FFmpeg API Cloud LogoFFmpeg API Cloud

ffprobe metadata

Inspect media metadata with FFprobe

If you need to inspect media metadata before running transforms, FFprobe gives you codec, stream, duration, and container details without re-encoding the file. This page shows the practical FFprobe command, the matching FFmpeg API request, and an online tool you can test in the browser.

See FFmpeg CLISee API ExampleTry Tool Now

FFmpeg CLI

How to inspect media metadata with FFprobe

A common FFprobe workflow outputs JSON, hides noisy logs, and returns both container-level metadata and per-stream details for the source file.

FFprobe metadata command

Click any part of the command to see what it does.

FFprobe metadata command

ffprobe

This runs FFprobe instead of FFmpeg. FFprobe inspects media and returns metadata rather than producing a transformed output file.

API

Use the same media inspection workflow through the FFmpeg API

If your product needs to inspect media before deciding on a transform, the FFmpeg API gives you a faster path than maintaining your own FFprobe service. You can send one args-based inspection request and reuse the same JSON-oriented workflow in production.

Read API docs

Request

curl -X POST https://ffmpeg-api.cloud/v1/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "ffmpegArgs": [
    "-v",
    "quiet",
    "-print_format",
    "json",
    "-show_format",
    "-show_streams",
    "{{input}}"
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "input": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://example.com/input.mp4"
    }
  },
  "binary": "ffprobe"
}'

Response

{
  "jobId": "job_01hxyz...",
  "status": "queued",
  "runtimeSeconds": 0,
  "creditsCharged": 0,
  "createdAt": "2026-04-14T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Online tool

Try this FFprobe metadata tool through the FFmpeg API

Upload a source file or use a public URL, run the metadata inspection in the browser, and inspect the same args-based request before wiring it into your own app or backend.

Live playground

Inspect media metadata with FFprobe

Inspect streams, codecs, duration, and container details with an args-based FFprobe request.

Upload a file to generate a temporary source URL

Source URLs are valid for 1 hour. Max file size: 2GB.

Generated FFmpeg API request

This request is initialized from the current template, and you can edit it before running.

Use public URLs for inputs directly in this request. If you upload files above, copy the generated source URL into the request. In ffmpegArgs, each {} placeholder should match a key in inputs or outputs. For example, {} should match inputs.input, {} should match inputs.video, and {} should match outputs.output.

Use cases

Common ways to use FFprobe metadata inspection

Metadata inspection is useful when you need to understand a media asset before deciding how to process or route it.

Validate uploads before processing

Check duration, streams, codecs, and dimensions before you spend compute on resize, trim, or compression jobs.

Route media through the right workflow

Use codec and stream metadata to decide whether a file should be transcoded, rejected, or passed through a different pipeline.

Surface media details in product tooling

Expose stream and format information in dashboards, admin tools, or internal review flows without manually running FFprobe on your own servers.

FAQ

FFprobe metadata FAQ

Common questions about FFprobe metadata inspection, JSON output, and moving the same workflow into the FFmpeg API.

Related templates

Other FFmpeg templates

Explore other FFmpeg templates for thumbnails, compression, audio extraction, and more.

Extract audio from video

Inspect stream metadata first when you need to choose the right audio workflow.

Compress video with FFmpeg

Use metadata inspection to decide which files should be transcoded or resized.

Generate thumbnails from video

Check duration and stream details before generating image previews.