Detailed Introduction
LiveKit is a developer-focused realtime stack that provides a distributed WebRTC SFU, production-ready server, and a set of client and server SDKs. It exposes audio, video, data channels, and streaming capabilities for applications, supports self-hosted and cloud-hosted deployments, and ships example apps and live demos to accelerate integration.
Main Features
- Scalable SFU for multi-region, high-concurrency conferencing.
- Cross-platform SDKs: JavaScript/TypeScript, iOS, Android, Flutter, Unity, Rust, and more.
- Production features: JWT authentication, webhooks, egress (recording/export), and ingress (RTMP/WHIP).
- Easy deployment: single binary, Docker images, and Kubernetes examples.
Use Cases
Suitable for multi-party video conferencing, low-latency interactive classrooms, live streaming, multiplayer realtime games, remote collaboration, and scenarios that combine real-time media with AI services (e.g., real-time transcription or voice assistants). Teams can self-host for compliance and performance or use LiveKit Cloud for fast time-to-market.
Technical Features
- Multi-protocol control: gRPC/HTTP APIs with JSON and Protobuf payloads.
- Media optimizations: SVC, simulcast, AV1/VP9 support, and jitter/latency mitigation.
- Observability: built-in metrics and Prometheus-compatible endpoints for monitoring.
- Open-source ecosystem under Apache-2.0 with active community and example repositories.