API stands for Application Programming Interface.
In the WebRTC context, the API refers to the set of JavaScript interfaces defined by the W3C that developers use to build real-time communication applications in the browser.
Core WebRTC APIs
- PeerConnection (RTCPeerConnection): The main API for establishing peer-to-peer connections, handling SDP negotiation, ICE connectivity, and media exchange
- getUserMedia (MediaDevices.getUserMedia): Accesses camera and microphone
- getDisplayMedia: Captures screen content for screen sharing
- Data Channel (RTCDataChannel): Peer-to-peer data transfer
- getStats: Real-time session quality metrics
- Insertable Streams (WebRTC Encoded Transform): Access to encoded media for custom processing
These APIs abstract away the complexity of the underlying protocol stack (RTP, SRTP, DTLS, ICE), allowing developers to build communication features with relatively simple JavaScript code.
