When building real-time video apps (think calls, live streams, webinars), the network topology you choose can make or break your user experience and your server costs.
With Ant Media Server, you can use three main WebRTC topologies — each with its strengths:
Mesh — best for small groups (2–4 people). Peers connect directly, no server needed. Great for minimal latency and zero server cost, but not scalable beyond a few users.
Ant Media
SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit) — ideal for groups from ~5 up to hundreds. Streams are routed through the server (not mixed), balancing bandwidth and CPU load while keeping real-time interaction smooth.
Ant Media
MCU (Multipoint Conferencing Unit) — mixes and re-encodes all streams server-side, then sends a single composite stream to users. Useful for legacy support or when you need a unified stream (e.g. for recording), but resource-intensive and adds latency.
Ant Media
🧩 So, which to pick?
Use Mesh for tiny, peer-to-peer apps where server cost matters and few participants are involved.
Go with SFU for scalable, interactive group calls or live-streaming to many users — it's efficient and balances performance and cost.
Choose MCU if you need a single output stream (for recording, streaming, or compatibility) — but be prepared for higher server load and possible latency.
The architecture decision at the start can determine whether your app scales smoothly — or struggles under load. With Ant Media Server, you get the flexibility to start small with mesh and evolve to SFU or MCU as your app grows.
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