π Introduction
Integrating RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) into your React Native video call app enables seamless live streaming functionality. With this feature, users can broadcast their video calls to a wider audience in real time. Implementing RTMP in React Native is achievable through utilizing the appropriate SDKs and APIs. RTMP integration adds versatility and dynamism to your React Native video call app, enriching user engagement and satisfaction.
Benefits of integrating RTMP feature into a React Native video call app:
- Real-Time Broadcasting : RTMP enables real-time streaming of video and audio content, ensuring instant communication with minimal delay.
- Scalability : RTMP supports scalable streaming, allowing your app to handle a large number of concurrent viewers without compromising performance.
- High-Quality Streaming : RTMP offers high-quality video and audio streaming, providing users with a superior viewing experience.
Benefits of integrating RTMP feature into a React Native video call app:
- Virtual Events : Host virtual conferences, webinars, and live seminars, allowing participants to join remotely and engage in real time.
- Live Tutorials : Conduct live tutorials and workshops, enabling instructors to interact with students in real time, answer questions, and provide feedback.
- Remote Collaboration : Facilitate remote team meetings, enabling teams to collaborate effectively regardless of their geographical locations.
By following the provided guide, you can incorporate RTMP live streaming effortlessly, enhancing the capabilities of your app.
How to build a React Native Video Call App with RTMP & VideoSDK
π Getting Started with VideoSDK
To take advantage of the chat functionality, we must use the capabilities that the VideoSDK offers. Before diving into the implementation steps, let's ensure you complete the necessary prerequisites.
Create a VideoSDK Account
Go to your VideoSDK dashboard and sign up if you don't have an account. This account gives you access to the required Video SDK token, which acts as an authentication key that allows your application to interact with VideoSDK functionality.
Generate your Auth Token
Visit your VideoSDK dashboard and navigate to the "API Key" section to generate your auth token. This token is crucial in authorizing your application to use VideoSDK features.
For a more visual understanding of the account creation and token generation process, consider referring to the provided tutorial.
Prerequisites and Setup
Make sure your development environment meets the following requirements:
- Node.js v12+
- NPM v6+ (comes installed with newer Node versions)
- Android Studio or Xcode installed
π οΈ Install VideoSDK Config.
It is necessary to set up VideoSDK within your project before going into the details of integrating the Image Capture feature. Installing VideoSDK using NPM or Yarn will depend on the needs of your project.
- For NPM
npm install "@videosdk.live/react-native-sdk" "@videosdk.live/react-native-incallmanager"
- For Yarn
yarn add "@videosdk.live/react-native-sdk" "@videosdk.live/react-native-incallmanager"
Project Configuration
Before integrating the Image Capture functionality, ensure that your project is correctly prepared to handle the integration. This setup consists of a sequence of steps for configuring rights, dependencies, and platform-specific parameters so that VideoSDK can function seamlessly inside your application context.
Android Setup
- Add the required permissions to the
AndroidManifest.xml
file.
<manifest
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.cool.app"
>
<!-- Give all the required permissions to app -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
<!-- Needed to communicate with already-paired Bluetooth devices. (Legacy up to Android 11) -->
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH"
android:maxSdkVersion="30" />
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN"
android:maxSdkVersion="30" />
<!-- Needed to communicate with already-paired Bluetooth devices. (Android 12 upwards)-->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_CONNECT" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
<application>
<meta-data
android:name="live.videosdk.rnfgservice.notification_channel_name"
android:value="Meeting Notification"
/>
<meta-data
android:name="live.videosdk.rnfgservice.notification_channel_description"
android:value="Whenever meeting started notification will appear."
/>
<meta-data
android:name="live.videosdk.rnfgservice.notification_color"
android:resource="@color/red"
/>
<service android:name="live.videosdk.rnfgservice.ForegroundService" android:foregroundServiceType="mediaProjection"></service>
<service android:name="live.videosdk.rnfgservice.ForegroundServiceTask"></service>
</application>
</manifest>
AndroidManifest.xml
- Update your
colors.xml
file for internal dependencies.
<resources>
<item name="red" type="color">
#FC0303
</item>
<integer-array name="androidcolors">
<item>@color/red</item>
</integer-array>
</resources>
android/app/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
- Link the necessary VideoSDK dependencies.
dependencies {
implementation project(':rnwebrtc')
implementation project(':rnfgservice')
}
android/app/build.gradle
include ':rnwebrtc'
project(':rnwebrtc').projectDir = new File(rootProject.projectDir, '../node_modules/@videosdk.live/react-native-webrtc/android')
include ':rnfgservice'
project(':rnfgservice').projectDir = new File(rootProject.projectDir, '../node_modules/@videosdk.live/react-native-foreground-service/android')
android/settings.gradle
import live.videosdk.rnwebrtc.WebRTCModulePackage;
import live.videosdk.rnfgservice.ForegroundServicePackage;
public class MainApplication extends Application implements ReactApplication {
private static List<ReactPackage> getPackages() {
@SuppressWarnings("UnnecessaryLocalVariable")
List<ReactPackage> packages = new PackageList(this).getPackages();
// Packages that cannot be autolinked yet can be added manually here, for example:
packages.add(new ForegroundServicePackage());
packages.add(new WebRTCModulePackage());
return packages;
}
}
MainApplication.java
/* This one fixes a weird WebRTC runtime problem on some devices. */
android.enableDexingArtifactTransform.desugaring=false
android/gradle.properties
- Include the following line in your
proguard-rules.pro
file (optional: if you are using Proguard)
-keep class org.webrtc.** { *; }
android/app/proguard-rules.pro
- In your
build.gradle
file, update the minimum OS/SDK version to23
.
buildscript {
ext {
minSdkVersion = 23
}
}
build.gradle
iOS Setupβ
IMPORTANT: Ensure that you are using CocoaPods version 1.10 or later.
- To update CocoaPods, you can reinstall the
gem
using the following command:
$ sudo gem install cocoapods
2. Manually link react-native-incall-manager (if it is not linked automatically).
Select Your_Xcode_Project/TARGETS/BuildSettings
, in Header Search Paths, add "$(SRCROOT)/../node_modules/@videosdk.live/react-native-incall-manager/ios/RNInCallManager"
3. Change the path of react-native-webrtc
using the following command:
pod βreact-native-webrtcβ, :path => β../node_modules/@videosdk.live/react-native-webrtcβ
4. Change the version of your platform.
You need to change the platform field in the Podfile to 12.0 or above because react-native-webrtc doesn't support iOS versions earlier than 12.0. Update the line: platform: ios, β12.0β.
5. Install pods.
After updating the version, you need to install the pods by running the following command:
Pod install
6. Add β libreact-native-webrtc.a β binary.
Add the " libreact-native-webrtc.a" binary to the "Link Binary With Libraries" section in the target of your main project folder.
7. Declare permissions in Info.plist :
Add the following lines to your info.plist file located at (project folder/ios/projectname/info.plist):
<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Camera permission description</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>Microphone permission description</string>
ios/projectname/info.plist
Register Service
Register VideoSDK services in your root index.js
file for the initialization service.
import { AppRegistry } from "react-native";
import App from "./App";
import { name as appName } from "./app.json";
import { register } from "@videosdk.live/react-native-sdk";
register();
AppRegistry.registerComponent(appName, () => App);
index.js
π₯ Essential Steps for Implement the Video Calling Functionality
Step 1: Get started with api.jsβ
Before moving on, you must create an API request to generate a unique meetingId. You will need an authentication token, which you can create either through the videosdk-rtc-api-server-examples or directly from the VideoSDK Dashboard for developers.
export const token = "<Generated-from-dashbaord>";
// API call to create meeting
export const createMeeting = async ({ token }) => {
const res = await fetch(`https://api.videosdk.live/v2/rooms`, {
method: "POST",
headers: {
authorization: `${token}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({}),
});
const { roomId } = await res.json();
return roomId;
};
api.js
Step 2: Wireframe App.js with all the componentsβ
To build up a wireframe of App.js, you need to use VideoSDK Hooks and Context Providers. VideoSDK provides MeetingProvider, MeetingConsumer, useMeeting, and useParticipant hooks.
First, you need to understand the Context Provider and Consumer. Context is primarily used when some data needs to be accessible by many components at different nesting levels.
-
MeetingProvider : This is the Context Provider. It accepts value
config
andtoken
as a prop. The Provider component accepts a value prop to be passed to consuming components that are descendants of this Provider. One Provider can be connected to many consumers. Providers can be nested to override values deeper within the tree. - MeetingConsumer : This is the Context Consumer. All consumers that are descendants of a Provider will re-render whenever the Providerβs value prop changes.
- useMeeting : This is the meeting hook API. It includes all the information related to meetings such as join, leave, enable/disable the mic or webcam, etc.
- useParticipant : This is the participant hook API. It is responsible for handling all the events and props related to one particular participant such as name , webcamStream , micStream , etc.
The Meeting Context provides a way to listen for any changes that occur when a participant joins the meeting or makes modifications to their microphone, camera, and other settings.
Begin by making a few changes to the code in the App.js file.
import React, { useState } from "react";
import {
SafeAreaView,
TouchableOpacity,
Text,
TextInput,
View,
FlatList,
} from "react-native";
import {
MeetingProvider,
useMeeting,
useParticipant,
MediaStream,
RTCView,
} from "@videosdk.live/react-native-sdk";
import { createMeeting, token } from "./api";
function JoinScreen(props) {
return null;
}
function ControlsContainer() {
return null;
}
function MeetingView() {
return null;
}
export default function App() {
const [meetingId, setMeetingId] = useState(null);
const getMeetingId = async (id) => {
const meetingId = id == null ? await createMeeting({ token }) : id;
setMeetingId(meetingId);
};
return meetingId ? (
<SafeAreaView style={{ flex: 1, backgroundColor: "#F6F6FF" }}>
<MeetingProvider
config={{
meetingId,
micEnabled: false,
webcamEnabled: true,
name: "Test User",
}}
token={token}
>
<MeetingView />
</MeetingProvider>
</SafeAreaView>
) : (
<JoinScreen getMeetingId={getMeetingId} />
);
}
App.js
Step 3: Implement Join Screenβ
The join screen will serve as a medium to either schedule a new meeting or join an existing one.
function JoinScreen(props) {
const [meetingVal, setMeetingVal] = useState("");
return (
<SafeAreaView
style={{
flex: 1,
backgroundColor: "#F6F6FF",
justifyContent: "center",
paddingHorizontal: 6 * 10,
}}
>
<TouchableOpacity
onPress={() => {
props.getMeetingId();
}}
style={{ backgroundColor: "#1178F8", padding: 12, borderRadius: 6 }}
>
<Text style={{ color: "white", alignSelf: "center", fontSize: 18 }}>
Create Meeting
</Text>
</TouchableOpacity>
<Text
style={{
alignSelf: "center",
fontSize: 22,
marginVertical: 16,
fontStyle: "italic",
color: "grey",
}}
>
---------- OR ----------
</Text>
<TextInput
value={meetingVal}
onChangeText={setMeetingVal}
placeholder={"XXXX-XXXX-XXXX"}
style={{
padding: 12,
borderWidth: 1,
borderRadius: 6,
fontStyle: "italic",
}}
/>
<TouchableOpacity
style={{
backgroundColor: "#1178F8",
padding: 12,
marginTop: 14,
borderRadius: 6,
}}
onPress={() => {
props.getMeetingId(meetingVal);
}}
>
<Text style={{ color: "white", alignSelf: "center", fontSize: 18 }}>
Join Meeting
</Text>
</TouchableOpacity>
</SafeAreaView>
);
}
JoinScreen Component
Step 4: Implement Controlsβ
The next step is to create a ControlsContainer
component to manage features such as Join or leave a Meeting and Enable or Disable the Webcam/Mic.
In this step, the useMeeting
hook is utilized to acquire all the required methods such as join()
, leave()
, toggleWebcam
and toggleMic
.
const Button = ({ onPress, buttonText, backgroundColor }) => {
return (
<TouchableOpacity
onPress={onPress}
style={{
backgroundColor: backgroundColor,
justifyContent: "center",
alignItems: "center",
padding: 12,
borderRadius: 4,
}}
>
<Text style={{ color: "white", fontSize: 12 }}>{buttonText}</Text>
</TouchableOpacity>
);
};
function ControlsContainer({ join, leave, toggleWebcam, toggleMic }) {
return (
<View
style={{
padding: 24,
flexDirection: "row",
justifyContent: "space-between",
}}
>
<Button
onPress={() => {
join();
}}
buttonText={"Join"}
backgroundColor={"#1178F8"}
/>
<Button
onPress={() => {
toggleWebcam();
}}
buttonText={"Toggle Webcam"}
backgroundColor={"#1178F8"}
/>
<Button
onPress={() => {
toggleMic();
}}
buttonText={"Toggle Mic"}
backgroundColor={"#1178F8"}
/>
<Button
onPress={() => {
leave();
}}
buttonText={"Leave"}
backgroundColor={"#FF0000"}
/>
</View>
);
}
ControlsContainer Component
function ParticipantList() {
return null;
}
function MeetingView() {
const { join, leave, toggleWebcam, toggleMic, meetingId } = useMeeting({});
return (
<View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
{meetingId ? (
<Text style={{ fontSize: 18, padding: 12 }}>
Meeting Id :{meetingId}
</Text>
) : null}
<ParticipantList />
<ControlsContainer
join={join}
leave={leave}
toggleWebcam={toggleWebcam}
toggleMic={toggleMic}
/>
</View>
);
}
MeetingView Component
Step 5: Render Participant Listβ
After implementing the controls, the next step is to render the joined participants.
You can get all the joined participants
from the useMeeting
Hook.
function ParticipantView() {
return null;
}
function ParticipantList({ participants }) {
return participants.length > 0 ? (
<FlatList
data={participants}
renderItem={({ item }) => {
return <ParticipantView participantId={item} />;
}}
/>
) : (
<View
style={{
flex: 1,
backgroundColor: "#F6F6FF",
justifyContent: "center",
alignItems: "center",
}}
>
<Text style={{ fontSize: 20 }}>Press Join button to enter meeting.</Text>
</View>
);
}
ParticipantList Component
function MeetingView() {
// Get `participants` from useMeeting Hook
const { join, leave, toggleWebcam, toggleMic, participants } = useMeeting({});
const participantsArrId = [...participants.keys()];
return (
<View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
<ParticipantList participants={participantsArrId} />
<ControlsContainer
join={join}
leave={leave}
toggleWebcam={toggleWebcam}
toggleMic={toggleMic}
/>
</View>
);
}
MeetingView Component
Step 6: Handling Participant's Mediaβ
Before Handling the Participant's Media, you need to understand a couple of concepts.
1. useParticipant Hook
The useParticipant
hook is responsible for handling all the properties and events of one particular participant who joined the meeting. It will take participantId
as argument.
const { webcamStream, webcamOn, displayName } = useParticipant(participantId);
useParticipant Hook Example
2. MediaStream API
The MediaStream API is beneficial for adding a MediaTrack to the RTCView
component, enabling the playback of audio or video.
<RTCView
streamURL={new MediaStream([webcamStream.track]).toURL()}
objectFit={"cover"}
style={{
height: 300,
marginVertical: 8,
marginHorizontal: 8,
}}
/>
useParticipant Hook Example
Rendering Participant Media
function ParticipantView({ participantId }) {
const { webcamStream, webcamOn } = useParticipant(participantId);
return webcamOn && webcamStream ? (
<RTCView
streamURL={new MediaStream([webcamStream.track]).toURL()}
objectFit={"cover"}
style={{
height: 300,
marginVertical: 8,
marginHorizontal: 8,
}}
/>
) : (
<View
style={{
backgroundColor: "grey",
height: 300,
justifyContent: "center",
alignItems: "center",
}}
>
<Text style={{ fontSize: 16 }}>NO MEDIA</Text>
</View>
);
}
ParticipantView Component
Congratulations! By following these steps, you're on your way to unlocking the video within your application. Now, we are moving forward to integrate the RTMP feature that builds immersive video experiences for your users!
Integrate RTMP Live Stream Feature
RTMP is a widely used protocol for live streaming video content from VideoSDK to platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and others.
To initiate live streaming from VideoSDK to platforms supporting RTMP ingestion, you simply need to provide the platform-specific stream key and stream URL. This enables VideoSDK to connect to the platform's RTMP server and transmit the live video stream.
Furthermore, VideoSDK offers flexibility in configuring livestream layouts. You can achieve this by either selecting different prebuilt layouts in the configuration or by providing your own custom template for livestreaming, catering to your specific layout preferences.
This guide will provide an overview of how to implement starting and stopping RTMP live streaming with VideoSDK.
Start Livestream
The startLivestream()
method, accessible from the useMeeting
hook, is used to initiate the RTMP live stream of a meeting. This method accepts the following two parameters:
-
1. outputs
: This parameter takes an array of objects containing the RTMPurl
andstreamKey
specific to the platform where you want to initiate the live stream. -
2. config (optional)
: This parameter defines the layout configuration for the live stream.
const config = {
// Layout Configuration
layout: {
type: "GRID", // "SPOTLIGHT" | "SIDEBAR", Default : "GRID"
priority: "SPEAKER", // "PIN", Default : "SPEAKER"
gridSize: 4, // MAX : 4
},
// Theme of RTMP
theme: "DARK", // "LIGHT" | "DEFAULT"
};
const outputs = [
{
url: "<RTMP_URL>",
streamKey: "<RTMP_STREAM_KEY>",
},
];
startLivestream(outputs, config);
Stop Livestream
The stopLivestream()
method, accessible from the useMeeting
hook is used to stop the RTMP live stream of a meeting.
import { useMeeting } from "@videosdk.live/react-native-sdk";
import { TouchableOpacity, Text } from "react-native";
const MeetingView = () => {
const { startLivestream, stopLivestream } = useMeeting();
const handleStartLivestream = () => {
// Start Livestream
startLivestream(
[
{
url: "rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2",
streamKey: "key",
},
],
{
layout: {
type: "GRID",
priority: "SPEAKER",
gridSize: 4,
},
theme: "DARK",
}
);
};
const handleStopLivestream = () => {
// Stop Livestream
stopLivestream();
};
return (
<>
<TouchableOpacity
onPress={() => {
handleStartLivestream();
}}
>
<Text>Start Livestream</Text>
</TouchableOpacity>
<TouchableOpacity
onPress={() => {
handleStopLivestream();
}}
>
<Text>Stop Livestream</Text>
</TouchableOpacity>
</>
);
};
Event associated with Livestreamβ
-
onLivestreamStateChanged - The
onLivestreamStateChanged()
event is triggered whenever the state of the meeting livestream changes.
import { Constants, useMeeting } from "@videosdk.live/react-native-sdk";
function onLivestreamStateChanged(data) {
const { status } = data;
if (status === Constants.livestreamEvents.LIVESTREAM_STARTING) {
console.log("Meeting livestream is starting");
} else if (status === Constants.livestreamEvents.LIVESTREAM_STARTED) {
console.log("Meeting livestream is started");
} else if (status === Constants.livestreamEvents.LIVESTREAM_STOPPING) {
console.log("Meeting livestream is stopping");
} else if (status === Constants.livestreamEvents.LIVESTREAM_STOPPED) {
console.log("Meeting livestream is stopped");
} else {
//
}
}
const {
meetingId
...
} = useMeeting({
onLivestreamStateChanged,
});
Custom Templateβ
With VideoSDK, you can also use your custom-designed layout template to record the meetings. To use the custom template, you need to create a template, for which you can follow this guide. Once you have set up the template, you can use the REST API to start the recording with the templateURL
parameter.
π Conclusion
Integrating RTMP functionality into your React Native app with videoSDK empowers you to create a more versatile and engaging user experience. This guide provided a roadmap for setting up the development environment, configuring the SDK, and establishing a connection to your RTMP server. With RTMP support, you can enable features like live streaming to external platforms or broadcasting calls to a wider audience.
Remember, VideoSDK offers a generous free tier that includes 10,000 minutes allowing you to experiment and build your video call application without initial investment. Start your free trial today and unlock the potential of RTMP streaming in your React Native app!
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