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An increase in video communication technologies has sparked its wide adoption in medical, entertainment, education, healthcare, and other industries. It is now a viable method to manage businesses.
Including a ready-to-use solution in your product will be the simplest approach to deploy real-time communication. That’s where video-conferencing API integrations step in. By leveraging the power of these APIs, developers can enhance the communication experience, enable remote collaboration, and streamline business operations.
In this article, we will explore the features, benefits, and best practices of integrating video-conferencing APIs, empowering organizations to harness the full potential of this technology.
Video-conferencing API is an application programming interface that enables developers to build video conferencing functionality into their applications. It allows users to connect and communicate with each other in real time through video, audio, and chat.
This technology has become a safety net during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a secure and convenient way for individuals and businesses to collaborate remotely. Take a look how Zoom’s revenue stream changed withing that period.
Video-conferencing APIs typically leverage web-based protocols like WebRTC signaling servers to facilitate real-time online communication. This technology provides a wide range of features and functionalities, such as screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, recording, and file sharing, among others. Developers can embed these functionalities into their applications, giving users a seamless experience without switching between different platforms.
Moreover, video conferencing API offers a high degree of customization. Developers can build their own interface and control the elements and features of their application. As a result, they can tailor the video conferencing experience to the specific needs of their users and businesses.
Here are some fundamental video calling features that can benefit businesses.
One of the most significant advantages of this technology is convenience. With video conferencing, individuals no longer need to travel to meet colleagues or clients in person. This saves time and money, making it an excellent option for organizations with limited travel budgets. Additionally, video conferencing allows users to connect quickly during time-sensitive or pressing situations, making it a valuable tool for organizations that need to make crucial decisions rapidly.
Another significant advantage of video conferencing is that it allows users to talk to individuals in different time zones outside of standard work hours. This eliminates the need to schedule meetings during odd hours or force individuals to work beyond their usual schedule. Furthermore, video conferencing enables employees to participate in meetings from the comfort of their homes, which is convenient for remote workers, freelancers, and those who travel frequently.
Video conferencing APIs also offer excellent money and time-saving benefits. Business traveling can consume lots of resources, decreasing productivity and increasing expenses. However, with video conferencing, most meetings can be held easily, eliminating the need for travel and saving time and money. This benefits the organization and the environment through reduced carbon footprint.
The video-calling API market is highly competitive and crowded, with a plethora of options available for developers looking to integrate video-calling features into their applications. However, a few platforms stand out as the top contenders in the market due to their stability, versatility, and comprehensive features.
Zoom has become a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering reliable and easy-to-use video conferencing features for remote work and virtual events. Meanwhile, TokBox's API platform is designed to embed live video chat into web and mobile applications, making it an ideal choice for social networking and customer support use cases. Finally, Vonage's API solution is known for its attention to security and privacy, boasting end-to-end encryption and identity verification features.
In addition to these major players, other video-calling APIs are also gaining traction in the market.
There are several crucial steps that you need to follow to integrate APIs into your video-calling app for Android and iOS.
Step 1: Choose the Right Video Call SDK that supports API integration. There are numerous video call SDKs in the market, each with unique features, pricing, and API integration support. Selecting the right one is crucial as it will determine the success of your app.
Step 2: Obtain Credentials that serve as a means of checking whether you have proper authorization to use the API. For instance, in the case of video call integration, credentials are used to validate whether a client has permission to access a specific meeting room.
Step 3: Create a Server Application where the video call SDK will run, taking advantage of third-party account credentials to provide access to video services.
Step 4: Ensure Client Application on mobile devices or web applications and use third-party SDKs to capture, publish, subscribe, and execute real-time communication data. The client application also communicates with the server to provide the data required to access the video call services.
Step 5: Integration of APIs is an essential step in incorporating video call services into your app. You can use APIs to manage user authentication, access pre-built components, customize user interfaces, handle notifications, and more.
Step 6: Create a Room. Before creating a new room, you need to ensure that the SDK validates the provided data credentials. Once validated, the video SDK creates a meeting room and responds with the Room SID that can be used later with API requests.
Step 7: Obtain the Access Tokens required for the meeting room. To obtain access tokens, the first client requests an access token from the application server using HTTP requests from the client application. The application server then utilizes the video SDK account credentials to produce a secure access token granting the client access.
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