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Prerequisites

Pion WebRTC v4 requires Go 1.24.0 or later. Make sure you have a compatible Go version installed.
1

Check Go Version

Verify your Go installation:
go version
You should see output like go version go1.24.0 or higher.
2

Enable Go Modules

Go modules are mandatory for Pion WebRTC. Ensure they’re enabled:
export GO111MODULE=on
In Go 1.16+, modules are enabled by default. You only need to set this if you’re using an older version.

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Install Pion WebRTC

Add Pion WebRTC to your project with a single command: 
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/v4
Important: Always specify the /v4 suffix when importing. This ensures you get the latest v4 release.

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Initialize a New Project

If you’re starting a new project: 
mkdir my-webrtc-app
cd my-webrtc-app
go mod init my-webrtc-app

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Version Management

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Using Specific Versions

To use a specific version of Pion WebRTC: 
# Install latest v4.x release
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/v4@latest

# Install specific version
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/[email protected]

# Install from main branch (not recommended for production)
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/v4@main

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Using v3 (Legacy)

If you’re not ready to upgrade to v4, you can still use v3 releases:
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/v3
Check the v3 tags for the latest v3 release.

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Dependencies

Pion WebRTC automatically manages its dependencies through Go modules. Core dependencies include:
  • pion/datachannel (v1.6.0) - SCTP DataChannel implementation
  • pion/dtls/v3 (v3.1.2) - DTLS 1.2 protocol
  • pion/ice/v4 (v4.2.1) - ICE (Interactive Connectivity Establishment)
  • pion/interceptor (v0.1.44) - RTP/RTCP interceptor framework
  • pion/rtp (v1.10.1) - RTP packet processing
  • pion/rtcp (v1.2.16) - RTCP packet processing
  • pion/sctp (v1.9.2) - SCTP protocol implementation
  • pion/sdp/v3 (v3.0.18) - SDP parsing and generation
  • pion/srtp/v3 (v3.0.10) - SRTP encryption
  • pion/stun/v3 (v3.1.1) - STUN protocol
  • pion/turn/v4 (v4.1.4) - TURN relay protocol
  • pion/transport/v4 (v4.0.1) - Network transport utilities
  • pion/logging (v0.2.4) - Logging interface
  • pion/randutil (v0.1.0) - Random number utilities
  • golang.org/x/net (v0.50.0) - Network extensions
All dependencies are automatically downloaded when you run go get or go build.

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Importing in Your Code

Import Pion WebRTC in your Go files: 
package main

import (
    "github.com/pion/webrtc/v4"
)

func main() {
    // Create a PeerConnection configuration
    config := webrtc.Configuration{
        ICEServers: []webrtc.ICEServer{
            {
                URLs: []string{"stun:stun.l.google.com:19302"},
            },
        },
    }
    
    // Create a new PeerConnection
    peerConnection, err := webrtc.NewPeerConnection(config)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer peerConnection.Close()
    
    // Your WebRTC application code here
}
Always remember to specify /v4 in your import path:
import "github.com/pion/webrtc/v4" // ✅ Correct
import "github.com/pion/webrtc"     // ❌ Incorrect

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Additional Packages

Pion provides additional packages for media handling:

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Media Utilities

For reading and writing media files: 
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/v4/pkg/media

import (
    "github.com/pion/webrtc/v4/pkg/media"
    "github.com/pion/webrtc/v4/pkg/media/ivfreader"
    "github.com/pion/webrtc/v4/pkg/media/oggreader"
)

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Media Devices (Requires CGo)

The media devices package requires CGo and is only available on select platforms.
For capturing audio/video from hardware devices: 
go get github.com/pion/mediadevices

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Platform-Specific Notes

No additional dependencies required. Pion WebRTC works out of the box.
# Optional: Install media tools for testing
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

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Verify Installation

Create a simple test file to verify your installation: 
package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "github.com/pion/webrtc/v4"
)

func main() {
    // Create a SettingEngine to check capabilities
    s := webrtc.SettingEngine{}
    api := webrtc.NewAPI(webrtc.WithSettingEngine(s))
    
    // Create a PeerConnection
    config := webrtc.Configuration{}
    pc, err := api.NewPeerConnection(config)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer pc.Close()
    
    fmt.Println("✅ Pion WebRTC installed successfully!")
    fmt.Printf("📦 Connection State: %s\n", pc.ConnectionState())
}
Expected output: 
✅ Pion WebRTC installed successfully!
📦 Connection State: new

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Build Configuration

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Optimized Builds

For production builds, use optimizations: 
# Standard build
go build -o myapp

# Optimized build (smaller binary)
go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o myapp

# With specific tags
go build -tags=production -o myapp

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Build Times

Performance benchmarks (on Intel Core i5-2520M @ 2.50GHz):
  • Time to build examples: ~0.28 seconds
  • Time to run full test suite: ~77 seconds

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Troubleshooting

Make sure Go modules are enabled:
export GO111MODULE=on
go mod init yourproject
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/v4
Ensure you’re using the correct import path with /v4:
import "github.com/pion/webrtc/v4" // Correct
Pion WebRTC v4 requires Go 1.24.0+. Upgrade Go or use v3:
# Check version
go version

# Install Go 1.24+ or use v3
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/v3
Clear your module cache and retry:
go clean -modcache
go get github.com/pion/webrtc/v4

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Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Build your first WebRTC application with a step-by-step tutorial

Browse Examples

Explore 30+ working examples covering common use cases

API Documentation

Dive into the complete API reference

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