Implementation of a private messaging service Peer-to-Peer using WebRTC technology

Abstract

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a real-time, peer-to-peer communication service using Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) technology. WebRTC is a powerful open-source framework that enables direct audio, video, and data exchange between web browsers and mobile applications without requiring external plugins. With the growing demand for decentralized and low-latency communication systems, WebRTC offers a modern solution to build secure and scalable applications. The project aims to explore the architectural components and protocols involved in establishing a peer-to-peer connection, including signaling, Session Description Protocol (SDP), Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE), NAT traversal using STUN and TURN servers, and the use of DTLS-SRTP for encrypted media transmission. A custom web application was developed with a frontend built in Vanilla JavaScript and a backend implemented using ASP.NET Core, incorporating a SignalR-based signaling server and a JWT-based authentication mechanism. The system supports real-time audio/video calls and screen sharing between authenticated users, relying solely on peer-to-peer media exchange. The implementation highlights the challenges of NAT traversal, user discovery, session management, and media stream handling, while offering a lightweight and responsive user experience. This work contributes to the field by providing a practical and extensible example of how WebRTC can be integrated into web-based communication services. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of WebRTC in building decentralized communication platforms, with minimal server load and strong end-to-end security