Getting Started with WebRTC

Explore WebRTC for real-time peer-to-peer communication

Overview

• Set up video calls easily with a low bandwidth audio only option using WebRTC
• Extend your application using real-time text-based chat, and collaborate easily by adding real-time drag-and-drop file sharing
• Create your own fully working WebRTC application in minutes

In Detail

WebRTC delivers web-based real-time communication and is set to revolutionize our view of what the Web really is. Streaming audio and video from browser to browser, as well as opening raw access to the camera and microphone, is already creating a whole new dynamic web. WebRTC also introduces real-time data channels that will allow interaction with dynamic data feeds from sensors and other devices. This really is a great time to be a web developer!

Getting Started with WebRTC provides all of the practical information you need to quickly understand what WebRTC is, how it works, and how you can add it to your own web applications. It includes clear working examples designed to help you get started building your own WebRTC-enabled applications right away.

Getting Started with WebRTC will guide you through the process of creating your own WebRTC application that can be applied in a number of different real-world situations, using well documented and clearly explained code examples.

You will learn how to quickly and easily create a practical peer-to-peer video chat application, an audio only call option, and how a Web-Socket-based signaling server can also be used to enable real-time text-based chat. You will also be shown how this same server and application structure can easily be extended to include simple drag-and-drop file sharing with transfer updates and thumbnail previews.

What you will learn from this book

• Discover how to offer an audio only option as an alternative
• Create an extensible Web Socket signaling server
• Detect which browsers support WebRTC
• Extend your application with real-time text-based chat
• Add rich collaboration with drag-and-drop file sharing
• Use RTCDataChannels to share real-time data
• Design a state-based user interface for WebRTC apps
• Explore the options available for image and audio post-processing and analysis

Approach

The book will follow a step-by-step tutorial approach to construct an application that allows video conferencing and calls between two browsers and a system for sharing files among a group.

Who this book is written for

This book is ideal for developers new to the WebRTC standards who are interested in adding sensor-driven, real-time, peer-to-peer communication to their web applications. You will only need basic experience with HTML and JavaScript.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Web-based Real-Time Communication
Chapter 2: A More Technical Introduction to Web-based Real-Time Communication
Chapter 3: Creating a Real-time Video Call
Chapter 4: Creating an Audio Only Call
Chapter 5: Adding Text-based Chat
Chapter 6: Adding File Sharing
Chapter 7: Example Application 1 – Education and E-learning
Chapter 8: Example Application 2 – Team Communication