WebRTC Connection Setup
How to establish reliable P2P connections using WebRTC.
Challenge
Setting up WebRTC connections between browsers requires handling signaling, ICE candidates, and connection negotiation.
What I Tried
- Simple WebSocket Signaling: Used a lightweight signaling server to exchange connection info
- STUN Server Configuration: Configured public STUN servers for NAT traversal
- Connection State Management: Implemented proper state handling for connection lifecycle
What Worked
- Using multiple STUN servers improved connection success rate
- Implementing connection timeout and retry logic made it more reliable
- QR code for signaling info exchange simplified the pairing process
What Didn't Work
- Initially tried without STUN servers - failed on different networks
- Complex UI for manual connection info exchange - too cumbersome
Conclusion
WebRTC setup is straightforward once you understand the signaling flow. The key is having a simple signaling mechanism and proper STUN/TURN server configuration.
If I Were to Do It Again
Would implement TURN server fallback for corporate networks with strict firewall rules.