Jitsi

Jitsi (from Bulgarian: жици — "wires") is a collection of free and open-source multiplatform voice (VoIP), video conferencing and instant messaging applications for the Web platform, Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android.[4][5][6][7] The Jitsi project began with the Jitsi Desktop (previously known as SIP Communicator). With the growth of WebRTC, the project team focus shifted to the Jitsi Videobridge for allowing web-based multi-party video calling. Later the team added Jitsi Meet, a full video conferencing application that includes web, Android, and iOS clients. Jitsi also operates meet.jit.si, a version of Jitsi Meet hosted by Jitsi for free community use. Other projects include: Jigasi, lib-jitsi-meet, Jidesha, and Jitsi.[8][9][10]

Jitsi
Original author(s)Emil Ivov
Developer(s)8x8
Initial release2021 (2021)
Stable release
2.10[1][2] Edit this on Wikidata / 1 October 2017
Repository
Written inJava, JavaScript, TypeScript, Lua
Operating systemLinux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
Available inAustrian, English, French, German, Bulgarian, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Greek and 25 more
TypeVoice over IP, instant messaging, videoconferencing
LicenseApache-2.0[3]
Websitejitsi.org Edit this on Wikidata

Jitsi has received support from various institutions such as the NLnet Foundation,[11][12] the University of Strasbourg and the Region of Alsace,[13] the European Commission[14] and it has also had multiple participations in the Google Summer of Code program.[15][16]

History

Work on Jitsi (then SIP Communicator) started in 2003 in the context of a student project by Emil Ivov at the University of Strasbourg.[17] It was originally released as an example video phone in the JAIN-SIP stack and later spun off as a standalone project.[18]

BlueJimp (2009–2015)

In 2009, Emil Ivov founded the BlueJimp company, which has employed some of Jitsi's main contributors,[19][20] in order to offer professional support and development services[21] related to the project.

In 2011, after successfully adding support for audio/video communication over XMPP's Jingle extensions, the project was renamed to Jitsi since it was no longer "a SIP only Communicator".[22][23] This name originates from the Bulgarian "жици" (wires).[24]

Jitsi introduced the Videobridge in 2013 to support multiparty video calling with its Jitsi clients using a new Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) architecture. Later that year initial support was added to the Jitsi Videobridge allowing WebRTC calling from the browser. To demonstrate how Jitsi Videobridge could be used as a production service, BlueJimp offered a free use of its hosted system at meet.jit.si.[25]

On November 4, 2014, "Jitsi + Ostel" scored 6 out of 7 points on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's secure messaging scorecard. They lost a point because there has not been a recent independent code audit.[26]

On February 1, 2015, Hristo Terezov, Ingo Bauersachs and the rest of the team released[27] version 2.6 from their stand at the Free and Open Source Software Developers' European Meeting 2015 event in Brussels. This release includes security fixes, removes support of the deprecated MSN protocol, along with SSLv3 in XMPP. Among other notable improvements, the OS X version bundles a Java 8 runtime, enables echo cancelling by default, and uses the CoreAudio subsystem. The Linux build addresses font issues with the GTK+ native look and feel, and fixes some long-standing issues about microphone level on call setup when using the PulseAudio sound system. This release also adds the embedded Java database Hyper SQL Database to improve performance for users with huge configuration files, a feature which is disabled by default. A full list of changes is available on the project web site.[28]

Ownership by Atlassian (2015–2018)

Atlassian acquired BlueJimp on April 5, 2015. After the acquisition, the new Jitsi team under Atlassian ceased meaningful new development work on the Jitsi Desktop project and expanded its efforts on projects related to the Jitsi Videobridge and Jitsi Meet. Regular contributions from the open source community have maintained the Jitsi Desktop project.[29][30][31]

In 2017, jitsi was added as a widget to Element[32] instant messaging client.

8x8 (2018– )

In October 2018, 8x8 acquired Jitsi from Atlassian.[33]

Primary projects
Video conferencing in Jitsi

The Jitsi open source repository on GitHub currently contains 132 repositories. The major projects include:[34]

Jitsi Meet
Video conferencing server designed for quick installation on Debian/Ubuntu servers
Jitsi Videobridge
WebRTC Selective Forwarding Unit engine for powering multiparty conferences
Jigasi
Server-side application that allows regular SIP clients to join Jitsi Meet conferences hosted by Jitsi Videobridge
lib-jitsi-meet
Low-level JavaScript API for providing a customized UI for Jitsi Meet
Jidesha
Chrome extension for Jitsi Meet
Jitsi
Known as Jitsi Desktop,[35] an audio, video, and chat communicator application that supports protocols such as SIP, XMPP/Jabber, AIM/ICQ, and IRC.

Jitsi Meet
Jitsi Meet
Stable release
Web2.0.6173[36] Edit this on Wikidata / 16 August 2021 (16 August 2021)
Android21.3.0[37] Edit this on Wikidata / 17 August 2021 (17 August 2021)
iOS21.3.1[37] Edit this on Wikidata / 19 August 2021 (19 August 2021)
Repositorygithub.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet
TypeVideoconferencing
LicenseApache-2.0
Websitejitsi.org/jitsi-meet/
Jitsi Meet Android application

Jitsi Meet is an open source JavaScript WebRTC application used primarily for video conferencing. In addition to audio and video, screen sharing is available, and new members can be invited via a generated link. The interface is accessible via web browser or with a mobile app.[38] The Jitsi Meet server software can be downloaded and installed on Linux-based computers.[39] Jitsi owner 8x8 maintains a free public-use server for up to 100 participants at meet.jit.si.[40]

Key Features of Jitsi Meet
  • Jitsi implemented end-to-end encryption (E2EE) with dynamic key management in 2021.[41] The original static E2EE configurations[42] that were initially required while the dynamic key management system was first implemented have since been deprecated and removed and additional support for mobile applications added.[43] In addition, the Jitsi Videobridge (JVB) adds an additional layer of TLS encryption at the transport layer between the server and the desktop/mobile/API clients for enhanced security.
  • Recording: Jitsi offers the ability to record meetings by streaming them to youtube. Self-installed Jitsi Meet deployments need to install and setup Jibri to support this capability.[44]The client also has the capability to save a local recording.
  • Using only a standards compliant web browser to run Jitsi Meet in a browser, no additional client software besides a browser is required to join a Jitsi meeting.[45]

Limitations

Jitsi has some limitations that should be kept in mind:

  • Internet Connectivity: A poor internet connection can cause delays, dropped calls, and poor video quality, which is a limitation of any video conferencing software.
  • Security: Jitsi offers end-to-end encryption, which is great for privacy and security. However, it is important to keep the client software up to date to minimize security risks.
  • Limited Participants: Jitsi allows up to 100 participants in a single call, which is suitable for most small to medium-sized businesses, but larger enterprises may need to look for other options.
  • Limited Features: Jitsi is a relatively simple video conferencing software, and while it offers all the basic features needed for most meetings, it may not have some of the advanced features that larger enterprises may require.
  • Platform Compatibility: While Jitsi works on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, it may not work on all devices or browsers. It is important to check the compatibility of your device and browser before using Jitsi.

Despite these limitations, Jitsi remains a viable option for video conferencing, especially for small to medium-sized organizations. The source code is free, open source, easy to use, and offers end-to-end encryption for enhanced security and privacy.

Jitsi Videobridge

Jitsi Videobridge is a video conferencing solution supporting WebRTC that allows multiuser video communication. It is a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) and only forwards the selected streams to other participating users in the video conference call, therefore, CPU horsepower is not that critical for performance.[46][47]

Jitsi Desktop

Jitsi spawned some sister projects such as the Jitsi Videobridge Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) and Jitsi Meet, a video and web conferencing application. To prevent misunderstanding due to the increasing popularity of these other Jitsi projects, the Jitsi client application was rebranded as Jitsi Desktop.

Originally the project was mostly used as an experimentation tool because of its support for IPv6.[48][49] Through the years, as the project gathered members, it also added support for protocols other than SIP.

Jitsi Desktop is no longer actively maintained by the Jitsi team, but it is still maintained by the community.[35]

Features

Jitsi Desktop's conference call window on Mac OS X

Jitsi supports multiple operating systems, including Windows as well as Unix-like systems such as Linux, Mac OS X and BSD. The mobile apps can be downloaded on the App Store for iOS and on the Google Play Store and F-droid platform for Android.[50] It also includes:[51]

Reception

In an April 2020 test of video conferencing services, US product review owned by the New York Times Wirecutter recommended Jitsi Meet as one of its two picks (after the more feature-rich Cisco Webex which it found preferable for large groups and enterprises), stating that Jitsi was "easy to use and reliable" and that "in our testing, the video quality and audio quality were both great — noticeably sharper and crisper than on Zoom or Webex".[56]

In a follow-up review in November 2020, Wirecutter lowered its previous rating, stating that Jitsi was, other than Google Hangouts, "the best, easiest-to-use free services you can find", but also pointed out that "the video and audio quality were both acceptable, though our panelists rated them among the lowest of all the services we tested".[57]

Jitsi has been well adopted in not-for-profit tech sector as default alternative to corporate tools. In mid-March 2020 popular Lyon-based tech NGO Framasoft reported that their Jitsi servers were even overloaded by use of state institutions. Jitsi has been test-used as Wikimedia Meet in Wikimedia Foundation on Wikimedia Cloud Services since spring 2020, with high adoption rates initially but mixed reviews.[58]

See also

References
  1. Дамян Минков (4 February 2017). "Changes version to 2.10". Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  2. "Release 2.10". 1 October 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  3. "jitsi/jitsi-meet". GitHub. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  4. "[jitsi-dev] Switching to the Apache Licenses". Archived from the original on 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  5. Gaj, Piotr; Kwiecień, Andrzej; Sawicki, Michał (2017-05-27). Computer Networks: 24th International Conference, CN 2017, Lądek Zdrój, Poland, June 20–23, 2017, Proceedings. Springer. ISBN 9783319597676.
  6. "Useful Technologies for Hosting Online Meetings". business.com. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  7. "Jitsi.org – develop and deploy full-featured video conferencing". Jitsi. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  8. "SIP Communicator Renamed to Jitsi | The Kamailio SIP Server Project". www.kamailio.org. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  9. Jurzik, Mela Eckenfels, Heike. "Meeting Place » Linux Magazine". Linux Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. "Jitsi – innovative open source voice and video conferencing – LinuxLinks". LinuxLinks. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  11. "NLnet; SIP Comm Phone". Nlnet.nl. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  12. "NLnet; SIP Comm Desktop". Nlnet.nl. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  13. "La région récompense un jeune informaticien". 20minutes.fr. May 3, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  14. "Winning over the classroom with Jitsi". Jitsi. 2021-04-07. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  15. "SIP Communicator GSoC'10 home page". Archived from the original on July 28, 2011.
  16. "SIP Communicator GSoC'09 home page". Archived from the original on December 14, 2009.
  17. "SIP Communicator: Interview with Emil Ivov". Gulli.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  18. "Original Jitsi release announcement". Java.net. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  19. "Jitsi Contributors – Ohloh". March 26, 2010. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010.
  20. "Jitsi Team and Contributors". Jitsi.org. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  21. "Main / Solutions". BlueJimp. Archived from the original on 2013-09-05. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
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  27. "Jitsi 2.6 release notice on the Jitsi-users mailing list". Jitsi.org. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
  28. "Jitsi build 5390 release notes". Jitsi.org. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
  29. Spencer, Leon. "Atlassian acquires video conferencing company Blue Jimp | ZDNet". ZDNet. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  30. "Atlassian Launches Group Video Conferencing for HipChat". PCMAG. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  31. "Atlassian acquires Blue Jimp & Jitsi.org – Atlassian Blog". Atlassian Blog. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  32. "Introducing Matrix Widgets – including Jitsi video conferencing!". Matrix.org. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  33. "Atlassian sells Jitsi, an open-source videoconferencing tool it acquired in 2015, to 8×8". TechCrunch. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  34. "Jitsi". GitHub. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  35. "FAQ – Jitsi Meet". Jitsi. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  36. Error: Unable to display the reference properly. See the documentation for details.
  37. Error: Unable to display the reference properly. See the documentation for details.
  38. "Top Ten VoIP Apps For Consumers | VoIP Review". VoIP Review. 2018-01-28. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
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  42. "Does Jitsi support end-to-end encryption?".
  43. "A stepping stone towards end-to-end encryption on mobile". 17 June 2022.
  44. "Jitsi User FAQ | Video Conferencing Software FAQ".
  45. "Jitsi Meet | Me and my Shadow". myshadow.org. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
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  50. "Jitsi.org – develop and deploy full-featured video conferencing". Jitsi. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  51. Jitsi feature list with information on supported protocols
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  58. "Wikimedia Meet". meta.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
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