Jitsi Meet: Self-Hosted Video Conferencing

What Is Jitsi Meet?

Jitsi Meet is an open-source video conferencing application built on WebRTC that enables secure, high-quality video meetings directly in the browser �?no downloads required. Originally developed by Atlassian and now maintained by 8x8, Jitsi provides a complete alternative to Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams that can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure.

Jitsi’s architecture is modular and scalable:

• Jitsi Meet: The frontend web application (React/TypeScript)
• Jitsi Videobridge: The media server that routes audio/video between participants
• Jicofo: The conference focus component that manages signaling
• Prosody: XMPP server for authentication and room management

Together, these components create a complete video conferencing platform with features rivaling commercial offerings.

Core Features

Video & Audio Quality

• Adaptive Bitrate: Automatically adjusts video quality based on network conditions.
• Opus Audio: High-quality, low-latency audio codec with automatic gain control and noise suppression.
• VP8/VP9/H.264: Video codec support with hardware acceleration where available.
• Echo Cancellation: Advanced acoustic echo cancellation for better audio in shared spaces.
• Bandwidth Management: Prioritizes audio during network congestion to maintain call quality.

Meeting Features

• Screen Sharing: Full screen, application window, or browser tab sharing.
• Recording: Local recording (participant-side) and server-side recording with Jibri.
• Chat: In-meeting text chat with file sharing and emoji support.
• Raise Hand: Visual indicator for participants wanting to speak.
• Reactions: Emoji reactions (clap, laugh, thumbs up) that appear on video.
• Breakout Rooms: Create separate discussion groups within a meeting.
• Live Streaming: Stream meetings to YouTube Live or RTMP endpoints.
• Whiteboard: Collaborative drawing board with shapes, text, and freehand drawing.
• Polls: Create and share polls during meetings with real-time results.

Security & Privacy

• End-to-End Encryption: Optional E2EE for audio/video (experimental, requires all participants to enable).
• Password Protection: Require a password to join meetings.
• Lobby/Waiting Room: Host can admit participants individually.
• Lock Room: Prevent new participants from joining.
• Kick/Remove Participants: Host can remove disruptive participants.
• Moderation Controls: Mute all, disable video, disable chat for participants.
• Self-Hosted: All data stays on your servers �?no third-party access.

Integration & Extensibility

• JWT Authentication: Integrate with existing identity providers (LDAP, OAuth, SAML).
• API: REST API for room management, user provisioning, and statistics.
• Webhooks: Notify external services when meetings start/end.
• Mobile Apps: iOS and Android apps available via App Store/Play Store.
• Calendar Integration: Add to Google Calendar or Outlook with meeting links.
• Embedding: Embed Jitsi Meet in other applications via iframe or React component.

Installation & Setup

Deployment Options

Method	Difficulty	Best For
Docker (Quick Install)	Easy	Testing, small teams (�?10 participants)
Debian/Ubuntu Package	Moderate	Production deployments, up to 100 participants
Kubernetes Helm Chart	Advanced	Scalable deployments, 100+ participants
Jitsi Meet SaaS	Very Easy	No hosting, limited to 8x8’s free tier

Docker Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/jitsi/docker-jitsi-meet
cd docker-jitsi-meet
cp env.example .env
./gen-passwords.sh
mkdir -p ~/.jitsi-meet-cfg/{web,transcripts,prosody,jicofo,jvb,jigasi,jibri}
docker-compose up -d

Access at https://localhost:8443 (or your server’s IP/DNS).

Production Deployment Checklist

1. Domain & SSL: Set up a domain (e.g., meet.yourcompany.com) and SSL certificates (Let’s Encrypt via certbot).
2. Firewall: Open ports 80/tcp, 443/tcp, 10000/udp (media), 4443/tcp (TURN).
3. TURN Server: Configure coturn for NAT traversal (essential for participants behind restrictive firewalls).
4. Authentication: Set up JWT or LDAP authentication to prevent unauthorized room creation.
5. Monitoring: Configure Prometheus metrics and Grafana dashboards.
6. Backup: Regular backups of configuration and recordings.

Scaling Considerations

• Single Server: Up to 100 participants (depends on CPU/RAM/bandwidth).
• Multiple JVBs: Distribute load across multiple Jitsi Videobridge instances.
• Load Balancer: Use HAProxy or nginx for high availability.
• Geographic Distribution: Deploy JVBs in multiple regions for lower latency.
• Database: PostgreSQL for persistent room data (optional, default is in-memory).

Practical Workflows

Company-Wide Deployment

1. Deploy Jitsi on internal infrastructure with LDAP authentication.
2. Configure custom branding (logo, colors, favicon) in config.js.
3. Set up calendar integration so meeting invites automatically include Jitsi links.
4. Train employees on features: screen sharing, recording, breakout rooms.
5. Monitor usage with Prometheus metrics and adjust resources as needed.

Educational Institution

1. Deploy with classroom-specific features: hand raising, moderator controls.
2. Integrate with LMS (Moodle, Canvas) via LTI for single sign-on.
3. Configure Jibri for automatic recording of lectures.
4. Set up live streaming to YouTube for large classes.
5. Create department-specific subdomains: science.meet.university.edu, arts.meet.university.edu.

Healthcare Telemedicine

1. Deploy with HIPAA-compliant infrastructure (encrypted storage, access logs).
2. Configure waiting rooms for patient privacy.
3. Integrate with EHR systems for appointment scheduling.
4. Set up recording with automatic upload to secure storage.
5. Train staff on security features: room locking, participant removal.

Community Events

1. Use public instance (meet.jit.si) for one-off events.
2. Create persistent room URLs: meet.jit.si/CommunityWeekly.
3. Enable live streaming to reach larger audience.
4. Use breakout rooms for smaller discussion groups.
5. Record sessions for later viewing.

Community & Ecosystem

Mobile Apps

• iOS: Available on App Store (Jitsi Meet)
• Android: Available on Play Store (Jitsi Meet)
• Features: Same as web �?video, audio, screen sharing, chat
• Development: Open source, can be customized and rebranded

Integrations

• Matrix/Riot.im: Native Jitsi integration for encrypted chat platforms.
• Nextcloud Talk: Jitsi integration for file sharing and collaboration.
• Moodle: LTI integration for learning management systems.
• Rocket.Chat: Video conferencing within team chat.
• BigBlueButton: Migration tools available for educational institutions.

Development Resources

• Jitsi Handbook: handbook.jitsi.org �?Comprehensive deployment and configuration guide.
• Community Forum: community.jitsi.org �?Active community for support and feature requests.
• GitHub Issues: github.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet/issues �?Bug reports and feature tracking.
• API Documentation: jitsi.github.io/handbook/docs/dev-guide/dev-guide-iframe

Comparison with Paid Alternatives

Feature	Jitsi Meet (Self-hosted)	Zoom	Google Meet	Microsoft Teams
Cost	Free + infrastructure	$14.99/mo/host	$6/mo/user	$4/mo/user
Privacy	Complete control	Limited	Limited	Limited
Max Participants	Unlimited (scalable)	100-1000	100-500	300-1000
Recording	Local/server	Cloud	Cloud	Cloud
Breakout Rooms	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Live Streaming	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
End-to-End Encryption	Experimental	Yes	No	No
Custom Branding	Full	Limited	No	Limited
Learning Curve	Steep	Easy	Easy	Easy

Jitsi wins on privacy, customization, and total cost of ownership. Zoom wins on ease of use and feature polish. Google Meet wins for G Suite integration. Microsoft Teams wins for Office 365 integration and team collaboration features.

Who Should Use Jitsi Meet?

Perfect For

• Organizations with strict data privacy requirements (government, healthcare, legal)
• Educational institutions needing control over student data
• Companies with existing infrastructure and DevOps teams
• Privacy-conscious individuals and communities
• Developers building custom video conferencing solutions

Not Ideal For

• Small teams without technical staff to manage deployment
• One-off meetings where convenience trumps privacy
• Users requiring guaranteed 99.9% uptime without in-house operations
• Organizations needing deep integration with commercial productivity suites

Verdict

Jitsi Meet represents the pinnacle of what open-source collaboration software can achieve. Its feature set genuinely competes with commercial platforms, while its self-hosted nature provides unparalleled control over privacy and data sovereignty. The trade-off is complexity �?deploying and maintaining Jitsi requires technical expertise. But for organizations that value ownership over convenience, Jitsi delivers a video conferencing solution that respects both budgets and principles.

Download: jitsi.org/downloads