Bento4
Bento4 is available in the NetActuate Marketplace as a one-click, open-source appliance you can deploy into any NetActuate PoP. Headless MP4, DASH, HLS and CMAF packaging with CENC DRM, driven over SSH. It is grouped under the Media & Streaming category.
What It Does
Bento4 is a fast, open-source C++ toolkit and command-line SDK for reading, writing and packaging ISO-MP4 media. It is the workhorse behind countless streaming pipelines: fragment MP4s for adaptive delivery, package to MPEG-DASH, Apple HLS, CMAF and Smooth Streaming, and encrypt with CENC / Common Encryption for Widevine, PlayReady, FairPlay, Marlin and PRIMETIME DRM.
Key features
- MP4 inspection and editing: mp4dump, mp4info, mp4edit, mp4extract, mp4tag
- Adaptive packaging: mp4fragment, mp4dash (DASH + HLS), mp42hls, mp42ts
- CENC / Common Encryption for DRM: mp4encrypt / mp4decrypt with per-track KID:KEY
- Elementary-stream and container conversion: mp42aac, mp42avc, mp42hevc, mp4mux
- Full Python SDK utilities (mp4-dash, mp4-hls) installed under /opt/bento4
Use cases
- Origin-side packaging of VOD assets to DASH/HLS/CMAF close to your viewers
- Applying CENC DRM (Widevine/PlayReady/FairPlay) before delivery
- Batch MP4 inspection, repair, fragmentation and remux in a CI/CD or cron pipeline
Why run it on the NetActuate edge Packaging and encrypting at a PoP near your storage and viewers shortens the path for large media transfers and keeps your masters and DRM keys on infrastructure you control.
This is a HEADLESS appliance: there is no web console. The full Bento4 CLI/SDK is on the system PATH; sign in over SSH and run the tools. The appliance also serves a co-located landing/instructions page over HTTP (default port 80) that documents the commands and shows a first-boot self-check (an mp4dump version probe plus a real fragment+HLS packaging of a bundled sample); the page fails closed with HTTP 503 if the toolchain is not healthy. A ready-to-use sample MP4 ships at /var/lib/bento4/sample.mp4.
Vendor and Project
Bento4 is an open-source project, offered here under the Open Source listing with best-effort community support.
- Project home: www.bento4.com
NetActuate supports the underlying infrastructure. Application-level support follows the listing SLA class (open-source, best effort).
Sizing
| vCPU | RAM | Disk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1 | 1 GB | 20 GB |
| Recommended | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB |
No VPU (hardware acceleration) is required for this appliance. Choose a size at deploy based on your expected load.
Configuration Fields
When you deploy, you provide these fields. They are written into the appliance at first boot.
| Field | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page port | No | 80 | TCP port for the co-located landing / instructions page served over HTTP (default 80). The appliance is headless otherwise; all tools run over SSH. |
Using the Appliance
Drive Bento4 over SSH
- Open the landing page. Browse to http://YOUR_VM_IP/ for the command reference and a live self-check (and http://YOUR_VM_IP/health for machine status).
- SSH in. The full CLI/SDK is at /opt/bento4 and on your PATH. A sample MP4 is at /var/lib/bento4/sample.mp4.
- Package for streaming.
mp4fragment input.mp4 input-frag.mp4
mp4dash -o out/ input-frag.mp4 # DASH + HLS
mp42hls input-frag.mp4 # HLS only - Apply CENC DRM.
mp4encrypt --method MPEG-CENC --key 1:<32-hex-key>:random \
--property 1:KID:<32-hex-kid> input-frag.mp4 input-enc.mp4
mp4dash --encryption-key <kid>:<key> -o out-drm/ input-enc.mp4
Exposure posture: the landing page serves plain HTTP on the landing port. This appliance has no application login; access is via SSH keys only.
FAQ
Is there a software license fee? No. Bento4 is open source and free to run. You pay only for the NetActuate infrastructure and bandwidth.
Which port does the appliance serve on?
The primary service is published on port 80 by default; see the configuration fields for any adjustable ports.
Who supports it? NetActuate operates the underlying infrastructure. The application itself is community-supported open source (best-effort SLA class).
Version and Changelog
| Version | Status | Released |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6.0-641 | Current (default) | 2026-07-14 |
Deploy
- Deploy in the portal: Deploy Bento4
- View the listing: portal.netactuate.com/platform/marketplace/l/bento4
- Public listing: netactuate.com/marketplace/bento4
Need Help?
Contact support@netactuate.com or open a support ticket from the portal.