WebRTC

What is WebRTC#

Web Real Time Communications (WebRTC)

  • Allows Direct connection between browsers
  • Direct: Between the different client browsers, instead of going through the server

WebSockets vs WebRTC#

WebSockets#

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  • Open socket between server and client
    • To transfer any form of data
    • Via TCP

WebRTC#

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  • There is Direct connection amongst all unique server & client pairs

    • Note: Client browsers can directly talk to each other, instead of going through server
    • Via UDP - fast transfer data transfer

  • Role of server here: To help coordinate the connections. E.g. How does Client A know that there is a Client B, and vice versa.

Summarised Comparison#

WebSocketsWebRTC
DefinitionWebSocket is a computer communications protocol, which provides communication channels over a single TCP connectionWebRTC is a open-soruce project that provides browsers and mobile apps with Real-Time communications capabilities via simple APIs
LatencyLow LatencyNear Real-time
Data TransferTCPUDP
Uses- Chat rooms, Location-based Apps, File Transfer, etc- Streaming, Video calls, Multiplayer games, etc

Signalling#

As mentioned, in WebRTC, signalling (How do the clients know about each other) is handled by the server

Other components in WebRTC#

  • API
    • Simple APIs are available in WebRTC
  • Indentify
    • Signalling
  • Type of data
    • What kind of video is sent? e.g. Video, text, etc
  • NAT Traversal
    • Technique to establish connection between clients, e.g. P2P, including metadata, etc
  • Security
    • Some basic encryption is included in WebRTC
  • Codec
    • Data compression

Challenges in WebRTC#

  • WebRTC uses UDP
    • Not a reliable data transfer
  • No standard signaling protocol
    • Different companies have their own ways of doing so
  • Not fully compatible with all browsers
    • Chrome, firefox should be fine mostly
    • May have issues with Edge, Safari - Extra plugins required

Why WebRTC#

  • Great for streaming services - real Time
  • No need for extra apps
    • Think of GoogleMeets - Video call right from the browser, without having to install anything!
    • Can be done directly on the web browser
  • Embedded in web technologies
    • Client servers, etc are done on the client browsers directly
  • Secure
    • Runs inside browser, without creating new process
    • Less chance for spyware, malware, etc
    • If you need camera, rights must be granted (because it is using browser technologies)