Jitsi Meet is an open-source solution to a problem organizations and individuals face: the need for secure, private, and scalable real-time communication that remains under their direct control. While proprietary, cloud-centric video conferencing solutions are common, Jitsi Meet offers an alternative focused on user control and data privacy. With 29,906 stars on GitHub, this project demonstrates widespread adoption and an active community, making it a reliable choice for developers building communication platforms.

This article guides you through Jitsi Meet's technical foundations. It covers its core architectural philosophies, practical integration scenarios, technology stack, and how to extend and contribute to the project. You will understand Jitsi Meet's function, its mechanisms, and why its design makes it a strong solution for secure, self-hosted video conferencing.

The Core Philosophy: Explaining the Why

Jitsi Meet's philosophy focuses on empowerment through open standards and self-hosting. The project’s maintainers chose not to compete directly with SaaS giants like Zoom or Google Meet on their own terms. Instead, Jitsi Meet argues that the highest level of security, privacy, and customization comes from owning your communication infrastructure.

This choice involves architectural trade-offs. Proprietary solutions often bundle complex, vendor-specific features and offer simplified "click-and-go" experiences. Jitsi Meet requires deployment and operational management by the user. This trades operational simplicity for ultimate control. For organizations handling sensitive data or operating under strict compliance regulations, this control is essential.

The project uses WebRTC as its core real-time communication technology. This use of an open standard ensures interoperability, avoids vendor lock-in, and encourages a broader ecosystem of innovation. While a proprietary codec might offer marginal improvements in specific scenarios, Jitsi’s adherence to WebRTC provides a future-proof, widely supported foundation.

Jitsi Meet's scaling mechanism uses a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) architecture, specifically implemented by the Jitsi Videobridge (JVB). A Mesh topology has every participant send and receive video from every other participant; this works for small groups but doesn't scale. A Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) mixes all streams on the server, leading to heavy server load. An SFU forwards participant streams to others selectively. This design balances needs: it moves much of the mixing complexity to the client, reducing server-side CPU load compared to an MCU, while preventing the N-squared bandwidth problem of a Mesh network. This architectural decision supports efficient resource utilization and scalable performance for conferences of various sizes.

Jitsi Meet differentiates itself from competitors by being open source and self-hostable. Some commercial platforms offer API integration, but none provide the full transparency and control over the entire stack that Jitsi does. Its defaults, like strong encryption, anonymous meeting links by default (when not using authentication), and a clear, functional user interface, reflect a design focused on privacy and ease of use without sacrificing security.

A Practical Use-Case Walkthrough

Imagine a developer needing to integrate a secure video conferencing feature into their company's project management platform. The goal is to let teams launch meetings specific to a project or task, with pre-set participant names and moderation capabilities, without leaving the platform or requiring separate logins. The developer wants this integrated experience to feel native and match the brand.

Their starting point is a web application, perhaps built with a Node.js backend and a React frontend, running on a server at app.mycompany.com. They have a dedicated server, meet.mycompany.com, ready to host Jitsi Meet.

Here is how they would integrate Jitsi Meet:

  1. Deploy Jitsi Meet: The developer first deploys a self-hosted Jitsi Meet instance on meet.mycompany.com. For a production setup, they choose the stable Debian package installation, which handles most dependencies like Prosody (XMPP server), Jitsi Videobridge, and Nginx. They configure it to use a valid SSL certificate.

  2. Enable JWT Authentication: To control access and pre-populate user details, the developer configures Jitsi Meet to use JSON Web Tokens (JWT). This involves adding a JWT app ID and secret to the prosody-plugins/mod_jitsi_meet_token.lua configuration on their Jitsi server.

  3. Embed the Jitsi Meet IFrame API: In their React frontend, they embed Jitsi Meet within an ``. They use the Jitsi Meet External API (lib-jitsi-meet) to interact with the embedded conference programmatically.

  4. Generate JWT Tokens on the Backend: When a user starts a meeting from the project management platform, the frontend requests the Node.js backend. The backend generates a JWT token, signing it with the pre-configured secret. This token contains information:

    • iss: The issuer (their app ID).
    • sub: The domain of their Jitsi Meet instance (meet.mycompany.com).
    • room: The specific meeting room name (e.g., projectX_daily_standup).
    • context.user: Details like name, email, avatar, and moderator status for the user initiating the meeting.

  5. Launch the Meeting: The backend returns the JWT to the frontend, which then passes it to the JitsiMeetExternalAPI when initializing the iframe.

Here is an illustrative JavaScript snippet for embedding, with a conceptual representation of how the JWT might be used:



// In your React component (or any frontend framework)


import { JitsiMeetExternalAPI } from 'lib-jitsi-meet'; // Assume this is available or loaded



class MeetingComponent extends React.Component {


    constructor(props) {


        super(props);


        this.jitsiAPI = null;


        this.jitsiContainerRef = React.createRef();


    }



    async componentDidMount() {


        const roomName = `project-${this.props.projectId}-meeting`;


        const currentUser = { id: 'user123', name: 'Alice Smith', email: 'alice@mycompany.com' };



        // Step 4: Request JWT from your backend


        const response = await fetch('/api/jitsi-token', {


            method: 'POST',


            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },


            body: JSON.stringify({ userId: currentUser.id, userName: currentUser.name, room: roomName })


        });


        const { jwtToken } = await response.json();



        // Step 5: Initialize JitsiMeetExternalAPI with JWT


        const domain = 'meet.mycompany.com';


        const options = {


            roomName: roomName,


            width: '100%',


            height: 700,


            parentNode: this.jitsiContainerRef.current,


            jwt: jwtToken, // Pass the securely generated JWT


            configOverwrite: {


                disableInviteFunctions: true, // Prevent users from inviting others outside the platform


                startWithAudioMuted: false,


                startWithVideoMuted: true,


                remoteVideoMenu: {


                    disableKick: true // Only moderators (via JWT) can kick


                }


            },


            interfaceConfigOverwrite: {


                APP_NAME: 'My Company Project Platform',


                DEFAULT_REMOTE_NAME: 'Team Member',


                JITSI_WATERMARK_LINK: 'https://mycompany.com',


                SHOW_BRAND_WATERMARK: true,


                BRAND_WATERMARK_LINK: 'https://mycompany.com/logo.svg' // Custom logo


            }


        };



        this.jitsiAPI = new JitsiMeetExternalAPI(domain, options);



        this.jitsiAPI.addEventListener('participantJoined', ({ id, displayName }) => {


            console.log(`Participant ${displayName} (${id}) joined the meeting.`);


        });


        this.jitsiAPI.addEventListener('videoConferenceLeft', () => {


            console.log('User left the conference.');


            // Handle cleanup or redirect after meeting ends


        });


    }



    componentWillUnmount() {


        if (this.jitsiAPI) {


            this.jitsiAPI.dispose(); // Clean up Jitsi API instance


        }


    }



    render() {


        return (


            <div style={{ height: '700px', width: '100%' }}>


                <div ref={this.jitsiContainerRef} style={{ height: '100%', width: '100%' }} />


            </div>


        );


    }


}

The result is an integrated, secure video conferencing experience. Users in the project management platform can click a button to join a meeting relevant to their context. Their name and moderation status are automatically handled, all within an interface that reflects the company's branding. The developer retains full control over meeting data and infrastructure.

Under the Hood: The Actual Tech Stack

Jitsi Meet is not one monolithic application, but an ecosystem of components built with diverse technologies. These components work together to deliver a video conferencing experience. The web client's primary language is TypeScript, reflecting its modern frontend architecture.

The core components are:

  • Jitsi Meet Web Client: The user-facing application, mostly written in TypeScript and JavaScript, uses React for its component-based UI. This client runs in the browser, communicating with backend services via WebRTC and XMPP.

  • Jitsi Videobridge (JVB): The SFU architecture's core, responsible for forwarding media streams. It is written in Java (with increasing Kotlin usage) and is optimized for performance.

  • Prosody: An XMPP server written in Lua, used for signaling (presence, messaging, conference management). Jitsi Meet extends Prosody with custom modules for authentication (like JWT support) and conference control.

  • Jicofo (Jitsi Conference Focus): A Java component that manages a conference's state, acts as the central control point for Jitsi Videobridge, and interacts with Prosody to coordinate participants.

  • Coturn: A C/C++ implementation of TURN (Traversal Using Relays around NAT) and STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT) servers. These are essential for WebRTC connections in complex network environments, especially when participants are behind firewalls or NATs.

  • Jigasi (Jitsi Gateway to SIP): A Java application that allows SIP clients to join Jitsi Meet conferences.

  • Jibri (Jitsi Broadcasting and Recording): A Java application that enables live streaming and recording of Jitsi Meet conferences, typically by running a headless Chrome instance to capture video and audio.

  • Nginx/Apache: Standard web servers used to serve the Jitsi Meet web client and proxy requests to other components.

The project's data and content are structured modularly. For the web client, configuration is handled through JavaScript files:

  • config.js: Contains core configuration settings, such as the Jitsi Videobridge URL, STUN/TURN server details, and general conference options.

  • interface_config.js: Focuses on UI-specific customizations like branding, welcome page options, and which toolbar buttons are visible.

Internally, the jitsi-meet repository's web/src/main/react directory shows a feature-driven development structure, common in large React applications.


jitsi-meet/

├── android/

├── doc/

├── ios/

├── lib-jitsi-meet/                  # Core JS library for WebRTC management

├── resources/

├── scripts/

├── web/                             # Jitsi Meet web client source

│   ├── build/                       # Build output directory

│   ├── css/

│   ├── images/

│   ├── src/

│   │   ├── main/

│   │   │   ├── react/               # React application root

│   │   │   │   ├── components/      # Reusable UI components

│   │   │   │   ├── features/        # Feature-specific modules (e.g., chat, conference, settings)

│   │   │   │   │   ├── analytics/

│   │   │   │   │   ├── chat/

│   │   │   │   │   ├── conference/

│   │   │   │   │   ├── app/

│   │   │   │   │   ├── base/        # Core base features

│   │   │   │   │   └── ...

│   │   │   │   ├── reducers.js      # Root Redux reducers

│   │   │   │   ├── store.js         # Redux store configuration

│   │   │   │   └── ...

│   │   │   └── index.js

│   │   └── index.html

│   ├── config.js                    # Main client configuration

│   ├── interface_config.js          # UI customization configuration

│   ├── static/

│   └── ...

└── ...

The build and deployment approach offers flexibility. For server components, Jitsi provides official Debian/Ubuntu packages, which simplify installation and updates. This is important for managing the numerous interconnected backend services. For developers, a Makefile in the jitsi-meet/web directory orchestrates the client-side build using Webpack, bundling the TypeScript and JavaScript sources into static assets. Docker Compose configurations are also available, providing a quick way to deploy a functional Jitsi Meet instance with all its dependencies for development or smaller-scale production environments. This hybrid approach, native packages for stability and Docker for flexibility, suits a range of deployment needs.

Building or Extending It: A Practical Guide

Setting up Jitsi Meet's web client locally for development or customization is simple. The project provides clear instructions, allowing developers to iterate on frontend changes quickly.

To begin, clone the main repository:


git clone https://github.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet.git

cd jitsi-meet/web

Once in the web directory, install the Node.js dependencies:

npm install # or yarn install if you prefer yarn

Then, to run the web client locally in development mode:



npm start

This command typically starts a local development server, often on http://localhost:8080, which will serve the Jitsi Meet client. It connects to a publicly available Jitsi instance (like meet.jit.si) by default, or you can configure it to point to your self-hosted Jitsi backend by modifying config.js.

Extending or customizing Jitsi Meet often means modifying the interface_config.js file for UI/branding or the config.js file for core functionality. For instance, to change the application name, add a custom watermark, or reorder toolbar buttons, you would edit interface_config.js:


// A snippet from web/interface_config.js for common customizations

var interfaceConfig = {

    APP_NAME: 'My Enterprise Conferencing', // Custom application name in the browser tab

    NATIVE_APP_NAME: 'My Enterprise Conferencing',


    PROVIDER_NAME: 'Acme Corp', // Displayed in some UI elements


    DEFAULT_REMOTE_NAME: 'Team Guest', // Default name for anonymous participants


    JITSI_WATERMARK_LINK: 'https://www.acmecorp.com', // Link when Jitsi watermark is clicked

    SHOW_BRAND_WATERMARK: true, // Show the brand watermark

    BRAND_WATERMARK_LINK: 'https://www.acmecorp.com/assets/logo.png', // Custom image for the watermark


    DISABLE_JUMPBOX: false, // Set to true to hide the "Join a meeting" input box


    TOOLBAR_BUTTONS: [ // Customize which buttons appear in the toolbar

        'microphone', 'camera', 'desktop', 'fullscreen', 'hangup', 'profile',

        'chat', 'recording', 'livestreaming', 'settings', 'raisehand',

        'videoquality', 'tileview', 'videobackgroundblur', 'security'

    ],


    SETTINGS_SECTIONS: [ 'devices', 'language', 'moderator', 'profile', 'calendar' ], // Control visible settings sections


    DEFAULT_BACKGROUND: '#1A2930', // Custom background color for the meeting interface

    INITIAL_TOOLBAR_TIMEOUT: 20000, // Initial toolbar visibility timeout in ms

    TOOLBAR_TIMEOUT: 4000, // Regular toolbar visibility timeout in ms

};

This snippet shows how to override default UI elements and behaviors, letting a developer tailor the experience to their specific organizational needs or branding.

A common issue for developers working on Jitsi Meet locally is WebRTC's security requirements. For full functionality, especially camera and microphone access, WebRTC contexts (like a Jitsi Meet session) require a secure origin (HTTPS). If you are running the client on http://localhost:8080, browsers typically block camera/mic access. While you can usually bypass this for localhost in browser settings, for a more realistic local development environment, it is best to set up HTTPS even for your local development server, or tunnel your local server using tools like ngrok to get a publicly accessible HTTPS URL. This ensures all WebRTC features are available as they would be in a production environment.

Contributing to the Project: The Open-Source PR Process

Contributing to Jitsi Meet is a way to engage with a mature, impactful open-source project. The process is well-defined and fosters collaboration.

Step 0: When to Open an Issue vs. Go Straight to a PR

  • Open an Issue FIRST: For significant new features, architectural changes, complex bug reports requiring discussion, or security concerns, always start with an issue. This allows maintainers and the community to provide feedback, clarify requirements, and ensure the proposed change aligns with the project's roadmap before you invest significant development time. Use descriptive titles and provide detailed reproduction steps or design proposals.

  • Go Straight to a PR: For clear fixes like typos in documentation, minor UI adjustments, simple bug fixes where the solution is obvious, or small performance improvements, you can often proceed directly to a pull request.

Step 1: Fork, Clone, and Install

Begin by forking the jitsi/jitsi-meet repository on GitHub to your own account. Then, clone your fork locally:


git clone https://github.com/your-username/jitsi-meet.git

cd jitsi-meet

# Ensure you are on the main branch or a recent release branch

git checkout main

Install the necessary dependencies. The jitsi-meet repository is a monorepo containing various parts. For changes to the web client, navigate to its directory and install Node.js dependencies:

cd web
npm install # or yarn install

If your changes span multiple modules or involve backend services, consult the respective README.md files for their specific build and setup instructions (e.g., lib-jitsi-meet).

Step 2: Locate the Correct File and Follow Conventions

The web client's source code primarily resides in web/src/main/react/features. Each sub-directory within features represents a distinct functional area of the application (e.g., chat, conference, settings).

  • Naming Conventions: Adhere to existing conventions. JavaScript/TypeScript files often use kebab-case for directories and PascalCase for React components.
  • Formatting: The project uses ESLint and Prettier. Ensure your code is formatted correctly by running npm run lint or npm run format locally before committing. This helps maintain code consistency across the codebase.

Step 3: Quality Bar for Contributions

Maintainers expect a high quality of contributions:

  • Functionality: The change must work as intended and solve the stated problem without introducing regressions.
  • Code Quality: Code should be clean, readable, well-structured, and follow established patterns. Use TypeScript correctly to leverage its type safety.
  • Tests: New features or bug fixes should come with unit or integration tests, especially for complex logic.
  • Performance & Security: Changes must not negatively impact performance or introduce security vulnerabilities.
  • Documentation: If your contribution adds a new feature or modifies existing configuration, update relevant documentation (e.g., README.md or comments).
  • UI/UX: For frontend changes, ensure visual consistency and a positive user experience.

Step 4: Open a Pull Request

After developing your changes, testing them locally, and committing them to a new branch in your fork, push your branch to GitHub. Then, navigate to the Jitsi Meet GitHub repository and open a new pull request.

  • Title Convention: Use a clear, concise title that summarizes your change (e.g., fix: Resolve audio issue on Safari, feat: Add option to mute all participants by default). Conventional Commits are often preferred, but clarity is important.
  • Description Checklist: Provide a detailed description of your PR:
    • What problem does it solve?
    • How does it solve it?
    • What are the steps to test it? (Include screenshots or videos for UI changes).
    • Link to any relevant issues (e.g., Closes #1234).
    • Mention any specific considerations or trade-offs.
  • Post-Merge: Once submitted, your PR will trigger automated CI checks. Maintainers and community members will review your code, provide feedback, and may request changes. Be responsive and open to suggestions. After approval and successful checks, a maintainer will merge your contribution into the main codebase.

Jitsi Meet is a tool for developers seeking control over their communication infrastructure. Its self-hostable, open-source nature provides privacy and customization, differentiating it from proprietary SaaS offerings. The project's architecture relies on WebRTC and an SFU model for scalable, performant communication built on open standards, making it robust and future-proof. Its active developer community, comprehensive technical stack, and clear contribution guidelines make it an inviting ecosystem for integration, extension, and collaborative development.

Learn more about Jitsi Meet's capabilities, explore its codebase, or join its community by visiting its official entry on Fossy.dev: https://fossy.dev/jitsi/jitsi-meet.