They traced it to LibVPX’s vpx_codec_enc_config_t structure. The encoder was reusing a configuration object but not resetting the rc_min_quantizer and rc_max_quantizer internal states. A developer wrote a simple Duster routine:
With AV1 rising (also using LibVPX’s descendants), and VP9 still dominant in WebRTC and YouTube, the need for explicit cleanup is urgent. Modern container orchestration (Kubernetes) kills and restarts pods to fix memory leaks—but that’s like rebooting your car to fix a dirty windshield. duster libvpx
Duster is the windshield wiper. It acknowledges a hard truth: Even elegant codecs leave behind messes. And sometimes, the most important tool in the stack isn’t the encoder—it’s the silent janitor that follows it, making sure the next job starts with a clean slate. And sometimes, the most important tool in the
The Silent Janitor: How Duster LibVPX Cleans Up Video’s Messy Pipeline } Within 24 hours
void duster_libvpx_scrub(vpx_codec_ctx_t *ctx) { vpx_codec_err_t res; // Force full reset of rate control model res = vpx_codec_control(ctx, VP8E_RESET_ON_KEYFRAME, 1); // Clear frame buffer pool res = vpx_codec_control(ctx, VP9E_SET_FRAME_PARALLEL_DECODING, 0); // Reinitialize entropy pointers to NULL memset(ctx->priv, 0, sizeof(ctx->priv)); } Within 24 hours, memory usage normalized, ghosting vanished, and node uptime extended from 3 days to 90+ days.