Video Chat Stack Options

Introduction

In order to set up the video chat component of our project, we need to a host and recipient to establish a continuous connection with each other. To do so, we created a Node.js server that both parties would connect and the corresponding video feeds would be fed through a WebSocket.

Being a telehealth app, our senior design project needs to facilitate a video conversation between a doctor and their patients. Therefore, we looked at different technologies to add video chat functionality to our app. Below, we describe each framework and highlight their key features, advantages, and disadvantages. Although options such as WebRTC and WebSockets would've given us the most flexibility and been most conducive to learning how these technologies, we decided to go with Agora.io because of its simplicity and generous free tier limits.

Options

1. WebRTC