How to View FFmpeg Protocol Help Using -h

This article provides a quick guide on how to use the -h (help) parameter in FFmpeg to retrieve detailed information and configuration options for specific protocols like HTTP, RTMP, or TCP. You will learn the exact command syntax needed to access this documentation directly from your terminal.

The Syntax for Protocol-Specific Help

To view the help documentation for a specific protocol in FFmpeg, use the -h parameter followed by protocol= and the name of the protocol you want to inspect.

The basic syntax is:

ffmpeg -h protocol=protocol_name

Step-by-Step Examples

1. View Help for the HTTP Protocol

To see all the available options, headers, and configurations for the HTTP protocol, run:

ffmpeg -h protocol=http

This command will output protocol-specific options such as user-agent settings, custom headers, timeout values, and proxy configurations.

2. View Help for the RTMP Protocol

To inspect the options for Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) streaming, run:

ffmpeg -h protocol=rtmp

3. View Help for the UDP Protocol

For User Datagram Protocol (UDP) configuration options, such as buffer size and local port settings, run:

ffmpeg -h protocol=udp

How to Find Available Protocols

If you are unsure of the exact name of the protocol you want to query, you can list all protocols supported by your FFmpeg installation using the following command:

ffmpeg -protocols

This will output two lists: one for input protocols (supported for reading) and one for output protocols (supported for writing). Once you find the protocol name in this list, you can plug it into the ffmpeg -h protocol=name command.