The author created a web service to convert videos sent via MMS to animated GIFs using Node.js, Libav, and Imagemagick. The service runs on an Ubuntu VPS with Node.js installed, uses Libav to extract frames from the video and stitch them into an animated GIF, and serves the generated GIF as a static file. The author integrated Twilio to accept MMS videos and send out animated GIFs, using a combination of child processes and HTTP requests to orchestrate the conversion process. The service can be tested by sending a short video via MMS to the Twilio number, and the resulting animated GIF is returned immediately after processing.