WebRTC: what it is and what you need to know about working with a project
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It is difficult to imagine the modern world without multimedia products, audio and video conferencing tools. They are used by business representatives, as well as ordinary users who find cognitive communication with like-minded people and even relatives on the network. But few people think about the technology on the basis of which all this works. And this is WebRTC, that is, Web Real Time Communications.
Now let's get acquainted with this technology in more detail, the advantages of its use. And also let's talk about one serious limitation associated with WebRTC and how to bypass it. If your work is related to attracting the target audience to Internet resources, we suggest reading what CPA-networks and how they work.
Introducing WebRTC
At its core, WebRTC – is an open source project based on the HTML-5 web structuring language. This network protocol was developed by Google and is designed to work with different browsers:
- Opera.
- Google Chrome.
- Safari.
- Yandex Browser.
- Firefox Mozilla.
It provides real-time communication through search engines, including mobile devices. Here, browsers directly interact with each other, do not require additional connection of third-party modules. This solution provided the simplest possible file exchange, video and audio communication between users, regardless of where they are in the world.
In its work, WebRTC uses a huge number of additional (embedded) products. So, FreeConference Connect is focused exclusively on audio and video conferencing. By its nature, WebRTC is peer-to-peer. And this is the key to the most reliable connection, the clarity of which will at times exceed the performance of such a classic counterpart as VoIP. But recently, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who use WebRTC capabilities for file sharing as well. It is very convenient when you can send them directly without uploading them to the server. It also significantly reduces the shipping time.
Main Benefits of WebRTC
If we talk in more detail about the benefits of WebRTC, then the following 3 points deserve special attention:
- Completely no need for downloads. Today, this technology is supported by different browsers, all types of operating systems and most of the devices running on the Android OS. And this means that you can make audio and video calls from absolutely any device that supports this technology, be it a personal computer, laptop, tablet or Android phone. It does not require the connection of any third-party programs. If you plan to work with browsers in which WebRTC is not built-in by default, for example, Internet Explorer, TOR, then you should use additional plug-ins that will provide you with access to the capabilities of this technology.
- Faster and better connection. We have already said that work between user browsers will be carried out directly. Special WebRTC codecs make it possible to conduct video conferences in HD quality, provide literally instantaneous transfer of file documentation. In addition, the number of missed calls, both video and audio, is minimized. In terms of reliability, such a connection will be many times superior to classic VoIP, as we have already mentioned above.
- Cross-platform. WebRTC foundation – HTML-5 protocol, which is currently supported by almost all browsers and platforms. It also supports JavaScript. The main condition that must be observed in the work: the presence of all those commands that ensure the interaction of the browser and the operating system. This technology is still relatively new. In particular, it is not supported by iOS devices. But it all comes down to the fact that this is only a matter of time, and close enough.
That is, you can receive audio and video calls from other users, participate in conferences without installing any third-party applications on your device. But, along with this, it must be understood that the technology determines only the general standard for the transmission of video and sound. And this means that individual solutions of certain browsers in the process of addressing subscribers and other management processes may be incompatible with each other. Another limitation that exists today – the impossibility of holding group conferences. Although they can be organized, but with an additional connection to the work of specialized applications.
Some usage examples
Browsers that support WebRTC already have a built-in getUserMedia function with a so-called vendor prefix (there is an individual or legal entity that provides this service). To access a particular device in a workflow, this technology uses three key parameters:
- View object. It can be audio, video content, their combination, file documents.
- A function that, in case of a successful connection, receives control.
- The function to which control will be passed if the connection is not successful.
In practice it would look like this:
We talked about the fact that WebRTC is not directly suitable for organizing group video conferences, including using different browsers. And this is understandable, because the technology was originally designed for such a type of connection as a point-to-point (peer-to-peer network). But, experts, having appreciated its convenience, manufacturability and prospects, have developed additional software and hardware products that provide the ability to use in difficult working conditions, which include the same group chat. Using WebRTC servers, it will also be possible to tie third-party devices to browsers, as an example of an IP-camera that uses RTSP / RTP in operation, as well as SIP and H.323 terminals.
And now about the limitations of work.
Problem of IP-address leak via WebRTC
Every day, more and more users use mobile proxy servers to ensure anonymous and secure online browsing. And this is the right and reasonable decision. These servers in the workflow replace the real IP-address of the user device and its geolocation with their own technical parameters. By hiding these indicators, a high level of confidentiality of networking is ensured, protection from hacker attacks and any other unauthorized access. Mobile proxies are indispensable for those who work with a tool such as multi-accounting – with them, the simultaneous promotion of multiple personal pages using applications to automate actions without the risk of getting banned – this is reality. And by choosing the appropriate GEO and network operator, you can effectively bypass regional blocking.
We can talk about the features and benefits of using mobile proxies for a very long time. But this is not the topic of our review. Moreover, you can read about everything on the website of the service provider, the MobileProxy.Space service, by clicking on the link https://mobileproxy.space/en/user.html?buyproxy. The technologies themselves (WebRTC and mobile proxies) do not intersect. But the problem is that an IP-address can be leaked via WebRTC. This is due to the direct data transfer that this technology supports. It turns out that WebRTC in operation simply bypasses the proxy server. This means that the network will see your real IP address and geolocation.
What to do in this situation? The only solution that will give the desired result – this is turning off WebRTC every time you need to ensure the anonymity of the network. Or it would be more correct to say turn on WebRTC only when the need arises for this technology, in particular, when conducting audio and video conferences, transferring files. The shutdown process itself will be simple and convenient if you use special plugins: Webrtc leak, WebRTC leak prevent, Webrtc Control, diasble WebRTC. Also, such actions can be done directly through the settings of the browser or your user device.