How to Efficiently Retrieve and Save Blob Video Files from Flask using VueJS

This guide guides you through the process of capturing video from your webcam with VueJS, sending it to a Flask backend, and how to handle it correctly, ensuring success in working with `Blob` data.
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Introduction

Capturing and handling video files in web applications can be a complex task, especially when you're integrating multiple technologies like VueJS for the frontend and Flask for the backend. The problem arises when you need to record a video using a laptop's webcam, send it to a flask application, and display it back on the frontend.

In this guide, we'll discuss how to effectively capture video from the webcam, send it to your Flask backend, and properly retrieve and display the video as a Blob. We'll focus on the correct format handling and data transfer so that the video displays correctly on your frontend.

The Goal

Here's what you will achieve:

Record a video from the webcam with a VueJS application.

Send this video to a Python Flask app using Axios within a FormData object.

Receive the video in Flask and return it to the frontend.

Store and display the video on the frontend seamlessly.

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Setting Up the Webcam Stream

To capture video from the webcam, you can use the following JavaScript code. This code will start and stop the webcam stream.

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2. Recording the Webcam Video

You will need to implement a way to record the video stream. Here’s how you can do that:

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3. Sending the Video to Flask

Once the video is recorded and turned into a Blob, you need to send it to your Flask backend:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Important Note:

Make sure to set responseType: 'blob' in your Axios request options. This allows you to receive the response properly as a blob rather than JSON.

4. Receiving Video in Flask

The Flask application will receive the video in the backend. Here's a basic setup for your Flask route to handle the video upload and respond with the video data:

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5. Displaying the Video on the Frontend

After requesting the video from Flask, you can display it back on the frontend with the following code:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Handling binary video data can be tricky, especially when sending it between a JavaScript frontend and a Python backend. By following the steps outlined above, you can successfully record using your webcam, send the video to the server, and retrieve it for display on the frontend. Setting the correct responseType in your Axios request is crucial for ensuring that the video is handled as a Blob.

With this approach, you'll be able to integrate video capturing seamlessly in your web application, allowing for a rich user experience. Happy coding!