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Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is MiroTalk?

MiroTalk is an open-source, self-hosted suite of WebRTC-based applications for real-time video conferencing, live broadcasting, and communication. It includes multiple products designed for different use cases — from one-on-one calls to large-scale meetings and live streaming.

  • 🏆 MiroTalk SFU — Group video conferencing (large meetings, webinars)
  • 🚀 MiroTalk P2P — Peer-to-peer video calls (small groups)
  • ✨ MiroTalk C2C — Client-to-client cam-2-cam communication
  • 📡 MiroTalk BRO — One-to-many live broadcasting
  • 🟢 MiroTalk CME — Instant click-to-call video calls
  • 🛠 MiroTalk WEB — Meeting room scheduler and manager
  • ⚙️ MiroTalk ADMIN — Centralized dashboard to manage all instances
What is WebRTC?

WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is an open-source technology that enables real-time audio, video, and data communication directly in web browsers without requiring plugins or additional software. MiroTalk is built entirely on top of WebRTC.

What are the differences between Mesh, SFU, and MCU architectures?
  • Mesh (P2P): Each participant connects directly to every other participant. Low latency but bandwidth and CPU usage grow with more participants. Best for 2–4 users.
  • SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit): A central server receives all streams and selectively forwards them to participants. Reduced bandwidth per participant, ideal for 5+ users.
  • MCU (Multipoint Control Unit): The server mixes all streams into a single composite stream. Most resource-intensive on the server side.

Products

Which MiroTalk product should I choose?
Product Best For Max Users Architecture
SFU Large meetings, webinars, conferences 50–1000+ (with scaling) Selective Forwarding Unit
P2P Small group calls, embedded apps 2–4 participants Peer-to-Peer (Mesh)
C2C Private cam-2-cam, direct messaging 2 participants Peer-to-Peer (Mesh)
BRO Live broadcasting, one-to-many streaming 1 broadcaster + viewers P2P (Mesh) or SFU
CME Instant 1:1 video calls, support, consultations 2 participants x Call Peer-to-Peer (Mesh)
WEB Meeting scheduling and management N/A (scheduler) Web-based

For large group calls and scalability, choose SFU. For lightweight, low-latency small calls, choose P2P.

How many users can MiroTalk SFU handle?

MiroTalk SFU supports both vertical and horizontal scaling:

Vertical Scaling (Single Server):

  • 4-core CPU: ~400 users
  • 8-core CPU: ~800 users
  • 16-core CPU: ~1600 users
  • Formula: numWorkers × ~100 users

Horizontal Scaling (Multiple Servers):

  • Multiple SFU servers behind a load balancer (Nginx/HAProxy)
  • Uses consistent hashing on room parameters for sticky sessions
  • Example: 3 servers × 800 users = 2400+ total users
Can MiroTalk BRO handle large-scale broadcasts?

Yes. MiroTalk BRO supports both P2P and SFU broadcasting modes.

  • P2P (default) uses direct peer-to-peer WebRTC connections and works best for small audiences.
  • SFU routes media through a built-in mediasoup server and is better suited for larger broadcasts and 100+ viewers, depending on server capacity and network setup.

For large-scale broadcasts, use MiroTalk BRO in SFU mode.

What is MiroTalk WEB?

MiroTalk WEB is a browser-based meeting room scheduler that lets you organize and manage meetings. It integrates links to all MiroTalk products, uses a MongoDB backend for storing meeting/room data, and optionally supports email verification. Default port: 9000.

What is MiroTalk ADMIN?

MiroTalk ADMIN is a centralized dashboard for managing all your MiroTalk instances. It supports:

  • Starting, stopping, and restarting services
  • Updating all products
  • Editing configurations
  • Managing via SSH, Docker, or PM2

Self-Hosting & Deployment

How can I self-host MiroTalk?

MiroTalk supports multiple deployment methods:

  1. Manual (Node.js): Clone the repo, configure .env and config.js, run with npm start. Recommended OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.
  2. Docker / Docker Compose: Pre-built images on Docker Hub. Recommended for production.
  3. PM2 Process Manager: Keeps services running with auto-restart on failure.
  4. Cloudron: One-click deployment with automatic updates and backups.
  5. Bash Scripts: Automated install/uninstall/update scripts available for each product.
What are the server requirements?
  • OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (recommended)
  • Runtime: Node.js LTS + npm
  • SFU additional: Ports 40000-40100 (TCP & UDP) for media traffic
  • Reverse proxy: Nginx or Apache with SSL (Let's Encrypt via Certbot)
  • TURN server: Recommended for production (coturn)

Default ports:

Product Port
P2P 3000
SFU 3010
BRO 3016
C2C 8080
CME 8000
WEB 9000
How do I deploy MiroTalk with Docker Compose?

Each MiroTalk product provides a docker-compose.yml template. For SFU, note that network_mode: 'host' is required for optimal WebRTC performance. Pull the pre-built images from Docker Hub, configure your .env file, and run:

Bash
docker-compose up -d

Refer to the Docker Compose utility page for details.

Can I deploy MiroTalk on Cloudron?

Yes. MiroTalk supports Cloudron for one-click deployment with automatic updates, backups, and integrated user management. See the Cloudron guide for setup instructions.

How do I use a reverse proxy (Nginx/Apache) with MiroTalk?

Configure Nginx or Apache as a reverse proxy to:

  • Run MiroTalk on any port while accessing it without a port number
  • Enable SSL/TLS encryption (via Let's Encrypt / Certbot)
  • Support WebSocket connections (required for signaling)
  • Enable HTTP/2 for better performance

Each product's self-hosting guide includes sample Nginx configuration.

STUN & TURN Servers

What are STUN and TURN servers, and why do I need them?
  • STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT): Discovers your public IP and port to help establish direct peer-to-peer connections. It does not relay media traffic.
  • TURN (Traversal Using Relays Around NAT): Acts as an intermediary to relay media traffic when a direct connection fails (e.g., behind restrictive firewalls or symmetric NATs).

For production deployments, a TURN server is recommended to ensure connectivity for all users. See the STUN & TURN guide for more details.

How do I set up a TURN server with coturn?

Coturn is the recommended open-source STUN/TURN server:

  1. Install coturn on your server (Docker or manual installation)
  2. Obtain an SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt / Certbot)
  3. Configure /etc/turnserver.conf with your domain, credentials, and ports
  4. Secure it by blocking private IPs, using strong credentials, and running as a dedicated user

Ports used:

  • STUN: 3478 (UDP/TCP)
  • TURNS: 5349 (TLS-encrypted)

Configuration

What configuration files does MiroTalk use?

All MiroTalk products use two main configuration files:

  1. config.js — Non-sensitive settings: application behavior, features, branding, API settings.
  2. .env — Sensitive credentials: API keys, secrets, database URLs. Stored in .gitignore.

Refer to each product's configurations page for available options.

What are the critical SFU configuration settings?

Key .env settings for MiroTalk SFU:

Bash
ENVIRONMENT=production
SFU_ANNOUNCED_IP=Your_Server_IP_or_Domain
SFU_MIN_PORT=40000
SFU_MAX_PORT=40100
SFU_NUM_WORKERS=<CPU_core_count>
SFU_SERVER=true
API_KEY_SECRET=your_secret

Ensure firewall rules allow:

  • Port 3010/TCP (HTTP/signaling)
  • Ports 40000-40100 (TCP & UDP, RTC media)

API & Integration

Does MiroTalk have a REST API?

Yes. All MiroTalk products expose a REST API with endpoints such as:

  • /api/v1/stats — Get active rooms and user count
  • /api/v1/meetings — List active meetings
  • Swagger docs at /api/v1/docs

Authentication uses an API_KEY_SECRET header. Code examples are provided in JavaScript, PHP, Python, and Bash.

How can I embed MiroTalk in my website?

MiroTalk supports multiple integration methods:

Simple iframe:

HTML
<iframe
  allow="camera; microphone; display-capture; autoplay; clipboard-write"
  src="https://your-domain.com/newroom"
  style="width: 100vw; height: 100vh; border: 0px;">
</iframe>

IframeAPI: Full programmatic control with JavaScript.

Widget.js: A support-style widget with drag, online status, and custom headers.

Configurable parameters include: room, name, avatar, audio, video, screen, chat, hide, notify, token.

See each product's integration page for details.

Features

Can I live stream to YouTube or Twitch with MiroTalk?

Yes, MiroTalk SFU supports RTMP streaming to platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and others. Two server options are available:

  1. Node Media Server — With admin dashboard and API
  2. Nginx RTMP — Lightweight option

Both require FFmpeg. See the RTMP guide for setup.

What is Host Protection?

Host Protection adds authentication to your MiroTalk rooms:

  • HOST_PROTECTED=true — Require login to create rooms
  • HOST_USER_AUTH=true — Require login for all participants
  • JWT tokens for direct room access (configurable expiration, default: 1 hour)

See the host protection guides for P2P and SFU.

Does MiroTalk support Webhooks?

Yes. MiroTalk can send HTTP POST notifications to a configured endpoint on events such as:

  • join — A user joins a room
  • disconnect — A user leaves a room

The payload includes event type and relevant data in JSON format. See the webhook guides for P2P and SFU.

Can I rebrand MiroTalk with my own logo and colors?

Yes, rebranding is available with a Regular or Extended license:

  • HTML Injection mode: Customize text and labels via config.js
  • Full customization: Edit frontend files directly (landing page, room pages, Open Graph tags)

See the rebranding guides for P2P and SFU.

Licensing

What are the licensing options for MiroTalk?

MiroTalk offers three licensing tiers:

License Price Use Case Source Code
AGPLv3 Free Open-source, modifications must be shared publicly Public
Regular $39–$299 Personal or closed-source (non-commercial) Private
Extended $199–$1499 Commercial / revenue-generating use Private

Pricing by product:

Product Regular Extended
ULTIMATE Bundle $299 $1499
SFU $99 $499
P2P $79 $499
C2C $69 $249
BRO $59 $249
CME $39 $199
WEB $39 $199

See the Licensing Options page for full details.

Room Customization

How do I protect a room with a password?

MiroTalk SFU supports room passwords via the roomPassword URL parameter:

Text Only
https://YOUR-DOMAIN-NAME/join?room=test&roomPassword=MySecret123

Set roomPassword=0 to disable password protection. When a password is set, participants must enter it before joining the room.

See the join room guides for SFU for details.

Can I set a session duration limit for rooms?

Yes. Use the duration URL parameter when joining a room:

Text Only
https://YOUR-DOMAIN-NAME/join?room=test&duration=01:00:00
  • Format: HH:MM:SS (e.g., 01:30:00 for 1 hour 30 minutes)
  • Set to unlimited for no time limit

When the duration expires, the session ends automatically. Available in both SFU and P2P.

What URL parameters can I use to customize room join links?

Both SFU and P2P support a full set of URL parameters for customizing the join experience:

Parameter Type Description
room string Room ID. Set to random for auto-generated ID.
roomPassword string/boolean Room password (0 to disable). SFU only.
name string Display name. Set to random for auto-generated.
avatar URL/boolean Avatar image URL (shown when camera is off). 0 to disable.
audio boolean 1 to enable, 0 to disable audio on join.
video boolean 1 to enable, 0 to disable video on join.
screen boolean 1 to enable, 0 to disable screen sharing on join.
chat boolean 1 to enable, 0 to disable chat on join.
hide boolean 1 to hide self from room view.
notify boolean 1 to show welcome message.
duration string Max session time (HH:MM:SS or unlimited).
token string JWT token for host-protected rooms.

See the join room guides for SFU and P2P.

Scaling & Architecture

How does horizontal scaling work with a load balancer?

MiroTalk SFU supports horizontal scaling using multiple servers behind a load balancer (Nginx or HAProxy) with consistent hashing on the room parameter for sticky sessions.

Architecture:

Text Only
            Load Balancer (Nginx/HAProxy)
                       |
        ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
        |              |              |
     SFU #1         SFU #2         SFU #3
    ~800 users     ~800 users     ~800 users

Key configuration (Nginx):

Nginx Configuration File
upstream mirotalk_backend {
    hash $arg_room consistent;  # Same room → same server
    server 1.1.1.1:3010 max_fails=3 fail_timeout=30s;
    server 2.2.2.2:3010 max_fails=3 fail_timeout=30s;
}

Hash strategy matters:

  • hash $arg_room consistent — Hashes only the room query param. Recommended.
  • hash $uri consistent — Hashes only the path. Fails for query-string URLs.
  • hash $request_uri consistent — Hashes the full URI. Users with different names in the same room may land on different servers.

See the Scalability guide for full details.

How many ports does MiroTalk SFU need per participant?

Each participant requires 2 ports (one for audio, one for video). The default port range 40000-40100 provides ~50 ports, supporting approximately 50 concurrent participants across all rooms on that server.

For larger deployments, expand the range:

Bash
SFU_MIN_PORT=40000
SFU_MAX_PORT=49999

Ensure your firewall allows the full range on both TCP and UDP.

Updates & Maintenance

How do I preserve custom branding during updates?

When updating MiroTalk, custom files (branding, views) may be overwritten. Three strategies to preserve your changes:

Option 1: git stash (small edits)

Bash
git stash push -m "My branding changes"
git pull
git stash pop

Option 2: Custom branch (ongoing customizations)

Bash
git checkout -b custom-branding
# Commit your changes, then on update:
git checkout main && git pull origin main
git checkout custom-branding && git merge main

Option 3: Docker volumes (Docker deployments)

YAML
volumes:
  - ./custom/views:/app/public/views

Also check for changes in .env and config.js after each update. See the update guides for SFU and P2P.

How do I keep MiroTalk running after a server reboot?

Use PM2 (Process Manager) with auto-startup:

Bash
npm install -g pm2
pm2 start app/src/server.js --name mirotalk
pm2 startup
pm2 save

pm2 startup generates a system service that automatically restarts your MiroTalk processes on boot. Each product's self-hosting guide includes PM2 setup instructions.

Internationalization

Does MiroTalk support multiple languages?

Yes. MiroTalk CME supports 13 languages with automatic browser detection:

🇬🇧 English, 🇪🇸 Spanish, 🇫🇷 French, 🇮🇹 Italian, 🇩🇪 German, 🇧🇷 Portuguese, 🇷🇺 Russian, 🇸🇦 Arabic, 🇮🇳 Hindi, 🇨🇳 Chinese, 🇯🇵 Japanese, 🇭🇷 Croatian, 🇷🇸 Serbian

Features:

  • Automatic language detection from browser settings
  • Language persistence via localStorage
  • Real-time language switching from the settings panel
  • JSON-based translations in app/locales/

See the i18n guide for details.

Database & Email

Does MiroTalk WEB require a database?

Yes. MiroTalk WEB uses MongoDB to store meeting and room data. Two deployment options:

Local (Docker):

Bash
npm run mongo:up    # Start MongoDB container
npm run mongo:down  # Stop MongoDB container

Cloud (MongoDB Atlas):

Update the credentials in .env:

Bash
MONGO_URL=mongodb://${MONGO_USERNAME}:${MONGO_PASSWORD}@${MONGO_HOST}:${MONGO_PORT}
MONGO_DATABASE=mirotalk

See the MiroTalk WEB self-hosting guide for setup.

Does MiroTalk WEB support email verification?

Yes. Email verification is disabled by default. To enable it, set EMAIL_VERIFICATION=true in .env and configure SMTP settings:

Bash
EMAIL_VERIFICATION=true
EMAIL_HOST=yourEmailHost
EMAIL_PORT=yourEmailPort
EMAIL_USERNAME=yourEmailUsername
EMAIL_PASSWORD=yourEmailPassword
EMAIL_FROM=yourEmailFrom

See the MiroTalk WEB self-hosting guide for details.

Security

How do I secure my coturn TURN server?

Key hardening recommendations for your coturn server:

  • Block private IP ranges using denied-peer-ip (10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16)
  • Enable TLS with strong cipher lists on port 5349
  • Use strong credentials with lt-cred-mech
  • Set no-multicast-peers and no-loopback-peers
  • Limit quotas with user-quota and total-quota
  • Run as a dedicated user (avoid running as root in production)

See the Coturn Security Configuration Guide for in-depth recommendations.

Troubleshooting

My video/audio is not working. What should I check?
  1. Browser permissions: Ensure the browser has granted camera and microphone access.
  2. HTTPS: WebRTC requires a secure context (https:// or localhost). Make sure your server has a valid SSL certificate.
  3. TURN server: If connections fail behind firewalls or NATs, configure a TURN server (coturn recommended).
  4. Firewall rules: Ensure the required ports are open (signaling port + media port range for SFU).
  5. Browser compatibility: Use a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari).
How do I update MiroTalk to the latest version?

Manual installation:

Bash
git pull
npm ci

Docker:

Bash
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Scripts: Use the provided update scripts (e.g., sfu-update.sh, p2p-update.sh).

MiroTalk ADMIN: Use the centralized dashboard to update all instances at once.

How do I test MiroTalk locally without a domain or SSL?

Use ngrok to create a secure tunnel from your local machine to a public HTTPS URL:

Bash
ngrok http 3000

This is useful for development, webhook testing, and sharing demos. See the Ngrok guide for setup.