JVB

JVB, short for Jitsi VideoBridge, is a core server component of the Jitsi Meet open-source video-conferencing platform. It acts as a media router for multiparty calls, handling the transmission of audio and video between participants without performing full mixing or transcoding.

As a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU), JVB receives media streams from participants via WebRTC and forwards a chosen subset of those streams to each participant. This allows each client to receive only the streams they need, such as the active speaker or a screen share, while conserving bandwidth. JVB supports features such as simulcast to enable clients to switch between different resolution layers and adapts to changing network conditions.

Deployment and scaling: A conference may be served by a single JVB instance or by multiple bridges for larger rooms. JVB instances are coordinated with Jicofo (the conference focus component) to establish sessions and with the signaling server (Prosody) for authentication and room management. Horizontal scaling is achieved by running several bridges behind a load balancer or in a mesh of bridges to improve fault tolerance and capacity.

Technical aspects: JVB runs as a Java application and handles WebRTC transport and RTP/RTCP. It does not transcode video streams; it forwards them between participants, reducing CPU load on client devices and on the server side. Secure transport is provided via TLS, and the component integrates with standard elements of the Jitsi ecosystem.