Janus

Janus is an open-source, general purpose WebRTC server designed for building real time communication services. It functions as a server side component that handles the complexities of WebRTC, allowing developers to create custom communication applications without needing to implement the entire protocol stack from scratch.

The software is primarily tailored for Linux systems, though it can be compiled and installed on MacOS. On Windows, it is compatible via the Windows Subsystem for Linux. It is deployed as a server that can be controlled through various API interfaces to manage media streams and signaling, making it suitable for a wide range of real time communication use cases.

Key features

• Support for WebSockets API for server control
• REST API integration for management
• Data Channels support via usrsctp
• SIP integration through the Sofia-SIP plugin
• Audio bridging capabilities using libopus
• Streaming and recording functionality with libogg
• Integration with RabbitMQ, MQTT, and Nanomsg for events and API control
• Support for BoringSSL or OpenSSL for secure communications

Janus uses a plugin based architecture, which allows users to enable only the specific functionality required for their project. This modular approach supports a wide range of integrations, including Lua and Duktape for scripting, which provides flexibility in how the server behaves. The server relies on several core dependencies such as libnice for ICE and libsrtp for secure transport. It is intended for developers and system architects who need a flexible infrastructure to build video conferencing, virtual offices, or other real time media services. By decoupling the signaling from the media handling, it provides a versatile foundation for various communication topologies.

Janus serves as a foundational infrastructure tool for developers building scalable WebRTC applications on Unix like systems.