A robust and reliable Node.js tool for recording BigBlueButton meeting playback sessions. This tool automatically captures both video and audio from BigBlueButton recordings and exports them into high-quality MP4 files, perfect for archiving or sharing.

• Reliable Export: Handles long recordings (2GB+) export without memory issues or timeouts
• High Quality: Produces high-quality MP4 files with H.264 video and AAC audio
• Resource Efficient: Progressive saving and smart memory management
• User-Friendly: Simple setup and automatic operation
• Cross-Platform: Works on any system that supports Node.js

• Advanced Export Engine:

  • Single-file WebM recording with progressive saving
  • Efficient chunk management for large recordings
  • Real-time progress tracking and status updates
  • Automatic video playback detection

• Professional Media Processing:

  • High-quality H.264/AAC encoding
  • Optimized FFmpeg settings for best quality
  • Fast start optimization for streaming
  • Proper audio/video synchronization

• Robust Error Handling:

  • Comprehensive error detection and recovery
  • Automatic cleanup of temporary files
  • Detailed logging for troubleshooting
  • Graceful process termination

• Resource Management:

  • Efficient memory usage with streaming writes
  • Proper file handle management
  • Automatic resource cleanup
  • Process timeout protection

• Node.js 14.x or higher
• FFmpeg installed and available in PATH
• Chrome or Chromium browser

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ndaboom/bigbluebutton-presentation-recorder.git
   cd bigbluebutton-presentation-recorder

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

1. Install dependencies if you have not already:

   npm install

2. Start the Next.js development server:

   npm run dev

3. Open your browser to the URL shown in the terminal (default http://localhost:3000), paste a BigBlueButton recording link, and follow progress directly in the UI.

1. Run the recorder(console mode):

   node record_meeting.js

2. The tool will:

   • Ask you for the meeting playback url
   • Open the recording in a headless browser
   • Start playback automatically
   • Show real-time progress
   • Convert/Export the final MP4 file in the current directory

Large webinars can take a long time to play back. The UI/API recorder automatically attempts to play meetings at 1.25x speed. You can adjust this with the BBB_PLAYBACK_RATE environment variable (valid range 0.5 – 2.0). Example:

BBB_PLAYBACK_RATE=1.75 npm run dev

The recorder generates:

• High-quality MP4 file with H.264 video and AAC audio
• Filename format: meeting_YYYY-MM-DDTHH-mm-ss-mmmZ.mp4
• Progress updates in the console

The tool provides detailed progress information:

• Real-time recording progress with percentage
• Chunk sizes and total data recorded
• FFmpeg conversion progress
• Detailed status messages for each step

1. Video Not Playing

   • The tool will automatically retry playback
   • Check if the meeting URL is accessible
   • Ensure you have proper permissions to view the recording

2. FFmpeg Errors

   • Verify FFmpeg is installed and in PATH
   • Check available disk space
   • Ensure write permissions in output directory

3. Memory Issues

   • The tool uses progressive saving to handle large recordings
   • No special configuration needed for 2GB+ files
   • Temporary files are automatically cleaned up

For detailed logging, set the DEBUG environment variable:

DEBUG=1 node record_meeting.js

1. Fork the project
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a pull request

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

Happy recording!