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Dockerizing a Remotion app

We recommend the following structure for your Dockerfile. Read below about the individual steps and whether you need to adjust them.

Dockerfile
docker
FROM debian:bookworm
RUN apt-get update
RUN apt-get install -y nodejs npm chromium
# Copy everything from your project to the Docker image. Adjust if needed.
COPY package.json package*.json yarn.lock* pnpm-lock.yaml* tsconfig.json* remotion.config.* ./
COPY src ./src
# If you have a public folder:
COPY public ./public
# Install the right package manager and dependencies - see below for Yarn/PNPM
RUN npm i
# Run your application
COPY render.mjs render.mjs
CMD ["node", "render.mjs"]
Dockerfile
docker
FROM debian:bookworm
RUN apt-get update
RUN apt-get install -y nodejs npm chromium
# Copy everything from your project to the Docker image. Adjust if needed.
COPY package.json package*.json yarn.lock* pnpm-lock.yaml* tsconfig.json* remotion.config.* ./
COPY src ./src
# If you have a public folder:
COPY public ./public
# Install the right package manager and dependencies - see below for Yarn/PNPM
RUN npm i
# Run your application
COPY render.mjs render.mjs
CMD ["node", "render.mjs"]
note

Click here to see an example for a render.mjs script you can use.

note

This Dockerfile is unable to render WebGL content. Suggestions on how to improve the Dockerfile to support it are welcomed.

Line-by-line​

1
Specify the base image for the Dockerfile. In this case, we use Debian.

docker
FROM debian:bookworm
docker
FROM debian:bookworm

2
Update the package lists on the Debian system.

docker
RUN apt-get update
docker
RUN apt-get update

3
Download Remotion's dependencies: Node.JS (with NPM) and Chromium.

docker
RUN apt-get install -y nodejs npm chromium
docker
RUN apt-get install -y nodejs npm chromium

4
Copy the files from your project. If you have additional source files, add them here. If some files do not exist, remove them. The COPY syntax allows multiple files, but at least one file must exist. It is assumed package.json, src and public exist in your project, but you can adjust this to your needs.

docker
COPY package.json package*.json yarn.lock* pnpm-lock.yaml* tsconfig.json* remotion.config.* ./
COPY src ./src
COPY public ./public
docker
COPY package.json package*.json yarn.lock* pnpm-lock.yaml* tsconfig.json* remotion.config.* ./
COPY src ./src
COPY public ./public

5
Install the right package manager and dependencies.

  • If you use NPM, put the following in your Dockerfile:

    docker
    RUN npm i
    docker
    RUN npm i

  • If you use Yarn or PNPM, add the packageManager field to your package.json (example: "packageManager": "pnpm@7.7.1") and remove the npm line from step 3. Then put following in your Dockerfile:

    If you use PNPM
    docker
    RUN corepack enable
    RUN pnpm i
    If you use PNPM
    docker
    RUN corepack enable
    RUN pnpm i
    If you use Yarn
    docker
    RUN corepack enable
    RUN yarn
    If you use Yarn
    docker
    RUN corepack enable
    RUN yarn

6
Run your code. It can be a CLI command or a Node.JS app.

docker
COPY render.mjs render.mjs
CMD ["node", "render.mjs"]
docker
COPY render.mjs render.mjs
CMD ["node", "render.mjs"]

Example render script​

Assuming you want to render the composition MyComp:

render.mjs
tsx
import { bundle } from "@remotion/bundler";
import { renderMedia, selectComposition } from "@remotion/renderer";
import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 
const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
 
const bundled = await bundle({
  entryPoint: require.resolve("./src/index.ts"),
  // If you have a Webpack override, make sure to import it here
  webpackOverride: (config) => config,
});
 
const composition = await selectComposition({
  serveUrl: bundled,
  id: "MyComp",
});
 
console.log("Starting to render composition");
 
await renderMedia({
  codec: "h264",
  composition,
  serveUrl: bundled,
  outputLocation: `out/${composition.id}.mp4`,
});
 
console.log(`Rendered composition ${composition.id}.`);
render.mjs
tsx
import { bundle } from "@remotion/bundler";
import { renderMedia, selectComposition } from "@remotion/renderer";
import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 
const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
 
const bundled = await bundle({
  entryPoint: require.resolve("./src/index.ts"),
  // If you have a Webpack override, make sure to import it here
  webpackOverride: (config) => config,
});
 
const composition = await selectComposition({
  serveUrl: bundled,
  id: "MyComp",
});
 
console.log("Starting to render composition");
 
await renderMedia({
  codec: "h264",
  composition,
  serveUrl: bundled,
  outputLocation: `out/${composition.id}.mp4`,
});
 
console.log(`Rendered composition ${composition.id}.`);

Building the Docker image​

Run

sh
docker build -t remotion-app .
sh
docker build -t remotion-app .

to build a Docker image called remotion-app.
Use the following command to run the image:

sh
docker run remotion-app
sh
docker run remotion-app

Emojis​

No emojis are installed by default. If you want to use emojis, install an emoji font:

docker
RUN apt-get install fonts-noto-color-emoji
docker
RUN apt-get install fonts-noto-color-emoji

Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc.​

Those fonts may have limited Character support enabled by default. If you need full support, install the following fonts:

docker
RUN apt-get install fonts-noto-cjk
docker
RUN apt-get install fonts-noto-cjk

Why are the packages not pinned?​

In Debian (and also Alpine), old packages are removed from the repositories once new versions are released. This means that pinning the versions will actually cause the Dockerfiles to break in the future. We choose Debian as the distribution because the packages get well tested before they get released into the repository.

Notes for older versions​

  • If you are on a lower version than v4.0.0, add ffmpeg to the list of packages to install:

    docker
    RUN apt-get install -y nodejs ffmpeg npm chromium
    docker
    RUN apt-get install -y nodejs ffmpeg npm chromium

  • If you are on Remotion v3.3.80 or lower, tell Remotion where Chrome is installed:

    docker
    ENV PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATH=/usr/bin/chromium
    docker
    ENV PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATH=/usr/bin/chromium

Recommendation: Don't use Alpine Linux​

Alpine Linux is a lightweight distribution often used in Docker. There are two known issues with it when used in conjunction with Remotion:

  • The launch of the Rust parts of Remotion may be very slow (>10sec slowdown per render)
  • If a new version of Chrome gets released in the registry, you might be unable to downgrade because old versions are not kept and breaking changes can not be ruled out.

Changelog​

May 30th, 2023: Update document for Remotion 4.0.

April 15th, 2023: Unpinning the versions in Debian since it would cause breakage.

April 3rd, 2023: Changed the Alpine Docker image to a Debian one, since the versions of Alpine packages cannot be pinned. This makes the Debian one less likely to break.