Self Hosted Jitsi Server: A Comprehensive Guide for Devs

As a Dev, you know how important it is to have a reliable video conferencing platform for your team. The market is flooded with various options, but having a self-hosted solution gives you more control over the platform and better security. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of setting up a self-hosted Jitsi server, step by step.

Introduction to Jitsi

Jitsi is a free and open-source video conferencing platform that allows users to have virtual meetings, webinars, and more. It is a great alternative to popular video conferencing solutions, such as Zoom and Google Meet. With Jitsi, your team can have reliable, high-quality video conferences without any hassle.

One of the most significant benefits of Jitsi is that it is entirely open-source. This means that you can customize and modify the platform according to your needs. You can also host it on your servers, giving you more control over the platform and better privacy.

1. Jitsi Features

Jitsi comes with several features, making it a suitable option for many use cases. Here are some of the features you can expect from Jitsi:

Feature	Description
Screen Sharing	Users can share their screens during video conferences.
Recording	Users can record the video conferences for later use.
Virtual Backgrounds	Users can have virtual backgrounds during video conferences.
Chat	Users can chat with each other during video conferences.

2. Requirements for Hosting a Self-Hosted Jitsi Server

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of hosting your Jitsi server, let’s take a look at the requirements:

• A server with at least 4GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores
• The latest version of Debian or Ubuntu installed on the server
• A domain name

If you don’t have a server, you can either rent one or use a virtual private server (VPS) provider such as DigitalOcean, Linode, or AWS.

Setting Up a Self-Hosted Jitsi Server

1. Installing Jitsi

The first step in setting up a self-hosted Jitsi server is to install Jitsi on your server. Here’s how to do it:

1. SSH into your server
2. Add the Jitsi repository to your server’s sources list:
   echo 'deb https://download.jitsi.org stable/' >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jitsi-stable.list
3. Add the Jitsi repository key to your system:
   wget -qO - https://download.jitsi.org/jitsi-key.gpg.key | sudo apt-key add -
4. Update your package list:
   sudo apt-get update
5. Install Jitsi:
   sudo apt-get -y install jitsi-meet
6. Follow the installation wizard and enter your domain name when prompted. You will also be asked to generate a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate.

Your Jitsi server is now installed and ready to use.

2. Configuring Jitsi

Once Jitsi is installed, you need to configure it to suit your needs. Here are some of the essential configurations:

2.1 Enabling Authentication

By default, anyone with your Jitsi server’s URL can create a meeting. To prevent unauthorized access, it’s essential to enable authentication. Here’s how to do it:

1. SSH into your server
2. Edit the Jitsi Meet configuration file:
   sudo nano /etc/jitsi/meet/[your domain]-config.js
3. Find the following line:
   // anonymousdomain: 'guest.example.com',
4. Uncomment the line and change the value to your server’s domain:
   anonymousdomain: '[your domain]',
5. Add the following line:
   authentication: { enabled: true, JWT: { secret: 'SECRET_KEY', }, },
6. Generate a secret key for your JWT token. You can use any random string as the secret key. It’s best to use a complex string.

Once you’ve made these changes, every user must enter a username and password to join a meeting.

2.2 Changing the Server URL

If you want to use a custom URL for your Jitsi server, you need to make some changes to the server configuration. Here’s how to do it:

1. SSH into your server
2. Edit the Jitsi Meet configuration file:
   sudo nano /etc/jitsi/meet/[your domain]-config.js
3. Find the following line:
   // bosh: '//[your jitsi domain]/http-bind',
4. Uncomment the line and replace ‘[your jitsi domain]’ with your custom URL.

Once you’ve made these changes, your Jitsi server will be accessible through your custom URL.

FAQs

1. Is Jitsi a Reliable Video Conferencing Solution?

Yes, Jitsi is a reliable video conferencing solution that provides high-quality audio and video. It is also stable and rarely crashes.

2. Can I Host Jitsi on My Own Server?

Yes, you can host Jitsi on your own server. In fact, self-hosted Jitsi servers are more secure and give you more control over the platform.

3. What Are the System Requirements for Hosting a Jitsi Server?

You need a server with at least 4GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores to host a Jitsi server.

4. Is Jitsi Free?

Yes, Jitsi is entirely free and open-source.

5. Can I Customize Jitsi According to My Needs?

Yes, Jitsi is open-source, meaning you can customize and modify it according to your needs.

Conclusion

Setting up a self-hosted Jitsi server is not as challenging as it may seem. With this guide, you can set up your Jitsi server in no time and start having reliable, high-quality video conferences with your team. We hope this guide has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment below.