Updated: 29 September 2026 · Applies to: cPanel & WHM 138 on AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 9 and 10 (also with CloudLinux) and on Ubuntu 24.04
FFmpeg converts and processes audio and video. Web applications such as video platforms, podcast tools and media galleries call the ffmpeg command on the server. cPanel does not include it, but it installs like any other system package and is not affected by cPanel updates. Older guides for CentOS 7 used the Nux Dextop repository, which no longer exists; do not use it. This is the short version; for all options (including builds without patent-restricted codecs and static builds), see how to install FFmpeg on a cPanel server.
AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 9 and 10
Run these as root over SSH (or in WHM's Terminal). The full FFmpeg build comes from RPM Fusion, which needs EPEL and the CRB repository:
dnf install epel-release dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb dnf install --nogpgcheck https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/el/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %rhel).noarch.rpm dnf install ffmpeg ffmpeg -version
When we checked, RPM Fusion had FFmpeg 5.1 for version 9 and FFmpeg 7.1 for version 10. On CloudLinux, the CRB repository may have a different name; see CloudLinux's documentation.
Ubuntu 24.04
apt install ffmpeg
CloudLinux with CageFS
Users in CageFS see only the programs copied into their cage. After installing FFmpeg, run cagefsctl --force-update so their PHP scripts and cron jobs can use it.
Using FFmpeg from PHP
There is no separate PHP extension to install: applications run the ffmpeg command through PHP functions such as exec(). If these are in disable_functions for the account's PHP version (WHM > MultiPHP INI Editor), allow them only for the accounts that need them, and enter the full path /usr/bin/ffmpeg in the application's settings.
Test a conversion
ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4
Video conversion uses a lot of CPU. On a busy shared server, limit how many conversions run at the same time in the application's settings.
Official documentation: FFmpeg downloads and RPM Fusion configuration.
