The following details the C API of libdatachannel. The C API is available by including the rtc/rtc.h header.
Unless stated otherwise, functions return RTC_ERR_SUCCESS, defined as 0, on success.
All functions can return the following negative error codes:
RTC_ERR_INVALID: an invalid argument was providedRTC_ERR_FAILURE: a runtime error happenedRTC_ERR_NOT_AVAIL: an element is not available at the momentRTC_ERR_TOO_SMALL: a user-provided buffer is too small
All functions taking pointers as arguments (excepted the opaque user pointer) need the memory to be accessible until the call returns, but it can be safely discarded afterwards.
void rtcInitLogger(rtcLogLevel level, rtcLogCallbackFunc cb)
Arguments:
level: the log level. It must be one of the following:RTC_LOG_NONE,RTC_LOG_FATAL,RTC_LOG_ERROR,RTC_LOG_WARNING,RTC_LOG_INFO,RTC_LOG_DEBUG,RTC_LOG_VERBOSE.cb(optional): the callback to pass the log lines to. If the callback is already set, it is replaced. If NULL after a callback is set, the callback is unset. If NULL on first call, the library will log to stdout instead.
cb must have the following signature:
void myLogCallback(rtcLogLevel level, const char *message)
Arguments:
level: the log level for the current message. It will be one of the following:RTC_LOG_FATAL,RTC_LOG_ERROR,RTC_LOG_WARNING,RTC_LOG_INFO,RTC_LOG_DEBUG,RTC_LOG_VERBOSE.message: a null-terminated string containing the log message
void rtcPreload(void)
An optional call to rtcPreload preloads the global resources used by the library. If it is not called, resources are lazy-loaded when they are required for the first time by a PeerConnection, which for instance prevents from properly timing connection establishment (as the first one will take way more time). The call blocks until preloading is finished. If resources are already loaded, the call has no effect.
void rtcCleanup(void)
An optional call to rtcCleanup requests unloading of the global resources used by the library. If all created PeerConnections are deleted, unloading will happen immediately and the call will block until unloading is done, otherwise unloading will happen as soon as the last PeerConnection is deleted. If resources are already unloaded, the call has no effect.
void rtcSetUserPointer(int id, void *user_ptr)
Sets a opaque user pointer for a Peer Connection, Data Channel, Track, or WebSocket. The user pointer will be passed as last argument in each corresponding callback. It will never be accessed in any way. The initial user pointer of a Peer Connection or WebSocket is NULL, and the initial one of a Data Channel or Track is the one of the Peer Connection at the time of creation.
Arguments:
id: the identifier of Peer Connection, Data Channel, Track, or WebSocketuser_ptr: an opaque pointer whose meaning is up to the user
int rtcCreatePeerConnection(const rtcConfiguration *config)
typedef struct {
const char **iceServers;
int iceServersCount;
rtcCertificateType certificateType;
bool enableIceTcp;
bool disableAutoNegotiation;
uint16_t portRangeBegin;
uint16_t portRangeEnd;
int mtu;
} rtcConfiguration;
Creates a Peer Connection.
Arguments:
config: the configuration structure, containing:iceServers(optional): an array of pointers on null-terminated ice server URIs (NULL if unused)iceServersCount(optional): number of URLs in the array pointed byiceServers(0 if unused)bindAddress(optional): if non-NULL, bind only to the given local address (ignored with libnice as ICE backend)certificateType(optional): certificate type, eitherRTC_CERTIFICATE_ECDSAorRTC_CERTIFICATE_RSA(0 orRTC_CERTIFICATE_DEFAULTif default)enableIceTcp: if true, generate TCP candidates for ICE (ignored with libjuice as ICE backend)disableAutoNegotiation: if true, the user is responsible for callingrtcSetLocalDescriptionafter creating a Data Channel and after setting the remote descriptionportRangeBegin(optional): first port (included) of the allowed local port range (0 if unused)portRangeEnd(optional): last port (included) of the allowed local port (0 if unused)mtu(optional): manually set the Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU) for the connection (0 if automatic)maxMessageSize(optional): manually set the local maximum message size for Data Channels (0 if default)
Return value: the identifier of the new Peer Connection or a negative error code.
The Peer Connection must be deleted with rtcDeletePeerConnection.
The format of each entry in iceServers must match the format [("stun"|"turn"|"turns") ":"][login ":" password "@"]hostname[":" port]["?transport=" ("udp"|"tcp"|"tls")]. The default scheme is STUN, the default port is 3478 (5349 over TLS), and the default transport is UDP. For instance, a STUN server URI could be mystunserver.org, and a TURN server URI could be turn:myuser:[email protected]. Note transports TCP and TLS are only available for a TURN server with libnice as ICE backend and govern only the TURN control connection, meaning relaying is always performed over UDP.
int rtcDeletePeerConnection(int pc)
Deletes the specified Peer Connection.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifier
Return value: RTC_ERR_SUCCESS or a negative error code
After this function has been called, pc must not be used in a function call anymore. This function will block until all scheduled callbacks of pc return (except the one this function might be called in) and no other callback will be called for pc after it returns.
These functions set, change, or unset (if cb is NULL) the different callbacks of a Peer Connection.
int rtcSetLocalDescriptionCallback(int pc, rtcDescriptionCallbackFunc cb)*
cb must have the following signature: void myDescriptionCallback(int pc, const char *sdp, const char *type, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetLocalCandidateCallback(int pc, rtcCandidateCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myCandidateCallback(int pc, const char *cand, const char *mid, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetStateChangeCallback(int pc, rtcStateChangeCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myStateChangeCallback(int pc, rtcState state, void *user_ptr)
state will be one of the following: RTC_CONNECTING, RTC_CONNECTED, RTC_DISCONNECTED, RTC_FAILED, or RTC_CLOSED.
int rtcSetGatheringStateChangeCallback(int pc, rtcGatheringStateCallbackFunc cb)
void myGatheringStateCallback(int pc, rtcGatheringState state, void *user_ptr)
state will be RTC_GATHERING_INPROGRESS or RTC_GATHERING_COMPLETE.
int rtcSetDataChannelCallback(int pc, rtcDataChannelCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myDataChannelCallback(int pc, int dc, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetTrackCallback(int pc, rtcTrackCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myTrackCallback(int pc, int tr, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetLocalDescription(int pc, const char *type)
Initiates the handshake process. Following this call, the local description callback will be called with the local description, which must be sent to the remote peer by the user's method of choice. Note this call is implicit after rtcSetRemoteDescription and rtcCreateDataChannel if disableAutoNegotiation was not set on Peer Connection creation.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifiertype(optional): type of the description ("offer", "answer", "pranswer", or "rollback") or NULL for autodetection.
int rtcSetRemoteDescription(int pc, const char *sdp, const char *type)
Sets the remote description received from the remote peer by the user's method of choice. The remote description may have candidates or not.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifiertype(optional): type of the description ("offer", "answer", "pranswer", or "rollback") or NULL for autodetection.
If the remote description is an offer and disableAutoNegotiation was not set in rtcConfiguration, the library will automatically answer by calling rtcSetLocalDescription internally. Otherwise, the user must call it to answer the remote description.
int rtcAddRemoteCandidate(int pc, const char *cand, const char *mid)
Adds a trickled remote candidate received from the remote peer by the user's method of choice.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifiercand: a null-terminated SDP string representing the candidate (with or without the"a="prefix)mid(optional): a null-terminated string representing the mid of the candidate in the remote SDP description or NULL for autodetection
The Peer Connection must have a remote description set.
Return value: RTC_ERR_SUCCESS or a negative error code
int rtcGetLocalDescription(int pc, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the current local description in SDP format.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the descriptionsize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the description is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcGetRemoteDescription(int pc, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the current remote description in SDP format.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the descriptionsize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the description is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcGetLocalDescriptionType(int pc, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the current local description type as string.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the typesize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the description is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcGetRemoteDescriptionType(int pc, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the current remote description type as string.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the typesize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the description is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcGetLocalAddress(int pc, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the current local address, i.e. the network address of the currently selected local candidate. The address will have the format "IP_ADDRESS:PORT", where IP_ADDRESS may be either IPv4 or IPv6. The call might fail if the PeerConnection is not in state RTC_CONNECTED, and the address might change if the state is not RTC_COMPLETED.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the addresssize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the address is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcGetRemoteAddress(int pc, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the current remote address, i.e. the network address of the currently selected remote candidate. The address will have the format "IP_ADDRESS:PORT", where IP_ADDRESS may be either IPv4 or IPv6. The call may fail if the state is not RTC_CONNECTED, and the address might change if the state is not RTC_COMPLETED.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the addresssize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the address is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcGetSelectedCandidatePair(int pc, char *local, int localSize, char *remote, int remoteSize)
Retrieve the currently selected candidate pair. The call may fail if the state is not RTC_CONNECTED, and the selected candidate pair might change if the state is not RTC_COMPLETED.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifierlocal: a user-supplied buffer to store the local candidatelocalSize: the size oflocalremote: a user-supplied buffer to store the remote candidateremoteSize: the size ofremote
Return value: the maximun length of strings copied in buffers (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If local, remote, or both, are NULL, the corresponding candidate is not copied, but the maximum length is still returned.
int rtcCreateDataChannel(int pc, const char *label)
int rtcCreateDataChannelEx(int pc, const char *label, const rtcDataChannelInit *init)
typedef struct {
bool unordered;
bool unreliable;
unsigned int maxPacketLifeTime;
unsigned int maxRetransmits;
} rtcReliability;
typedef struct {
rtcReliability reliability;
const char *protocol;
bool negotiated;
bool manualStream;
uint16_t stream;
} rtcDataChannelInit;
Adds a Data Channel on a Peer Connection. The Peer Connection does not need to be connected, however, the Data Channel will be open only when the Peer Connection is connected.
Arguments:
pc: identifier of the PeerConnection on which to add a Data Channellabel: a user-defined UTF-8 string representing the Data Channel nameinit: a structure of initialization settings containing:reliability: a structure of reliability settings containing:bool unordered: iftrue, the Data Channel will not enforce message ordering, else it will be orderedbool unreliable: iftrue, the Data Channel will not enforce strict reliability, else it will be reliableunsigned int maxPacketLifeTime: if unreliable, maximum packet life time in millisecondsunsigned int maxRetransmits: if unreliable and maxPacketLifeTime is 0, maximum number of retransmissions (0 means no retransmission)
protocol(optional): a user-defined UTF-8 string representing the Data Channel protocol, empty if NULLnegotiated: iftrue, the Data Channel is assumed to be negotiated by the user and won't be negotiated by the WebRTC layermanualStream: iftrue, the Data Channel will usestreamas stream ID, else an available id is automatically selectedstream(0-65534): ifmanualStreamistrue, the Data Channel will use it as stream ID, else it is ignored
rtcDataChannel() is equivalent to rtcDataChannelEx() with settings set to ordered, reliable, non-negotiated, with automatic stream ID selection (all flags set to false), and protocol set to an empty string.
Return value: the identifier of the new Data Channel or a negative error code.
The Data Channel must be deleted with rtcDeleteDataChannel.
If disableAutoNegotiation was not set in rtcConfiguration, the library will automatically initiate the negotiation by calling rtcSetLocalDescription internally. Otherwise, the user must call rtcSetLocalDescription to initiate the negotiation after creating the first Data Channel.
int rtcDeleteDataChannel(int dc)
Deletes a Data Channel.
Arguments:
dc: the Data Channel identifier
After this function has been called, dc must not be used in a function call anymore. This function will block until all scheduled callbacks of dc return (except the one this function might be called in) and no other callback will be called for dc after it returns.
int rtcGetDataChannelStream(int dc)
Retrieves the stream ID of the Data Channel.
Arguments:
dc: the Data Channel identifier
Return value: the stream ID (0-65534) or a negative error code
int rtcGetDataChannelLabel(int dc, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the label of a Data Channel.
Arguments:
dc: the Data Channel identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the labelsize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the label is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcGetDataChannelProtocol(int dc, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the protocol of a Data Channel.
Arguments:
dc: the Data Channel identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the protocolsize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the protocol is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcGetDataChannelReliability(int dc, rtcReliability *reliability)
Retrieves the reliability settings of a Data Channel. The function may be called irrelevant of how the Data Channel was created.
Arguments:
dc: the Data Channel identifierreliabilitya user-supplied structure to fill
Return value: RTC_ERR_SUCCESS or a negative error code
int rtcAddTrack(int pc, const char *mediaDescriptionSdp)
Adds a new Track on a Peer Connection. The Peer Connection does not need to be connected, however, the Track will be open only when the Peer Connection is connected.
Arguments:
pc: the Peer Connection identifiermediaDescriptionSdp: a null-terminated string specifying the corresponding media SDP. It must start with a m-line and include a mid parameter.
Return value: the identifier of the new Track or a negative error code
The new track must be deleted with rtcDeleteTrack.
The user must call rtcSetLocalDescription to negotiate the track.
int rtcDeleteTrack(int tr)
Deletes a Track.
Arguments:
tr: the Track identifier
After this function has been called, tr must not be used in a function call anymore. This function will block until all scheduled callbacks of tr return (except the one this function might be called in) and no other callback will be called for tr after it returns.
int rtcGetTrackDescription(int tr, char *buffer, int size)
Retrieves the SDP media description of a Track.
Arguments:
dc: the Track identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer to store the descriptionsize: the size ofbuffer
Return value: the length of the string copied in buffer (including the terminating null character) or a negative error code
If buffer is NULL, the description is not copied but the size is still returned.
int rtcCreateWebSocket(const char *url)
int rtcCreateWebSocketEx(const char *url, const rtcWsConfiguration *config)
Creates a new client WebSocket.
Arguments:
url: a null-terminated string representing the fully-qualified URL to open.config: a structure with the following parameters:bool disableTlsVerification: if true, don't verify the TLS certificate, else try to verify it if possible
Return value: the identifier of the new WebSocket or a negative error code
The new WebSocket must be deleted with rtcDeleteWebSocket. The scheme of the URL must be either ws or wss.
int rtcDeleteWebSocket(int ws)
Arguments:
ws: the identifier of the WebSocket to delete
Return value: the identifier of the new WebSocket or a negative error code
After this function has been called, ws must not be used in a function call anymore. This function will block until all scheduled callbacks of ws return (except the one this function might be called in) and no other callback will be called for ws after it returns.
The following common functions might be called with a generic channel identifier. It may be the identifier of either a Data Channel, a Track, or a WebSocket.
These functions set, change, or unset (if cb is NULL) the different callbacks of a channel.
int rtcSetOpenCallback(int id, rtcOpenCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myOpenCallback(int id, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetClosedCallback(int id, rtcClosedCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myClosedCallback(int id, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetErrorCallback(int id, rtcErrorCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myErrorCallback(int id, const char *error, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetMessageCallback(int id, rtcMessageCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myMessageCallback(int id, const char *message, int size, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetBufferedAmountLowCallback(int id, rtcBufferedAmountLowCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myBufferedAmountLowCallback(int id, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSetAvailableCallback(int id, rtcAvailableCallbackFunc cb)
cb must have the following signature: void myAvailableCallback(int id, void *user_ptr)
int rtcSendMessage(int id, const char *data, int size)
Arguments:
id: the channel identifierdata: the message datasize: if size >= 0,datais interpreted as a binary message of lengthsize, otherwise it is interpreted as a null-terminated UTF-8 string.
Return value: RTC_ERR_SUCCESS or a negative error code
Sends a message immediately if possible.
Data Channel and WebSocket: If the message may not be sent immediately due to flow control or congestion control, it is buffered until it can actually be sent. You can retrieve the current buffered data size with rtcGetBufferedAmount.
Tracks are an exception: There is no flow or congestion control, messages are never buffered and rtcGetBufferedAmount always returns 0.
int rtcGetBufferedAmount(int id)
Retrieves the current buffered amount, i.e. the total size of currently buffered messages waiting to be actually sent in the channel. This does not account for the data buffered at the transport level.
Return value: the buffered amount or a negative error code
int rtcSetBufferedAmountLowThreshold(int id, int amount)
Changes the buffered amount threshold under which BufferedAmountLowCallback is called. The callback is called when the buffered amount was strictly superior and gets equal to or lower than the threshold when a message is sent. The initial threshold is 0, meaning the the callback is called each time the buffered amount goes back to zero after being non-zero.
Arguments:
id: the channel identifieramount: the new buffer level threshold
Return value: the identifier of the new WebSocket or a negative error code
int rtcReceiveMessage(int id, char *buffer, int *size)
Receives a pending message if possible. The function may only be called if MessageCallback is not set.
Arguments:
id: the channel identifierbuffer: a user-supplied buffer where to write the message datasize: a pointer to a user-supplied int which must be initialized to the size ofbuffer. On success, the function will write the size of the message to it before returning.
Return value: RTC_ERR_SUCCESS or a negative error code (In particular, RTC_ERR_NOT_AVAIL is returned when there are no pending messages)
If buffer is NULL, the message is not copied and kept pending but the size is still written to size.
int rtcGetAvailableAmount(int id)
Retrieves the available amount, i.e. the total size of messages pending reception with rtcReceiveMessage. The function may only be called if MessageCallback is not set.
Arguments:
id: the channel identifier
Return value: the available amount or a negative error code