Question

I’m experimenting with some video content delivery using VLC and Apache Reverse Proxy. Since VLC can support http streaming, I’m sure that it will work with a Apache Reverse Proxy (I haven’t tried this yet, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work).

Before letting Apache proxy the http video stream, I would like to run a script first. Is there an option in Apache to do this?

If not, can someone think of a way for PHP to do some magic first, and then somehow redirect to the http video stream, without making a VLC or Windows Media Player client cry? By doing it this way, the Apache Reverse Proxy would just have to point to the PHP script only.

Either way, the idea of the script it to start the VLC streaming server.

Thanks

Answer 1

if you really want to do it in apache you can always write your own module 🙂

alternatively you can use mod_rewrite with the prg option (rewrite map).
where you basically have a rewrite rule processed by an external program.
you can do whatever you want there (logging, etc).
don’t forget to set a rewritelock file, or you will experience strange behaviour.

you could also do “everything” in php and then use the apache module mod_xsendfile where you just pass a header in php containing the locatin of the file in the filesystem.

it will not be disclosed to the client but catched by the apache module and served by apache. your php process will terminate regularely.

theese are the best out of the box options i can think of.

if nothing of this works because you need to catch some stuff during or at the end of the transfer you could just echo the files content with php. with correct output buffering you can achieve accetable performance on that.

or you could do some logfile postprocessing if this solves your problem.