unoconv (File Conversion)

Setting up and using unoconv as a Xano microservice

Configuring the Microservice

Unoconv documentation: https://github.com/alphakevin/unoconv-server

Docker Hub link: https://hub.docker.com/r/alphakevin/unoconv-server

In this example, we will install the unoconv service as a microservice in Xano. This service will allow you to facilitate file conversions right alongside your Xano instance.

Access the Microservice panel as shown below.

Click "+Add" to add a new deployment.

Enter the settings as described below. "Your choice" indicates you can specify these values to be whatever you would like. Please note that some of these other values can be modified based on your needs. The values that should remain static are marked in bold.

Setting	Value
Name	Your choice
Replicas	Your choice
Docker Config	public repo
Strategy	RollingUpdate
Name	Your choice
Docker Image	alphakevin/unoconv-server
Container Port	4000
Service Port	80
Environment Variable: HOSTNAME	0.0.0.0
Environment Variable: PORT	4000 (the same as Container Port)
Resources: Min / Max CPU	Recommended: 250m / 1000m
Resources: Min / Max RAM	Recommended: 256Mi / 256Mi

Once you have completed your configuration, click "Add", and then "Update & Deploy". Deployment can take a few minutes based on the Docker image used, the complexity of the configuration, and the current state of your Xano instance.

You will see the message below once deployment is complete.

Using Unoconv in the Function Stack

Please see the service documentation for a breakdown of all options available. Below is a basic file conversion request.

Add a File Resource input. This will be where we provide the file to convert.

Click the + sign on the function stack and add a Microservice Request function. The values below are provided as an example in which we are converting a file to the PNG image format, assuming we have named our service 'converter' and used port 80.

Setting	Value
host	converter:80
path	/convert/format/png/output/test.png png - The format we are converting to test.png - The filename of the converted file
method	POST
params	OBJECT {} with a set filter ...path: file ...value: the file resource input
headers	ARRAY [] with a push filter ...Content-Type: multipart/form-data
timeout	60, based on your needs

This should provide you with a successfully converted file in the response.

Working with Converted Files

Use a Create Variable, referencing the contents of the microservice request as shown below, to extract the filename.

Use a Create File Resource step to initialize the converted file with Xano.

Finally, use a Create Image Metadata function to create metadata for the converted image. If you are not working with images, use Create Attachment Metadata instead, or whatever is most appropriate for your use case.

This will allow you to add the converted image back to a Xano database table, and provide you with a direct path to access the converted file. Please see our Content Upload documentation for further possibilities when working with files in the function stack.