What is the purpose of TURN server?

What is the purpose of TURN server?

If that fails, TURN servers can be used as a fallback, relaying data between endpoints. Just to reiterate, TURN is used to relay audio, video, and data streaming between peers, not signaling data! TURN servers have public addresses, so they can be contacted by peers even if the peers are behind firewalls or proxies.

Do you need a TURN server for WebRTC?

On a typical webRTC app, about 20% of connections require a TURN server. It may work fine for you, but try accessing your webRTC service from a cell phone connection (which will usually require TURN), and you’ll see that not all connections are equal when it comes to p2p.

When should I use TURN servers?

For most WebRTC applications to function a server is required for relaying the traffic between peers, since a direct socket is often not possible between the clients (unless they reside on the same local network). The common way to solve this is by using a TURN server.

How can I tell if my server is working?

Rule of thumb. You can easily determine if your server works with both tools or with your own JavaScript: A STUN server works if you can gather a candidate with type “srflx” . A TURN server works if you can gather a candidate with type “relay” .

Is TURN server expensive?

Assuming we do only 10 sessions an hour on average on that TURN server, we end up with 360GB in traffic per month. It isn’t really expensive, but it does if you scale it up: use more bandwidth per session, have more sessions per hour on average – and you’re going to end up with lots of data traffic.

What are iceServers in WebRTC?

A STUN server is used to get an external network address. TURN servers are used to relay traffic if direct (peer to peer) connection fails. URLs for STUN and/or TURN servers are (optionally) specified by a WebRTC app in the iceServers configuration object that is the first argument to the RTCPeerConnection constructor.

What is WebRTC signaling?

WebRTC allows real-time, peer-to-peer, media exchange between two devices. This process is called signaling and involves both devices connecting to a third, mutually agreed-upon server. Through this third server, the two devices can locate one another, and exchange negotiation messages.

How does a TURN server work in WebRTC?

A TURN server literally relays the media between the WebRTC peers. Clearly, not having to use TURN is desirable, but not always possible. Every WebRTC solution must be prepared to support both service types and engineered to handle the processing requirements placed upon the TURN server.

What do stun and turn stand for in WebRTC?

STUN stands for Session Traversal Utilities for NAT, and is usually used indirectly in most WebRTC applications. TURN (Traversal Using Relay NAT) is the more advanced solution that incorporates the STUN protocols and most commercial WebRTC based services use a TURN server for establishing connections between peers.

What kind of transcoding does WebRTC do?

WebRTC performs transcoding in order for wider connectivity with various VoIP applications and for broadcasting. WebRTC usually uses a STUN or TURN server along with RTCPeerConnections and RTCDataChannels for achieving communication.

How are peer connections established in WebRTC API?

TURN (Traversal Using Relay NAT) is the more advanced solution that incorporates the STUN protocols and most commercial WebRTC based services use a TURN server for establishing connections between peers. The WebRTC API supports both STUN and TURN directly, and it is gathered under the more complete term Internet Connectivity Establishment.