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Glossary

API
Application Programming Interface – a set of functions and protocols for building software applications
CDN
Content Delivery Network – a distributed network of servers that delivers content to users based on their geographic location
Data Channel
A WebRTC API for sending arbitrary data directly between peers
ESM
ECMAScript Module – a standardized module system for JavaScript that allows for modular code organization and reuse
ICE
Interactive Connectivity Establishment – a framework for NAT traversal in WebRTC
MCU
Multipoint Control Unit – a media server that mixes incoming media into a single composite stream for distribution to participants
Media Stream
A WebRTC API representing a stream of media content, such as audio or video
NAT
Network Address Translation – a method used by routers to translate private IP addresses to public IP addresses
NATS
A high-performance messaging system often used for signaling in WebRTC applications
Peer-to-Peer
A communication model where each participant (peer) can directly communicate with others without a central server
Peerix
A JavaScript library for building WebRTC peer-to-peer applications
SFU
Selective Forwarding Unit – a media server that receives streams from participants and forwards selected streams to others, enabling multi-party conferencing with lower server-side processing
Signaling
The process of exchanging control messages to establish and manage a WebRTC connection
STUN
Session Traversal Utilities for NAT – a protocol for discovering the public IP address and port of a device behind a NAT
TURN
Traversal Using Relays around NAT – a protocol for relaying media when direct peer-to-peer communication is not possible
UMD
Universal Module Definition – a JavaScript module format that supports both AMD and CommonJS module systems, as well as global variable usage in browsers
WebRTC
Web Real-Time Communication – a set of APIs and protocols enabling peer-to-peer communication in web browsers
WebSocket
A protocol providing full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection, often used for signaling in WebRTC applications