WebRTC media streaming is a technology that enables easy media transmission using only a web browser. In recent years it became increasingly popular due to its simplicity. There was a time when you had to develop something that would allow voice or video calling, most likely using C or C++.

WebRTC changes all that by replacing C/C++ with a Javascript API. This makes it far easier to develop and integrate real-time communications anywhere. Generally speaking, WebRTC has huge advantages because it’s free, open-source, and highly accessible. That’s why you should have a streaming platform that has full WebRTC support, and to make your life easier, Gravum web development specialists give you an overview of the best WebRTC media servers that support WebRTC.

Top WebRTC Media Streaming Engines

 – Kurento

Kurento is not only is a media server, but also a toolkit to build one. The main advantage of Kurento is its versatility by introducing the concept of a Media Workflow that allows defining in code how and where the media flows. This allows a WebRTC developer to compose and integrate very interesting features such as computer vision, real-time media modification, and interop with RTP (VoIP) services.

Kurento can also be configured to function as SFU or MCU, or both, in a single instance. Kurento is an Open source WebRTC media server. This supports both audio and video and also offers a set of client APIs which allows the developer to create advanced video applications for WWW and smartphone platforms. Kurento Media Server features include group communications, transcoding, recording, mixing, broadcasting, and routing of audiovisual flows.

 – Wowza

Wowza media server is capable enough to provide content with 4K Ultra HD resolution and it can be easily accessed over a wide range of devices like set-top boxes, computers, mobile devices, and TVs. Wowza is commonly used by organizations that are interested in developing customized solutions for streaming media needs. Wowza services are actually highly scalable so they become suitable for media, universities as well as large business houses.

Wowza Streaming Engine can ingest WebRTC content from a web browser and then record, transmux, and transcode it to other streaming protocols, such as Apple HLS, HDS, RTMP, RTSP, and Smooth Streaming for delivery to browser-based, no-plug-in-required players. In addition, Wowza Streaming Engine can transmux other protocols for delivery as WebRTC content.

 – Jitsi

The most appealing feature of the Jitsi platform is that it includes everything for a communication platform to be up and running in a matter of a few hours.  It also implements its own signaling using Jingle (XMPP) and a fully featured web interface. Jitsi is a set of open-source projects that allows you to easily build and deploy secure videoconferencing solutions. At the heart of Jitsi are Jitsi Videobridge and Jitsi Meet, which let you have conferences on the internet, while other projects in the community enable other features such as audio, dial-in, recording, and simulcasting. Jitsi supports advanced video routing concepts such as simulcast, bandwidth estimations, scalable video coding, and many others.

– Red5 Pro

Red5 is an open-source media server for live streaming solutions of all kinds. It is designed to be flexible with a simple plugin architecture that allows for customization of virtually any VOD and live streaming scenario. Red5 has been and is being used by thousands of companies from Amazon to Facebook. First created in 2005 by a team of developers that reversed RTMP as an alternative to the Flash Communication Server, Red5 is now used for live streaming beyond Flash including HLS, WebSockets, and RTSP.

As part of the Google Summer of Code, the Red5 team is currently building support for WebRTC to enable streaming in the browser without a plugin. Built on the open-source Red5 Server, Red5 Pro allows you to build scalable live streaming and second screen applications. No other toolset offers this much flexibility or ease of use. We handle the details of live real-time communication so you can focus on building your app. Build Facetime-like experiences that connect seamlessly across platforms including Android, iOS, Flash and HTML5

 – Ant Media

Ant Media allows developers to broadcast live video from their browser with WebRTC and live stream can be distributed to many with RTMP and HLS, thanks to WebRTC Adapter. In other words, users can broadcast live video from browsers as they do with a flash plugin, fortunately, this time there is no need for any third-party plugin. Ant Media Server is a free and open-source WebRTC media server that has some additional life-saving features for developers. For instance, it supports MP4 recording for live RTMP streams. It supports HLS and RTSP so that streams live or VoD can play almost on all web browsers. It has also 360-degree video and adaptive bitrate support in enterprise edition.

Conclusion

Experts say that WebRTC could become the new standard for companies as a means of customer service. Some predict that 15% of companies will have WebRTC in 2019. Today WebRTC has almost completely replaced Flash for real-time communications and several sectors have taken advantage of the technology. While it’s not sure if WebRTC is going to take over the world, but it sure is a powerful driving force, so it’s good to have a media streaming engine that supports it.