GPAC / MP4Box
GPAC / MP4Box is available in the NetActuate Marketplace as a one-click, open-source appliance you can deploy into any NetActuate PoP. Headless MPEG-DASH and HLS packaging with GPAC's MP4Box and gpac CLIs, driven over SSH. It is grouped under the Media & Streaming category.
What It Does
GPAC is an open, industry-standard multimedia framework, best known for its MP4Box and gpac command-line tools. It packages content for MPEG-DASH and HLS adaptive streaming, fragments and inspects MP4/CMAF, and manipulates a wide range of media. This appliance bundles the official GPAC 2.4 release and gives you a ready-to-use packaging box you drive over SSH.
Key features
- Package and fragment content into MPEG-DASH and HLS for adaptive streaming
- Segment on-demand and live, produce fragmented MP4 / CMAF, and build manifests
- Inspect and rewrite MP4/ISOBMFF (tracks, metadata, timing) with MP4Box
- The gpac filter engine for flexible media pipelines and format conversion
- Ships the official, unmodified GPAC 2.4 tools (LGPL-2.1)
- A small co-located landing page documents the command line and runs a first-boot MP4Box version self-check, so you can confirm the box is healthy
- No web console and no credentials to manage: pure command-line workflow
Use cases
- Prepare DASH and HLS renditions and manifests for a player or CDN origin
- Fragment mezzanine MP4 into CMAF segments for low-latency delivery
- Inspect, repair, and repackage MP4/ISOBMFF assets
Why run it on the NetActuate edge Running the packager in a PoP close to your source media and origin shortens the path for large mezzanine and segment transfers and keeps your packaging pipeline on infrastructure you control.
Deployed from the NetActuate marketplace, the appliance boots with GPAC installed and the landing page serving on the instance IP. SSH in, run MP4Box or gpac against your inputs, and write DASH or HLS output. A tiny sample MP4 ships on the box so you can run a demo packaging job immediately.
Vendor and Project
GPAC / MP4Box is an open-source project, offered here under the Open Source listing with best-effort community support.
- Project home: gpac.io
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 | 4 GB | 50 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 nginx landing/instructions page, published on the instance IP (default 80). GPAC's MP4Box and gpac tools themselves are driven over SSH. |
Using the Appliance
Package your first stream in minutes
- Confirm the box is up. Browse to http://YOUR_VM_IP:80/ for the instructions page (HTTP 200); it shows the MP4Box version self-check. There is no web console.
- SSH in and run a demo. A sample input ships at /opt/gpac/samples/sample.mp4 . Try: mkdir -p ~/work && cd ~/work && cp /opt/gpac/samples/sample.mp4 . && MP4Box -dash 4000 -profile onDemand sample.mp4 -out dash/manifest.mpd
- Package your content. Use MP4Box (or the gpac filter engine) for DASH and HLS; the landing page lists ready-to-copy DASH and HLS examples. The MP4Box and gpac commands on the PATH run the bundled GPAC container against your working directory.
Exposure posture: the landing page serves plain HTTP on the landing port and is informational only. Drive the tools over SSH; put access control in front of the box before exposing it on an untrusted network.
FAQ
Is there a software license fee? No. GPAC / MP4Box 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 | Current (default) | 2026-07-14 |
Deploy
- Deploy in the portal: Deploy GPAC / MP4Box
- View the listing: portal.netactuate.com/platform/marketplace/l/gpac
- Public listing: netactuate.com/marketplace/gpac
Need Help?
Contact support@netactuate.com or open a support ticket from the portal.