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Compress Videos in React Native

· 5 min read
Beniamin Marcu
Full Stack Developer
Last updated on May 6, 2026

compress videos react native

Video compression is one of the easiest ways to reduce upload time, storage cost, and feed latency in a React Native app. It matters for social networks, chat apps, marketplace listings, short video apps, fitness apps, and any product that lets users upload media from the camera roll.

Quick Answer​

Do not start a new React Native implementation with react-native-ffmpeg. The older FFmpegKit ecosystem was retired, and new apps should either use a maintained React Native compressor for simple on-device compression or move heavy transcoding to the backend.

For many apps, a practical current setup is:

  1. Pick media with your camera or image picker.
  2. Compress short videos on device.
  3. Upload the compressed file.
  4. Generate thumbnails and final streaming variants on the backend when the app has large videos, public feeds, or paid storage pressure.

Why Compress Before Uploading?​

Raw camera videos can be very large. Compressing before upload can:

  • reduce Firebase Storage, S3, or CDN costs;
  • make uploads more reliable on mobile networks;
  • reduce time-to-post for social feeds;
  • keep media sizes predictable before moderation or processing;
  • reduce the chance of failed uploads on low-memory devices.

Compression is not free. It uses CPU, battery, memory, and time. For a short profile video or chat attachment, device-side compression is often enough. For a TikTok-style feed or a marketplace with long videos, use server-side processing for final renditions.

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Option 1: Compress on Device​

For current React Native apps, react-native-compressor is a practical choice for images, video, audio, thumbnails, and upload helpers.

yarn add react-native-compressor
cd ios && pod install

Example video compression:

import { Video } from 'react-native-compressor';

export async function compressVideoForUpload(sourceUri: string) {
  const compressedUri = await Video.compress(
    sourceUri,
    {
      compressionMethod: 'auto',
    },
    progress => {
      console.log('Compression progress:', progress);
    }
  );

  return compressedUri;
}

If the user can leave the screen while compression runs, keep the operation cancellable and show progress. A "Post" button that freezes for 20 seconds feels broken even when the code is working.

import { Video } from 'react-native-compressor';

let compressionId = '';

const compressedUri = await Video.compress(
  sourceUri,
  {
    compressionMethod: 'auto',
    getCancellationId: id => {
      compressionId = id;
    },
  },
  progress => setProgress(progress)
);

function cancelCompression() {
  if (compressionId) {
    Video.cancelCompression(compressionId);
  }
}

Option 2: Compress Images Separately​

Video compression and image resizing are different tasks. If your app also uploads photos, use a dedicated image path. Expo's ImageManipulator is useful when you need resize, rotate, crop, and format changes for images.

import * as ImageManipulator from 'expo-image-manipulator';

const result = await ImageManipulator.manipulateAsync(
  sourceUri,
  [{ resize: { width: 1280 } }],
  { compress: 0.8, format: ImageManipulator.SaveFormat.JPEG }
);

Option 3: Transcode on the Backend​

Move compression to the backend when:

  • videos are long or high resolution;
  • the app needs several output qualities;
  • you need streaming formats such as HLS;
  • uploads must preserve the original file;
  • moderation, thumbnails, captions, or watermarking happen after upload;
  • device-side compression drains battery or crashes on lower-end devices.

A common production flow is:

  1. Upload the original video to temporary storage.
  2. Create a backend job.
  3. Transcode into final variants.
  4. Store final URLs on the post or listing.
  5. Delete the temporary original if your product does not need it.

This flow costs more engineering time, but it gives you predictable output, better analytics, safer retries, and easier moderation.

What About FFmpeg?​

FFmpeg is still powerful, but the old React Native guidance around react-native-ffmpeg is no longer a safe default. If your team owns native build infrastructure and needs FFmpeg-level control, budget time for maintained bindings, licensing review, binary size, App Store testing, and Android ABI support.

For most product teams, start with a maintained React Native compressor for small videos and graduate to backend transcoding when usage proves the need.

Production Checklist​

  • Set a maximum video length and maximum upload size.
  • Show compression and upload progress separately.
  • Let users cancel compression or leave the screen safely.
  • Store width, height, duration, file size, and MIME type with the media record.
  • Generate a thumbnail before showing a video in feed lists.
  • Test on low-end Android devices, not only on a recent iPhone simulator.
  • Keep Firebase Storage or S3 rules strict so users cannot overwrite other users' media.

Useful References​

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Conclusion​

Compress videos close to where the product needs the win. Use on-device compression for short uploads and fast UX improvements. Use backend transcoding when media quality, storage cost, moderation, streaming, or reliability becomes part of the core product.