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Jitsi

From Alfawiki
Jitsi
Company typeOpen-source software project
IndustryTelecommunications software
Founded2003
FounderEmil Ivov
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsJitsi Desktop, Jitsi Videobridge, Jitsi Meet, Jigasi, lib-jitsi-meet, Jidesha
Owner8x8 (since 2018)

Jitsi—a term originating from the Bulgarian word for "wires"—is an ensemble of free, open-source applications designed for VoIP, video conferencing, and instant messaging that operate across multiple platforms including Web, Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and Android.[1][2] Initially launched as Jitsi Desktop (previously known as SIP Communicator), the project pivoted with the emergence of WebRTC technology to focus on Jitsi Videobridge, which facilitates multi-user video calls directly through web browsers. Following this, the developers created Jitsi Meet, a full-featured video conferencing solution compatible with all major operating systems. Jitsi also maintains meet.jit.si, a community-driven free hosting service for Jitsi Meet. Other related initiatives include Jigasi, lib-jitsi-meet, and Jidesha.[3][4]

The project has garnered backing from organizations such as the NLnet Foundation,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name the University of Strasbourg and Region of Alsace,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Data Consultancy Services, as well as the European Commission.[5] Additionally, Jitsi has been involved in several rounds of the Google Summer of Code initiative.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

History

Development on what was initially called SIP Communicator started in 2003 as a student endeavor by Emil Ivov at the University of Strasbourg. It first appeared as a sample video phone implementation within the JAIN-SIP framework before evolving into an independent project.

BlueJimp (2009–2015)

In 2009, Emil Ivov established BlueJimp with the goal of employing principal contributors to Jitsi and offering professional development and support services linked to the software.

By 2011, after integrating audio and video communication capabilities via XMPP's Jingle extensions, the project was renamed to Jitsi to better represent its expanded functionality beyond SIP. The term "Jitsi" is derived from the Bulgarian word meaning "wires" (Bulgarian "жици").

In 2013, Jitsi launched Videobridge, which supports multiparty video conferencing through a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) design. That same year saw the addition of WebRTC-based browser calling features. BlueJimp showcased this innovation commercially by providing a complimentary hosted platform at meet.jit.si.

On November 4, 2014, the combined effort "Jitsi + Ostel" received a score of 6 out of 7 on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's secure messaging evaluation, missing one point due to a lack of a recent independent code audit.

On February 1, 2015, version 2.6 was unveiled at the Free and Open Source Software Developers' European Meeting held in Brussels. This release addressed security vulnerabilities, discontinued support for the deprecated MSN protocol and SSLv3 in XMPP, and introduced performance enhancements such as bundling Java 8 on OS X. It also incorporated the embedded Java database Hyper SQL Database to better manage large configuration files. Additional improvements optimized audio subsystems on both Linux and OS X platforms.

Atlassian Ownership (2015–2018)

On April 5, 2015, BlueJimp was acquired by Atlassian. Following this acquisition, Atlassian redirected its efforts away from advancing Jitsi Desktop, instead concentrating on initiatives such as Jitsi Videobridge and Jitsi Meet. Meanwhile, the open source community has taken responsibility for ongoing maintenance of Jitsi Desktop. In 2017, Jitsi was incorporated as a widget within the Element instant messaging platform.

Acquisition by 8x8 (2018–present)

In October 2018, 8x8 took ownership of Jitsi from Atlassian, broadening its range of open-source video conferencing technologies.

Core Projects

The Jitsi GitHub organization manages 132 repositories, with the principal projects including:

Jitsi Meet
A video conferencing server designed for rapid installation on Debian and Ubuntu server environments
Jitsi Videobridge
A WebRTC Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) that facilitates multi-party video calls
Jigasi
A server-side gateway allowing SIP endpoints to participate in Jitsi Meet sessions through Jitsi Videobridge
lib-jitsi-meet
A JavaScript API that enables customization of the Jitsi Meet interface
Jidesha
A Chrome extension that integrates with Jitsi Meet
Jitsi Desktop
A communication client supporting audio, video, and chat across SIP, XMPP/Jabber, AIM/ICQ, and IRC protocols

Jitsi Meet

Jitsi Meet is a WebRTC-based open source JavaScript application focused on video conferencing. It supports features such as audio and video communication, screen sharing, and meeting invitations via generated URLs. Users can access it through web browsers or dedicated mobile applications. The server software is compatible with Linux distributions. The current owner, 8x8, provides a free public instance accommodating up to 100 participants at meet.jit.si.

Notable Features of Jitsi Meet

  • In 2021, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) was introduced with dynamic key management to replace previous static key setups. Additional security measures include TLS encryption between clients and servers via Jitsi Videobridge (JVB), along with extended support for mobile platforms.
  • Meeting sessions can be recorded either by streaming directly to YouTube or saving files locally. For self-hosted installations, configuring Jibri is necessary to enable recording capabilities.
  • The application operates entirely within standards-compliant web browsers without requiring any extra client-side software installation.

Jitsi Videobridge

Jitsi Videobridge is a WebRTC-powered video conferencing server that supports multiuser video communication. Functioning as a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU), it selectively forwards media streams to participants rather than mixing them, which reduces CPU usage and improves overall performance.

Jitsi Desktop

To differentiate it from associated projects such as Jitsi Videobridge and Jitsi Meet, the original client was renamed Jitsi Desktop. Initially developed for IPv6 testing, its capabilities gradually extended beyond the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). While the core Jitsi developers no longer actively maintain it, the user community continues to provide support.

Capabilities Jitsi Desktop is compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, BSD, as well as mobile platforms like iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and Android via App Store, Google Play, and F-Droid. Its business-oriented functionalities include:

  • Call transfer options both attended and blind
  • Features such as auto away status, auto reconnect, auto answer, and auto call forwarding
  • Ability to record calls and secure communications through SRTP and ZRTP encryption
  • Support for conference calls with group video facilitated by Jitsi Videobridge
  • Direct media connections enabled by the ICE protocol
  • Desktop sharing and file transfers across multiple messaging protocols (XMPP, AIM/ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger)
  • End-to-end encryption for instant messaging using OTR
  • IPv6 compatibility for SIP and XMPP protocols
  • Media relay support via the TURN protocol
  • Voice and video calling with support for H.264, H.263, VP8 video codecs and SILK, G.722, Speex, Opus wideband audio codecs
  • DTMF signaling implemented through SIP INFO and RTP methods
  • Zeroconf service discovery utilizing mDNS/DNS-SD alongside DNSSEC security features
  • Packet loss concealment mechanisms provided by SILK and Opus codecs

These attributes establish Jitsi Desktop as a flexible communication solution suitable for a variety of corporate settings.

Reception and Usage

In April 2020, Wirecutter—a product review site owned by The New York Times—recommended Jitsi Meet among its leading video conferencing tools, describing it as "user-friendly and dependable." The review emphasized that Jitsi’s audio and video quality was "noticeably clearer and sharper" compared to Zoom or Webex, although Cisco Webex remained favored for enterprises with larger scale needs.

During the COVID-19 outbreak in April 2020, 8x8 reported that Jitsi achieved 10.4 million active users per month worldwide. Multiple institutions and universities have implemented their own scalable Jitsi-based conferencing platforms; examples include fairkom’s EU-hosted fairmeeting service and Goethe University Frankfurt.

Nonetheless, in 2023 the non-profit organization Digitalcourage advised against utilizing the free meet.jit.si platform due to concerns over user tracking, compulsory login through Google, GitHub, or Facebook accounts, as well as hosting on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which they claim does not comply with GDPR regulations.

See also

External links

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named jitsi.org
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named App-Store
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