MiroTalk SFU - Vertical & Horizontal Scaling

Overview

Scale MiroTalk SFU to handle 100-1000+ concurrent users across multiple rooms.

Two simple options:

1. Vertical Scaling: Single powerful server (50-100+ users)
2. Horizontal Scaling: Multiple servers + Load Balancer (100-1000+ users)

Option 1: Vertical Scaling

Best for: 50-100+ concurrent users

Configuration

Bash

SFU_ANNOUNCED_IP=YOUR_PUBLIC_IP
SFU_SERVER=true
SFU_NUM_WORKERS=8
SFU_MIN_PORT=40000
SFU_MAX_PORT=49999

Capacity

• 4-core server: ~400 users (4 workers × ~100 users)
• 8-core server: ~800 users (8 workers × ~100 users)
• 16-core server: ~1600 users (16 workers × ~100 users)

Formula: numWorkers × ~100 users = capacity

Note

Official mediasoup docs state ~500 consumers per worker. In a typical room with N users sending audio+video, each user consumes 2×(N-1) streams. For 4-person room = 24 consumers total, so one worker can handle many rooms simultaneously.

Option 2: Horizontal Scaling + Load Balancer

Best for: 100-1000+ concurrent users across multiple rooms

Architecture

Text Only

                Load Balancer (Nginx/HAProxy)
                    lb.yourdomain.com
                           |
        ┌──────────────────┼──────────────────┐
        |                  |                  |
     SFU #1             SFU #2             SFU #3
    1.1.1.1            2.2.2.2            3.3.3.3
    ~800 users         ~800 users         ~800 users

Key: Users in the same room stay on the same server (sticky sessions).

Step 1: Configure Each SFU Server

Bash

# Server 1
SFU_ANNOUNCED_IP=1.1.1.1
SFU_SERVER=true
SFU_NUM_WORKERS=8
SFU_MIN_PORT=40000
SFU_MAX_PORT=49999

# Server 2
SFU_ANNOUNCED_IP=2.2.2.2
SFU_SERVER=true
# ...

# Server 3
SFU_ANNOUNCED_IP=3.3.3.3
SFU_SERVER=true
# ...

Step 2: Setup Load Balancer

Nginx Configuration:

Nginx Configuration File

# /etc/nginx/sites-available/mirotalk-lb

upstream mirotalk_backend {
    ip_hash;  # Sticky sessions - REQUIRED

    server 1.1.1.1:3010 max_fails=3 fail_timeout=30s;
    server 2.2.2.2:3010 max_fails=3 fail_timeout=30s;
    server 3.3.3.3:3010 max_fails=3 fail_timeout=30s;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name sfu.yourdomain.com;

    ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass https://mirotalk_backend;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;

        # WebSocket support
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;

        # Timeouts
        proxy_read_timeout 600s;
        proxy_send_timeout 600s;
    }
}

HAProxy Configuration:

Text Only

# /etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg

frontend sfu_frontend
    bind *:443 ssl crt /path/to/cert.pem
    default_backend sfu_backend

backend sfu_backend
    balance source  # Sticky sessions by IP

    server sfu1 1.1.1.1:3010 check ssl verify none
    server sfu2 2.2.2.2:3010 check ssl verify none
    server sfu3 3.3.3.3:3010 check ssl verify none

How does sticky sessions work?

Load balancer assigns users to servers based on IP address (ip_hash in Nginx, balance source in HAProxy). Same IP = same server = room persistence.

Step 3: Configure Firewall

Bash

# Check the firewall Status: (active/inactive) If active then allow traffic
ufw status

# On each SFU server
sudo ufw allow 3010/tcp
sudo ufw allow 40000:49999/udp

# On load balancer
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

Step 4: Test

Bash

# Check individual servers
curl https://1.1.1.1:3010/
curl https://2.2.2.2:3010/
curl https://3.3.3.3:3010/

# Check load balancer
curl https://sfu.yourdomain.com/

Deploy 3-Node Cluster in 30 Minutes

On each server (1.1.1.1, 2.2.2.2, 3.3.3.3) just follow the self-hosting guide here

On load balancer server:

Bash

# Install Nginx
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

# Get SSL cert
sudo certbot --nginx -d sfu.yourdomain.com

# Configure (use Nginx config above)
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/mirotalk-lb
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/mirotalk-lb /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Done! Access: https://sfu.yourdomain.com

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Capacity Planning

Setup	Concurrent Users	Cost/Month (€)
1× 8-core, 16GB	~800	€14-20
3× 8-core, 16GB + LB	~2400	€47-65
5× 8-core, 16GB + LB	~4000	€75-105

Provider Comparison (8 vCores, 16GB RAM)

Provider	Plan	CPU	RAM	Storage	Traffic	Price/Month
Hetzner	CPX41	8 vCPU	16 GB	320 GB SSD	20 TB	€19.99
Netcup	RS 2000 G11	8 vCores	16 GB	512 GB SSD	Unlimited	€17.99
Contabo	VPS 20	8 vCores	24 GB	200 GB SSD	Unlimited	€14.00

Load Balancer Options

Option	Cost/Month	Notes
Small VPS (Nginx)	€5-10	2 vCores, 4GB RAM sufficient
Hetzner LB	€5.39	Managed, auto-scaling
Netcup VPS 500 G11	€4.88	4 vCores, 4GB RAM

Total Cost Examples

Premium Setup Hetzner:

• 3× Hetzner CPX41 (€19.99) = €60
• 1× Hetzner LB = €5.39
• Total: ~€65/month for ~2400 users
• ⚡ Best Performance: Hetzner - Premium network quality, best for production with high traffic

---

Balanced Setup Netcup:

• 3× Netcup RS 2000 (€17.99) = €54
• 1× Netcup VPS 500 (LB) = €4.88
• Total: ~€59/month for ~2400 users
• 🏆 Best Overall: Netcup - Perfect balance of price, performance, and reliability

---

Budget Setup Contabo:

• 3× Contabo VPS 20 (€14.00) = €42
• 1× Netcup VPS 500 (LB) = €4.88
• Total: ~€47/month for ~2400 users
• 💰 Lowest Cost: Contabo - Good for testing or budget-conscious deployments, but slower network

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Bandwidth per user:

• Audio only: ~50 Kbps
• Video 720p: ~1.5 Mbps
• Video 1080p: ~3 Mbps

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Need help?

Join our community forum and Happy Scaling! 🚀