# @libp2p/webrtc > A libp2p transport using WebRTC connections Latest version **7.0.2** (published 2026-10-19) · Apache-2.0 OR MIT license · 0 weekly downloads ## Install ```sh npm install @libp2p/webrtc pnpm add @libp2p/webrtc yarn add @libp2p/webrtc bun add @libp2p/webrtc ``` ## Health **Score 75/100 (B)** — status: active. Positive: has types; esm support; no vulnerabilities; has provenance; recently updated; high maintenance score; high quality score. Warnings: low downloads. ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Version | 7.0.2 | | Published | 2026-10-19 | | First published | 2022-12-08 | | Weekly downloads | 0 | | License | Apache-2.0 OR MIT | | TypeScript types | bundled | | Module format | ESM | | Dependencies | 31 | | Unpacked size | 2 MB | | Known vulnerabilities | 0 | | Install scripts | no | | Provenance | attested (GitHub Actions) | | GitHub stars | 2581 | | Maintainers | daviddias, alanshaw, achingbrain, vascosantos, npm-service-account-libp2p, jacobheun | ## Links - npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@libp2p/webrtc - Repository: https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p - Homepage: https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p/tree/main/packages/transport-webrtc#readme - Issues: https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p/issues - npm.io page: https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/webrtc ## Dependencies (31) - [p-defer](https://npm.io/package/p-defer.md) ^4.0.1 - [p-event](https://npm.io/package/p-event.md) ^8.0.1 - [p-timeout](https://npm.io/package/p-timeout.md) ^7.0.0 - [main-event](https://npm.io/package/main-event.md) ^1.0.5 - [p-wait-for](https://npm.io/package/p-wait-for.md) ^6.0.0 - [it-pushable](https://npm.io/package/it-pushable.md) ^3.2.3 - [race-signal](https://npm.io/package/race-signal.md) ^2.0.0 - [uint8arrays](https://npm.io/package/uint8arrays.md) ^6.1.1 - [multiformats](https://npm.io/package/multiformats.md) ^14.0.0 - [uint8-varint](https://npm.io/package/uint8-varint.md) ^3.0.0 - [@libp2p/noise](https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/noise.md) ^17.0.7 - [@libp2p/utils](https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/utils.md) ^7.4.5 - [@libp2p/crypto](https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/crypto.md) ^5.2.0 - [@peculiar/x509](https://npm.io/package/@peculiar/x509.md) ^2.0.0 - [uint8arraylist](https://npm.io/package/uint8arraylist.md) ^3.0.2 - [@libp2p/peer-id](https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/peer-id.md) ^6.0.18 - [it-stream-types](https://npm.io/package/it-stream-types.md) ^2.0.2 - [progress-events](https://npm.io/package/progress-events.md) ^1.0.1 - [protons-runtime](https://npm.io/package/protons-runtime.md) ^7.0.0 - [@chainsafe/is-ip](https://npm.io/package/@chainsafe/is-ip.md) ^2.1.0 - [@libp2p/keychain](https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/keychain.md) ^6.1.10 - [node-datachannel](https://npm.io/package/node-datachannel.md) ^0.33.4 - [reflect-metadata](https://npm.io/package/reflect-metadata.md) ^0.2.2 - [@libp2p/interface](https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/interface.md) ^3.4.0 - [it-length-prefixed](https://npm.io/package/it-length-prefixed.md) ^11.0.1 - [it-protobuf-stream](https://npm.io/package/it-protobuf-stream.md) ^3.0.0 - [@peculiar/webcrypto](https://npm.io/package/@peculiar/webcrypto.md) ^1.5.0 - [interface-datastore](https://npm.io/package/interface-datastore.md) ^10.0.1 - [@multiformats/multiaddr](https://npm.io/package/@multiformats/multiaddr.md) ^13.0.3 - [@libp2p/interface-internal](https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/interface-internal.md) ^3.2.2 - [@multiformats/multiaddr-matcher](https://npm.io/package/@multiformats/multiaddr-matcher.md) ^3.0.2 ## Recent versions - 7.0.2 (latest) — 2026-10-19 - 7.0.1-7fa88999d (next) — 2026-10-19 - 7.0.1-c57bf6228 — 2026-10-19 - 7.0.1-3da8bab7c — 2026-10-19 - 7.0.1-b927d5921 — 2026-10-18 - 7.0.1-aa5ba42d0 — 2026-10-18 - 7.0.1 — 2026-10-18 - 7.0.0-2d4c93ed6 — 2026-10-17 - 7.0.0-d1ce8bdbe — 2026-10-17 - 7.0.0-95392efdf — 2026-10-17 - 7.0.0-f0e64b9b8 — 2026-10-17 - 7.0.0-57c4b4456 — 2026-10-17 - 7.0.0-6d888970e — 2026-10-17 - 7.0.0 — 2026-10-17 - 6.1.0-be63a4416 — 2026-10-16 - … 996 more at https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/webrtc/versions ## README # @libp2p/webrtc [![libp2p.io](https://img.shields.io/badge/project-libp2p-yellow.svg?style=flat-square)](http://libp2p.io/) [![Discuss](https://img.shields.io/discourse/https/discuss.libp2p.io/posts.svg?style=flat-square)](https://discuss.libp2p.io) [![codecov](https://img.shields.io/codecov/c/github/libp2p/js-libp2p.svg?style=flat-square)](https://codecov.io/gh/libp2p/js-libp2p) [![CI](https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/libp2p/js-libp2p/main.yml?branch=main\&style=flat-square)](https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p/actions/workflows/main.yml?query=branch%3Amain) > A libp2p transport using WebRTC connections # About A [libp2p transport](https://libp2p.io/docs/transports-overview/) based on [WebRTC data channels](https://webrtc.org/). [WebRTC](https://www.w3.org/TR/webrtc/) is a specification that allows real-time communication between nodes - it's commonly used in browser video conferencing applications but it also provides a reliable data transport mechanism called [data channels](https://www.w3.org/TR/webrtc/#peer-to-peer-data-api) which libp2p uses to facilitate [protocol streams](https://libp2p.io/docs/multiplexing-overview/) between peers. There are two transports exposed by this module, [webRTC](https://github.com/libp2p/specs/blob/master/webrtc/webrtc.md) and [webRTCDirect](https://github.com/libp2p/specs/blob/master/webrtc/webrtc-direct.md). ## React Native installation React Native applications must install the optional `react-native-webrtc` peer dependency explicitly: ```sh npm install @libp2p/webrtc react-native-webrtc@^124.0.6 ``` Follow the [react-native-webrtc installation instructions](https://github.com/react-native-webrtc/react-native-webrtc#getting-started) to configure the native module. Node.js and browser applications do not need this dependency. ## WebRTC vs WebRTC Direct The connection establishment phase of WebRTC involves a handshake using [SDP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Session_Description_Protocol) during which two peers will exchange information such as open ports, network addresses and required capabilities. A third party is usually necessary to carry out this handshake, forwarding messages between the two peers until they can make a direct connection between themselves. The WebRTC transport uses libp2p [Circuit Relay](https://libp2p.io/docs/circuit-relay/)s to forward SDP messages. Once a direct connection is formed the relay plays no further part in the exchange. WebRTC Direct skips the handshake step, instead encoding enough information in the connection request that the responder can derive what would have been in the handshake messages and so requires no third parties to establish a connection. Version 1 of the protocol does this with a technique known as [SDP munging](https://webrtchacks.com/not-a-guide-to-sdp-munging/); version 2 avoids munging, which browsers are removing support for. See WebRTC Direct versions below. A WebRTC Direct multiaddr also includes a certhash of the target peer - this is used to allow opening a connection to the remote, which would otherwise be denied due to use of a self-signed certificate. In both cases, once the connection is established a [Noise handshake](https://noiseprotocol.org/noise.html) is carried out to ensure that the remote peer has the private key that corresponds to the public key that makes up their PeerId, giving you both encryption and authentication. ## Example - WebRTC WebRTC requires use of a relay to connect two nodes. The listener first discovers a relay server and makes a reservation, then the dialer can connect via the relayed address. ```TypeScript import { noise } from '@libp2p/noise' import { yamux } from '@libp2p/yamux' import { echo } from '@libp2p/echo' import { circuitRelayTransport, circuitRelayServer } from '@libp2p/circuit-relay-v2' import { identify } from '@libp2p/identify' import { webRTC } from '@libp2p/webrtc' import { webSockets } from '@libp2p/websockets' import { WebRTC } from '@multiformats/multiaddr-matcher' import delay from 'delay' import { createLibp2p } from 'libp2p' import type { Multiaddr } from '@multiformats/multiaddr' // the relay server listens on a transport dialable by the listener and the // dialer, and has a relay service configured const relay = await createLibp2p({ addresses: { listen: ['/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/0/ws'] }, transports: [ webSockets() ], connectionEncrypters: [noise()], streamMuxers: [yamux()], connectionGater: { denyDialMultiaddr: () => false }, services: { identify: identify(), relay: circuitRelayServer() } }) // the listener has a WebSocket transport to dial the relay, a Circuit Relay // transport to make a reservation, and a WebRTC transport to accept incoming // WebRTC connections const listener = await createLibp2p({ addresses: { listen: [ '/p2p-circuit', '/webrtc' ] }, transports: [ webSockets(), webRTC(), circuitRelayTransport() ], connectionEncrypters: [noise()], streamMuxers: [yamux()], connectionGater: { denyDialMultiaddr: () => false }, services: { identify: identify(), echo: echo() } }) // the listener dials the relay (or discovers a public relay via some other // method) await listener.dial(relay.getMultiaddrs(), { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000) }) let webRTCMultiaddr: Multiaddr | undefined // wait for the listener to make a reservation on the relay while (true) { webRTCMultiaddr = listener.getMultiaddrs().find(ma => WebRTC.matches(ma)) if (webRTCMultiaddr != null) { break } // try again later await delay(1000) } // the dialer has Circuit Relay, WebSocket and WebRTC transports to dial // the listener via the relay, complete the SDP handshake and establish a // direct WebRTC connection const dialer = await createLibp2p({ transports: [ webSockets(), webRTC(), circuitRelayTransport() ], connectionEncrypters: [noise()], streamMuxers: [yamux()], connectionGater: { denyDialMultiaddr: () => false }, services: { identify: identify(), echo: echo() } }) // dial the listener and open an echo protocol stream const stream = await dialer.dialProtocol(webRTCMultiaddr, dialer.services.echo.protocol, { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000) }) // we can now stop the relay await relay.stop() // send/receive some data from the remote peer via a direct connection stream.send(new TextEncoder().encode('hello world')) stream.addEventListener('message', (evt) => { console.info(new TextDecoder().decode(evt.data.subarray())) }) ``` ## Example - WebRTC Direct WebRTC Direct allows a client to establish a WebRTC connection to a server without using a relay to first exchange SDP messages. Instead the server listens on a public UDP port and embeds its certificate hash in the published multiaddr. It derives the client's SDP offer based on the incoming IP/port of STUN messages sent to this public port. The client derives the server's SDP answer based on the information in the multiaddr so no SDP handshake via a third party is required. Full details of the connection protocol can be found in the [WebRTC Direct spec](https://github.com/libp2p/specs/blob/master/webrtc/webrtc-direct.md). Browsers cannot listen on WebRTC Direct addresses since they cannot open ports, but they can dial all spec-compliant servers. Node.js/go and rust-libp2p can listen on and dial WebRTC Direct addresses. ```TypeScript import { createLibp2p } from 'libp2p' import { multiaddr } from '@multiformats/multiaddr' import { fromString, toString } from 'uint8arrays' import { webRTCDirect } from '@libp2p/webrtc' const listener = await createLibp2p({ addresses: { listen: [ '/ip4/0.0.0.0/udp/0/webrtc-direct' ] }, transports: [ webRTCDirect() ] }) await listener.start() const dialer = await createLibp2p({ transports: [ webRTCDirect() ] }) await dialer.start() const stream = await dialer.dialProtocol(listener.getMultiaddrs(), '/my-protocol/1.0.0', { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(10_000) }) stream.send(new TextEncoder().encode('hello world')) stream.addEventListener('message', (evt) => { console.info(new TextDecoder().decode(evt.data.subarray())) }) ``` ## WebRTC Direct versions There are two versions of the WebRTC Direct connection flow. Both use the same `/webrtc-direct` multiaddr and certificate hash; they differ in how the client's ICE credentials reach the server. Version 1 munges the client's SDP offer so that the server can predict the client's ICE credentials. Browsers are removing the ability to do this, so v1 will stop working for browser clients. Version 2 leaves the local SDP offer untouched and instead carries the client's ICE password in the ICE username fragment of the synthetic server answer, where the server reads it back from the incoming STUN request. No configuration is needed for either version. Listeners accept both on the same port and select the version from the incoming username fragment prefix. The first dial tries v1 and, if the runtime does not apply the munged ICE credentials, continues as v2; later dials then start at v2. The `dialerVersion` option skips this and forces one version, for example `2` for a server known to support it (go-libp2p does from v0.49.0). ## WebRTC Direct certificate hashes WebRTC Direct listeners publish the hash of their TLS certificate as part of the listening multiaddr. By default these certificates are generated at start up using an ephemeral keypair that only exists while the node is running. This means that the certificate hashes change when the node is restarted, which can be undesirable if multiaddrs are intended to be long lived (e.g. if the node is used as a network bootstrapper). To reuse the same certificate and keypair, configure a persistent datastore and the [@libp2p/keychain](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@libp2p/keychain) service as part of your service map: ## Example - Reuse TLS certificates after restart ```ts import { LevelDatastore } from 'datastore-level' import { webRTCDirect } from '@libp2p/webrtc' import { keychain } from '@libp2p/keychain' import { createLibp2p } from 'libp2p' // store data on disk between restarts const datastore = new LevelDatastore('/path/to/store') const listener = await createLibp2p({ addresses: { listen: [ '/ip4/0.0.0.0/udp/0/webrtc-direct' ] }, datastore, transports: [ webRTCDirect() ], services: { keychain: keychain() } }) await listener.start() console.info(listener.getMultiaddrs()) // /ip4/...../udp/../webrtc-direct/certhash/foo await listener.stop() await listener.start() console.info(listener.getMultiaddrs()) // /ip4/...../udp/../webrtc-direct/certhash/foo ``` # Install ```console $ npm i @libp2p/webrtc ``` ## Browser ` ``` # API Docs - # License Licensed under either of - Apache 2.0, ([LICENSE-APACHE](https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p/blob/main/packages/transport-webrtc/LICENSE-APACHE) / ) - MIT ([LICENSE-MIT](https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p/blob/main/packages/transport-webrtc/LICENSE-MIT) / ) # Contribution Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the work by you, as defined in the Apache-2.0 license, shall be dual licensed as above, without any additional terms or conditions. --- _Source: https://npm.io/package/@libp2p/webrtc · Machine-readable twin of the npm.io package page. 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