Pion WebRTC
A Go library for building WebRTC real-time audio, video, and data connections.pion/webrtc
- Stars
- 16.9k
- Forks
- 1.9k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 5 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Pion WebRTC is a library written in Go that implements the WebRTC API, the standard that lets browsers and apps exchange audio, video, and data directly in real time. Developers use it to add live streaming, peer-to-peer connections, or WebRTC endpoints to Go programs, including servers and embedded devices. The README says it has no Cgo dependency and supports several operating systems and WebAssembly.
- Send a video file to multiple browsers in real time, as suggested in the README
- Stream a webcam from an embedded device to a browser without an extra server, per the README's examples
- Securely send data between two servers using DataChannels
- Record a webcam stream and process effects server side
Great for
- Go developers who need to add WebRTC connections to a server or application
- Teams building real-time video or data channels in Go
- Developers who want to send a webcam or media file to a browser from a Go program
- Engineers who want low-level access to RTP/RTCP packets
Not ideal for
- People who want a ready-made video chat app; this is a library that requires coding (the README describes it as an API)
- Projects not written in Go, since the README says it is a pure Go implementation and Go Modules are mandatory
- Beginners with no networking background, since the README points to a separate book on WebRTC internals as a prerequisite for debugging
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Go (version not specified in the README)
Set module mode (from README usage section)
export GO111MODULE=on - 2
Run it
- Create a Go module and import github.com/pion/webrtc/v4
- Review the examples in examples/README.md
- Run one of the example programs to see a connection established
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the example-webrtc-applications repository for fuller examples that use third-party libraries
- Read the GoDoc API reference at pkg.go.dev for public API details
- Check awesome-pion for real-world projects built with Pion
- Use the WebRTC for the Curious book to understand ICE, DTLS, and SRTP when debugging
Downloads
Strengths
- Pure Go with no Cgo usage, according to the README, which simplifies cross-platform builds
- Broad feature list including DataChannels, simulcast, TURN, and DTLS/SRTP security
- Active development and a community on Discord, with examples and API docs on pkg.go.dev
Trade-offs
- Requires coding in Go and understanding WebRTC concepts; the README points to external resources for depth
- The README notes that the v4 release includes breaking changes, so older code may need updates
- Getting media capture (getUserMedia) requires a separate library and, per the README, Cgo
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| webrtc (this) | 16.9k | Library | advanced | 5 days ago | Go developers who need to add WebRTC connections to a server or application |
| Janus | 17.8k | AI model / agent | advanced | 1.8 years ago | Researchers studying unified vision-language models that handle understanding and generation together |
| lux | 31.8k | CLI | beginner | 7 months ago | People who want to save videos from supported sites to a local file from the command line |
| go-zero | 33.4k | Library | intermediate | 5 days ago | Go developers building REST APIs or microservices |
| srs | 29.4k | App | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers building live streaming backends that need several delivery protocols |
| kit | 27.4k | Library | advanced | 2.3 years ago | Go developers building service-oriented or microservice backends |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.