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v0.6.0

WebRTC videoconferencing UI built on the Janus Gateway

BetaOpen SourceMIT
Updated2 years ago
LanguageJavaScript
Setup difficultyModerate
Stars
447
Requires
Janus Gateway
Install with Linux
jangouts screenshot 1

What is jangouts?

Jangouts (a blend of "Janus" and "Hangouts") is a videoconferencing front end whose interface draws loosely on Google Hangouts, intended as a fully self-run open-source option for that kind of service. Calls carry video, voice, screen broadcast and typed chat, spread over as many conference rooms as you like, each with its own configurable ceiling on participants. All real WebRTC work is delegated to a Janus Gateway server that must have data-channel support and the videoroom plugin turned on, so the app itself ships only browser code: grab the release archive, put its build directory onto an HTTP server, optionally add a config.json file telling clients where your gateway lives or switching on verbose logging, and let a web server of your choice (Apache is the documented example) serve the folder. Deployment notes cover Apache with SSL and proxying the gateway over WebSockets or plain REST, which matters because browsers typically block screen broadcast and even camera and microphone transmission on non-HTTPS connections. The internal plugin mechanism is currently turned off, with people who need it pointed at the 0.5.x release, and a separate guide covers development setup with Node.js and npm. Releases are pre-1.0 and infrequent, and the app has no accounts or authentication of its own.

Should you self-host jangouts?

jangouts scores 42/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #22 of 25 in Video Conferencing. It has 447 GitHub stars.

There was no stable release in the past 12 months, so check the repository's recent activity before you rely on it.

Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. It is MIT-licensed and written mostly in JavaScript.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is BigBlueButton (73/100, 9 258 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See jangouts vs BigBlueButton side by side.

Features

  • Browser-only client
  • Debug logging
  • Multiple conference rooms
  • Plugin SupportTemporarily disabled in the current version; plugins need Jangouts 0.5.x.
  • Screen sharingNeeds SSL: browsers refuse screen sharing over non-HTTPS WebRTC connections.
  • Text Chat
  • Video and audio calls
  • WebSockets or REST access to Janus

jangouts README

How to install jangouts

Install jangouts with Linux

a running janus server with support for data channels compiled in, with the videoroom plugin enabled

The easiest way to get Jangouts is to download the latest archive from the Jangouts releases page at Github. For deployment purposes, the only relevant directory in that archive is the one called build, which contains the files to be served by the HTTP server to the participants' browsers.

sudo zypper in apache2

Copy the content of build directly into /srv/www/htdocs/

sudo systemctl start apache2.service

Any web server can serve the build directory; the steps above are the README's (open)SUSE Apache example. The Janus Gateway the clients talk to can itself be started with the repository's docker-compose file, distribution packages or from source.

How to configure jangouts

  • janusDebugParameter in config.json that activates a more verbose logging mode for the communication with the Janus gateway.

    Parameter in config.json that activates a more verbose logging mode for the communication with the Janus gateway.

    values: true, "all", or other values to fine-tune the logging level

jangouts releases & version history

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