg-micro.com

FFmpeg doesn't have an API. It's a command-line tool. If you want to process video from your app, you either shell out to a local FFmpeg binary or call a cloud service that wraps FFmpeg behind a REST API.

FFmpeg Micro is that cloud service. You get an API key, send an HTTP request with your video URL and the operation you want, and get the result back. No FFmpeg installation, no server to manage.

This guide walks through getting your API key and making your first transcode call. The whole thing takes about 60 seconds.

Step 1: Create Your Free Account

Go to ffmpeg-micro.com/auth/signup and sign up with your email or GitHub account. The free tier gives you 100 compute minutes per month, which is enough to process hundreds of short clips.

No credit card required. No trial period. The free tier doesn't expire.

Step 2: Copy Your API Key

After signing in, go to your API keys dashboard. You'll see your default API key. Click the copy button.

Your API key looks like a long random string. Keep it in an environment variable, not hardcoded in your source:

export FFMPEG_MICRO_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

All API requests use Bearer token authentication. Include this header on every call:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Step 3: Make Your First API Call

The main endpoint is POST https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes. Send it a video URL and an output format, and it queues a transcode job.

Here's a working example that converts a public MP4 to WebM:

curl -X POST https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FFMPEG_MICRO_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "inputs": [{ "url": "https://www.ffmpeg-micro.com/samples/quickstart-sample.mp4" }],
    "outputFormat": "webm"
  }'

The response comes back immediately with a job object:

{
  "id": "b5f5a9c0-9e33-4e77-8a5b-6a0c2cd9c0b3",
  "status": "queued",
  "output_format": "webm",
  "billable_minutes": 1,
  "created_at": "2026-06-16T10:00:00.000Z"
}

The job processes asynchronously. Poll the status with a GET request:

curl https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes/YOUR_JOB_ID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FFMPEG_MICRO_API_KEY"

When status changes to completed, the output_url field contains your result. Use the download endpoint to get a signed HTTPS URL you can fetch directly:

curl https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes/YOUR_JOB_ID/download \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FFMPEG_MICRO_API_KEY"

This returns a URL that's valid for 10 minutes.

Beyond Simple Conversions

The preset field handles common operations without you needing to know FFmpeg flags:

curl -X POST https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FFMPEG_MICRO_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "inputs": [{ "url": "https://www.ffmpeg-micro.com/samples/quickstart-sample.mp4" }],
    "outputFormat": "mp4",
    "preset": {
      "quality": "high",
      "resolution": "720p"
    }
  }'

For full control, use the options array to pass raw FFmpeg flags:

curl -X POST https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FFMPEG_MICRO_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "inputs": [{ "url": "https://www.ffmpeg-micro.com/samples/quickstart-sample.mp4" }],
    "outputFormat": "mp4",
    "options": [
      { "option": "-c:v", "argument": "libx265" },
      { "option": "-crf", "argument": "28" },
      { "option": "-preset", "argument": "slow" }
    ]
  }'

This transcodes to H.265 with CRF 28 and slow preset. Same as running ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -crf 28 -preset slow output.mp4 locally, but without managing any infrastructure.

Uploading Your Own Files

For private videos, use the three-step upload flow:

1. Get a presigned URL from POST /v1/upload/presigned-url with your filename, content type, and file size
2. Upload the file directly to the returned URL with an HTTP PUT
3. Confirm the upload via POST /v1/upload/confirm to get a gs:// URL you can use in transcode requests

The presigned URL flow keeps your files off the FFmpeg Micro servers entirely. Your video goes straight to Google Cloud Storage.

What the Free Tier Includes

The free plan gives you 100 compute minutes per month. A "compute minute" is based on your input video duration, not wall-clock processing time. A 30-second video uses 0.5 compute minutes regardless of how long the transcode takes.

100 minutes covers roughly 200 short clips (30s each) or 10 longer videos (10 min each). If you need more, paid plans start at $19/month.

FAQ

Does FFmpeg have a native API?

No. FFmpeg is a command-line tool that runs locally. To call FFmpeg via HTTP, you need a wrapper service. FFmpeg Micro is a cloud API that runs FFmpeg on managed infrastructure and exposes it through REST endpoints.

What formats does the FFmpeg Micro API support?

Output formats include MP4, WebM, and MOV. Input formats include MP4, WebM, AVI, QuickTime, MKV, plus audio formats like MP3, WAV, FLAC, and AAC.

Can I use FFmpeg Micro from no-code tools like Make.com or Zapier?

Yes. Any platform that can make HTTP requests can call the API. FFmpeg Micro has an official Make.com app, and you can use Zapier's webhook action to call the REST API directly.

Is there a rate limit?

The free tier has a quota of 100 compute minutes per month. There's no per-second rate limit on API calls. Paid plans increase the monthly quota.

Do I need to install FFmpeg locally to use the API?

No. That's the whole point. FFmpeg Micro runs FFmpeg in the cloud. You send an HTTP request, it processes your video, you download the result. Zero local dependencies.