Video Upload Limits

I am attempting to find all the places where in UNA it limits the file size of video uploads. I see the limits in the Permissions module. Is there another place in UNA where the file size is set? Is there an inherent limit within UNA that will limit the size of a video? My Permissions setting and server PHP limits are set to allow a certain size. However, a video under both of those size limits we are attempting to upload will not process on UNA. It will allow smaller sized videos of similar file extensions to upload and process. Any assistance or guidance is appreciated.

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Replies (8)

    • Do you have a limit set for Unauthenticated?image_transcoder.php?o=sys_images_editor&h=3001&dpx=1&t=1770950230

      • Hello @Brand Harbor !

        Could you please specify what is the minimal size of successfully converted video? The upload size is limited only by the server PHP settings (post_max_size and upload_max_filesize) but it's important how Ffmpeg can process this video too. It should have enough resources (at least the memory_limit parameter) to complete all steps there.

        • Unlimited. First item I checked. Thanks.

          • We have been able to upload a 100MB file. I also checked the PHP settings and they are set to 1024M. The issue may be related to Ffmpeg. I will look into this.

            • I had to go into etc/nginx and edit the una_params file. It was set to 200M. Not sure where that setting was originally set. I modified to 1024M. This means, that although you set in permissions UNLIMITED for membership types that is not true.

              • Could you please share details about your hosting plan? I could upload and process the 180Mb video on the server where UNA audit shows the follow details:

                • @LeonidS This is our current setup. We fixed the upload issue by making the changes I noted in my prior email. We successfully uploaded and converted a 300MB file after making those modifications.

                  image_transcoder.php?o=sys_images_editor&h=3006&dpx=2&t=1771354465

                  • If uploads fail under a certain size, the limitation is always in the server stack, not UNA itself.

                    For a 1024MB target, the effective limit depends on whether UNA runs on bare-metal or Docker, but the rules are the same.

                    Nginx

                    Check:

                    grep -R "client_max_body_size" /etc/nginx/

                    Set:

                    client_max_body_size 1024M;

                    Reload:

                    nginx -s reload

                    PHP-FPM

                    This handles browser uploads.

                    upload_max_filesize = 1024M
post_max_size = 1024M

                    Verify correct PHP SAPI:

                    php-fpm -i | grep upload_max_filesize

                    ⚠️ Important: must be checked in FPM, not CLI.

                    PHP CLI

                    UNA processes videos via cron/ffmpeg in CLI.

                    php -i | grep memory_limit

                    Recommended:

                    memory_limit = 1024M
max_execution_time = 0

                    If CLI is misconfigured, uploads may succeed but processing fails.

                    Disk / temp storage

                    Check:

                    df -h
df -h /tmp

                    Large uploads depend heavily on temporary disk space.

                    Docker vs Bare Metal

                    If UNA runs on bare metal

                    You configure:

                    • system PHP-FPM (/etc/php/...)
                    • system Nginx (/etc/nginx/...)
                    • system CLI PHP

                    If UNA runs in Docker

                    You must check inside containers:

                    • PHP container (FPM)
                    • Nginx container
                    • CLI/worker container (if separate)

                    Example:

                    docker exec -it php php -i | grep upload_max_filesize
docker exec -it nginx nginx -T

                    Common mistake in Docker:

                    People change host settings, but container still uses old limits.

                    KEY POINT

                    UNA is not limiting uploads.

                    The real upload limit is always the lowest value across all layers:

                    • Nginx (client_max_body_size)
                    • PHP-FPM (web upload: upload_max_filesize, post_max_size)
                    • PHP CLI (video processing / ffmpeg)
                    • disk / tmp space
                    • Docker container limits (if used)
                    • CDN / reverse proxy limits (if used, e.g. Cloudflare, nginx proxy, load balancer)

                    Important CDN note

                    If a CDN or proxy is in front of the server, it can also enforce its own upload limits:

                    Examples:

                    • Cloudflare (plan-based upload limits)
                    • AWS ALB / API Gateway limits
                    • reverse proxy Nginx
                    • hosting firewall / WAF

                    If CDN limit is lower, it will block the upload before it even reaches your server.

                    Whether Docker or system install:

                    The effective upload limit is always determined by the weakest component in the full path from client → CDN/Reverse-Proxy → Nginx/Proxy → PHP-FPM → CLI → disk/Server-Setup.

                    In your case, everything points to a likely misconfiguration in PHP CLI (especially memory/time limits for video processing), which is the most commonly missed part in UNA setups.

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