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Keep FFmpeg running with tmux
For a one-off encode or similar job, tmux is a practical default: it keeps the terminal session available after you disconnect and lets you return to its output. Linode Community guidance describes this detach-and-reattach approach as a way to leave a process running after disconnecting. Linode Community
- SSH into your Linode and check whether
tmuxis installed. If it is not, install it using the package manager for your Linux distribution. - Start a named session:
tmux new -s ffmpeg. - Run FFmpeg inside that session, adding
-nostdinso it does not check for terminal input:ffmpeg -nostdin -i /path/to/input -c:v libx264 -c:a aac /path/to/output.mp4Replace the paths and choose codecs and other encoding options appropriate to your job; the example is illustrative, not a universal encoding recommendation.
- While FFmpeg is running, press Ctrl+B, then D. This detaches from tmux without closing the session or stopping the command.
- You can now close SSH. To return later, SSH to the same Linode and run
tmux attach -t ffmpeg.
Before disconnecting, make sure FFmpeg is running in the tmux session. If the session name is already in use, list sessions with tmux ls and attach to the existing session rather than starting a duplicate job.
Choose another method when the job needs a different lifecycle
| Method | Best suited to | How to use it | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| tmux | A one-off job when you want to return to its terminal output. | Run FFmpeg in a named session; detach with Ctrl+B, then D; reattach with tmux attach -t ffmpeg. |
Does not make the process survive a reboot or server shutdown. |
| GNU Screen | A persistent terminal session if Screen is already part of your workflow. | Start Screen, run FFmpeg, detach with Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+D; reattach with screen -r. |
Like tmux, it preserves a session across SSH disconnects, not reboots. |
| nohup | A noninteractive background job when you do not need to reattach to its terminal. | nohup ffmpeg -nostdin -i input.mp4 output.mp4 > ffmpeg.log 2>&1 < /dev/null & |
Does not restart the process after reboot. Keep track of the log and process. |
| systemd | A job that needs service management or should start automatically at boot. | Create a service unit with a deliberate user, working directory, full executable path, input/output paths, and restart policy; then enable and manage it with systemd. | Requires service configuration. A restart policy does not fix a bad input, full disk, or persistent FFmpeg error. |
Linode’s systemd guide describes creating and enabling a custom service for startup at boot. The unit should match the job rather than relying on shell settings from an SSH session. Use systemd to Start a Linux Service at Boot
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For Screen, Linode Community guidance documents the detach and reattach pattern. Linode Community
Run a noninteractive job with nohup
For a simple detached command, redirect standard output and standard error to a known log, and redirect standard input from /dev/null. FFmpeg normally writes diagnostic logs to stderr, so 2>&1 puts them in the same file. The Linux nohup manual explains that the command ignores hangup signals and describes its default handling of terminal input and output. nohup(1) manual
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After running the command, note the PID reported by the shell or find the process with an appropriate process-inspection command. To watch the log, use tail -f ffmpeg.log. A nohup process is not a reboot-survival mechanism.
Use systemd for service management or boot startup
A systemd service is a better fit when you want consistent start, stop, status, and log management, or need the job to be started after the machine boots. Set a full path to FFmpeg and explicit paths for the input and output; an interactive shell’s environment and current directory should not be assumed. Linode’s guide covers service creation and enabling startup. Linode systemd guide
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FFmpeg background settings and logs
Use -nostdin, but pair it with a persistence method
FFmpeg’s FAQ recommends -nostdin for background execution to prevent terminal-input checks from suspending the process. Redirecting stdin from /dev/null is another documented option on Linux and macOS. Neither setting, by itself, separates FFmpeg from the SSH session: use tmux, Screen, nohup, or systemd for that. FFmpeg FAQ
Capture useful diagnostics
FFmpeg writes logs to stderr by default. With nohup, redirect both streams to the log file as shown above. FFmpeg’s -report option saves the full command line and log output to a timestamped report in the current directory. Its -progress option emits periodic machine-readable progress records to a chosen destination, such as pipe:1. If you use -progress pipe:1, deliberately capture stdout so those records are not lost. See the FFmpeg command-line documentation.
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Verify the job and troubleshoot failures
- It stopped or suspended after you closed SSH: Check whether it was actually running inside tmux or Screen, rather than in the shell you closed. For background FFmpeg, add
-nostdinor redirect stdin from/dev/null, as described in the FFmpeg FAQ. - You cannot find the tmux session: SSH to the same Linode and run
tmux ls. Attach to the session’s actual name; usetmux attach -t ffmpegif it is namedffmpeg. - The nohup process is running but there is no useful output: Check that the command redirected stderr as well as stdout, and inspect the file you specified with
tail -f ffmpeg.log. FFmpeg’s normal log output goes to stderr. - The job disappeared after reboot: That is expected for an ordinary detached terminal or nohup process. Configure and enable a systemd service if the job must start at boot. Linode systemd guide
- A systemd-managed job failed: Inspect the service status and its logs using the host’s systemd tools. Check the configured user and working directory, executable and media paths, permissions, disk space, and FFmpeg error output.
- The process exists but is no longer making progress: Session persistence only keeps the process independent of SSH. Check for an unavailable input or network source, a full disk, resource exhaustion, or an FFmpeg error; tmux and nohup do not make the workload fault tolerant.
What disconnect protection does—and does not—cover
tmux, Screen, and nohup address the SSH hangup: they let a process remain independent of the terminal connection. They do not protect a job from a Linode reboot or shutdown, exhausted resources, a failed source, a full disk, or an FFmpeg failure. For startup after reboot, use a service manager such as systemd; for other failures, configure and monitor the job for the specific failure modes that matter.
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