# BigBlueButton — Open Source Virtual Classroom and Web Conferencing

> BigBlueButton is a self-hosted web conferencing system designed for online learning. It provides real-time audio, video, screen sharing, collaborative whiteboard, breakout rooms, and recording — all within a browser.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# BigBlueButton — Open Source Virtual Classroom and Web Conferencing

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install on a dedicated Ubuntu 22.04 server (min 8 GB RAM, 4 cores)
wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bigbluebutton/bbb-install/master/bbb-install.sh | bash -s -- -v jammy-300 -s bbb.example.com -e admin@example.com
```

## Introduction
BigBlueButton is purpose-built for online education, offering a full web conferencing stack that runs on your own infrastructure. Schools, universities, and training organizations use it to deliver live virtual classes with interactive teaching tools.

## What BigBlueButton Does
- Streams real-time audio and video using WebRTC with no plugins required
- Provides a multi-user whiteboard for collaborative drawing and annotation
- Supports breakout rooms for small-group activities during a session
- Records sessions with synchronized audio, video, slides, and chat for later playback
- Offers polling, shared notes, and emoji reactions for student engagement

## Architecture Overview
BigBlueButton is composed of several services: a Scala-based application server handles meeting logic, FreeSWITCH manages audio mixing, Kurento/mediasoup provides video routing, and a Node.js service manages the HTML5 client. Nginx ties the components together as a reverse proxy. Recordings are processed asynchronously into a browser-playable format. The system uses Redis for inter-process messaging and MongoDB for client state.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Use the official install script on a dedicated Ubuntu server with a public hostname and valid SSL
- Allocate at least 8 GB of RAM and 4 CPU cores for a small deployment
- Integrate with LMS platforms like Moodle, Canvas, or Sakai via the built-in LTI connector
- Configure TURN/STUN servers for reliable WebRTC connectivity behind firewalls
- Scale larger deployments with Scalelite, a load balancer that distributes meetings across multiple BBB servers

## Key Features
- Presentation upload with slide-by-slide navigation and annotation
- Multi-user whiteboard with drawing tools, text, and shape support
- Closed captions and live transcription for accessibility
- Webcam sharing with configurable quality and layout options
- REST API for programmatic meeting creation and management

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Jitsi Meet** — lightweight video conferencing focused on simplicity; BigBlueButton adds education-specific features like whiteboard, breakout rooms, and LMS integration
- **Zoom** — commercial platform; BigBlueButton provides similar classroom features as self-hosted open-source software
- **Google Meet** — consumer video calling; lacks whiteboard, breakout rooms, and recording processing
- **OpenVidu** — WebRTC platform for developers building custom video apps; BigBlueButton is a complete conferencing product
- **Matrix/Element** — decentralized messaging with video calls; BigBlueButton is specialized for structured classroom sessions

## FAQ
**Q: How many users can a single BigBlueButton server support?**
A: A server with 8 cores and 16 GB RAM typically supports 100-150 concurrent users. For larger deployments, use Scalelite to distribute load across multiple servers.

**Q: Can I embed BigBlueButton in my website or LMS?**
A: Yes. BigBlueButton provides LTI integration for Moodle, Canvas, and other LMS platforms, plus a REST API for custom embedding.

**Q: Are recordings stored locally?**
A: Yes. Recordings are processed and stored on the server. You can configure external storage or move recordings to object storage after processing.

**Q: Does it work on mobile devices?**
A: The HTML5 client works in mobile browsers on both iOS and Android without requiring a native app.

## Sources
- https://github.com/bigbluebutton/bigbluebutton
- https://docs.bigbluebutton.org/

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/d98454b8-4125-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: Script Depot