Downloading Media

Media downloading is a crucial part of the Launchpad content pipeline. This guide will walk you through downloading and transforming media files from your content sources.

Overview

When you fetch content that includes media (images, videos, etc.), Launchpad can automatically:

1. Detect media URLs in your content
2. Download the files locally
3. Update content references to point to local files
4. Transform media files (resize images, convert formats, etc.)

Basic Setup

First, add the mediaDownloader plugin to your configuration:

import { defineConfig } from '@bluecadet/launchpad/cli';
import { content } from '@bluecadet/launchpad/content';
import { mediaDownloader } from '@bluecadet/launchpad/content/transforms/media-downloader';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    content({
      sources: [
        // ...
      ],
      transforms: [
        mediaDownloader({
          maxConcurrent: 4 // number of simultaneous downloads
        })
      ]
    })
  ],
});

The media downloader will automatically:

• Scan your content for media URLs
• Download files to your content directory
• Update URLs in your content to point to local files

Image Transformations

After downloading media, you can transform images using the sharp plugin. This is useful for:

• Resizing images
• Converting formats
• Optimizing quality
• Applying effects

Add the sharp plugin after the media downloader:

import { defineConfig } from '@bluecadet/launchpad/cli';
import { content } from '@bluecadet/launchpad/content';
import { mediaDownloader } from '@bluecadet/launchpad/content/transforms/media-downloader';
import { sharp } from '@bluecadet/launchpad/content/transforms/sharp';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    content({
      plugins: [
        mediaDownloader(),
        sharp({
          buildTransform: (transform) => transform
            .resize(800, 600)
            .jpeg({ quality: 80 }),
          updateURLs: true
        })
      ]
    })
  ]
});

TIP

The sharp plugin uses the powerful sharp image processing library under the hood. Check their documentation for all available transformations.

Common Transformations

Here are some useful image transformation examples:

// Resize to specific dimensions
sharp({
  buildTransform: (t) => t.resize(800, 600)
})

// Convert to specific format
sharp({
  buildTransform: (t) => t.webp({ quality: 80 })
})

// Multiple operations
sharp({
  buildTransform: (t) => t
    .resize(1200, 800)
    .rotate(90)
    .grayscale()
})

Best Practices

• Enable Caching: Launchpad automatically caches downloaded and transformed files
• Order Plugins Correctly: Always put mediaDownloader before sharp plugins

Troubleshooting

If media isn't downloading:

1. Check your network connection
2. Verify media URLs are accessible
3. Ensure proper permissions in download directory
4. Look for error messages in the console output

If transformations aren't working:

1. Confirm media was downloaded successfully
2. Check sharp plugin configuration
3. Verify input image format is supported
4. Look for transform-specific error messages

Next Steps

• Learn more about content transforms
• Explore sharp plugin options
• See media downloader configuration