When you hear about open-source video conferencing tools, Jitsi is often at the top of the list. It’s fast, secure, and free to use. But have you ever wondered how it works behind the scenes?
In this article, you’ll get a clear, beginner-friendly explanation of Jitsi architecture—how the system is designed, how the components talk to each other, and why it’s become a go-to solution for many developers and businesses alike.
What Is Jitsi?
Jitsi is an open-source project that allows you to build and deploy your own video conferencing platform. The most popular version is Jitsi Meet, which provides a browser-based, secure video meeting experience—without requiring any downloads or sign-ups.
Whether you’re hosting meetings for your team, building a telehealth platform, or launching a webinar tool, understanding the Jitsi Meet architecture helps you make smarter decisions around performance, scalability, and customization.
Why You Should Understand Jitsi Architecture
If you’re planning to deploy or scale a video conferencing app, you need more than just the UI. You need to understand:
- What happens behind the scenes when users join a call
- How Jitsi manages bandwidth and audio/video streams
- How to scale it for hundreds or thousands of users
Grasping the Jitsi architecture gives you control over both the performance and the privacy of your video communication platform.
Core Components of Jitsi Architecture
Jitsi is made up of several components, each with a specific job. Here’s a breakdown of the most important ones:
1. Jitsi Meet (Frontend)
This is the web application users interact with. It’s a React-based client that runs in your browser and connects to the rest of the architecture via WebRTC.
2. Jicofo (Jitsi Conference Focus)
Jicofo acts as the “orchestrator.” It creates and manages video conferences, handles participant permissions, and connects users to the video bridge.
3. JVB (Jitsi Video Bridge)
This is where the real magic happens. JVB handles the actual transmission of video and audio streams between users. It forwards streams instead of mixing them, making it highly scalable and efficient.
4. Prosody (XMPP Server)
Prosody manages the signaling between users. It handles things like chat messages, presence updates, and conference joining.
5. WebRTC
WebRTC is the underlying technology enabling real-time communication. It’s what makes audio and video streams possible inside your browser.
How Jitsi Meet Architecture Works Together
Let’s say you join a Jitsi call. Here’s what happens step by step:
- You open a room in Jitsi Meet.
- Your browser talks to the Prosody server to start the signaling process.
- Prosody asks Jicofo to set up a new video conference.
- Jicofo creates a session and tells the Jitsi Video Bridge (JVB) to prepare.
- You and other participants send your media (audio/video) streams directly to JVB.
- JVB then forwards the streams to everyone else in the call.
This flow ensures minimal latency and efficient resource use. It’s not just clean—it’s clever.
Jitsi Architecture Diagram (Simplified Overview)
While we can’t show a diagram here, imagine the architecture like this:
Browser Clients ←→ Jitsi Meet (React App)
Jitsi Meet ←→ Prosody (XMPP Signaling)
Prosody ←→ Jicofo (Conference Manager)
Jicofo ←→ JVB (Media Forwarder)
WebRTC enables the connection between browser clients and JVB
If you Google “jitsi architecture diagram,” you’ll find several visual representations showing these layers in action.
Real-World Example: Scaling with Jitsi
Let’s say you’re a telehealth startup offering video consultations. You start with 10 doctors and 50 patients daily. Things grow quickly, and now you need to host multiple calls at the same time without crashing the server.
By understanding Jitsi architecture, you know:
- You can deploy multiple JVBs and load-balance traffic between them
- You can use Octo, Jitsi’s feature for multi-bridge connections, to distribute calls across different regions
- You can monitor JVB performance and scale dynamically using tools like Prometheus + Grafana
This insight saves you from costly outages and ensures a better user experience.
Conclusion
Jitsi architecture is a powerful, modular system that gives you full control over your video conferencing solution. From Jitsi Meet as the user-facing layer to JVB handling real-time media, each part plays a key role in creating a seamless, scalable communication experience.
If you’re building your own platform or simply want to understand how Jitsi works, this architecture gives you the foundation to do it right.
Want help deploying or scaling Jitsi for your business?
Reach out to our experts. We specialize in customized, high-performance Jitsi deployments.
FAQ
Yes, you can scale Jitsi horizontally by adding more JVBs and using load balancing or Octo for regional distribution.
Absolutely. It uses end-to-end encryption for one-on-one calls, supports password-protected rooms, and runs on your servers if self-hosted.
Yes, the frontend is fully customizable. You can change the logo, add features, or integrate it with your existing platform.
Jicofo manages the session setup and participant control, while JVB is responsible for forwarding the actual media streams.
No, it runs in the browser via WebRTC. But mobile SDKs are available if you want native iOS or Android apps.
