Self-Hosted Video Conferencing Made Easy with Jitsi

As remote work, virtual events, and online collaboration continue to grow, the demand for secure, private, and scalable video conferencing solutions has never been higher. While mainstream platforms like Zoom and Google Meet offer convenience, they often fall short when it comes to control over data and customization. Enter Jitsi an open-source video conferencing platform that gives you complete ownership over your communication infrastructure.

What is Jitsi?

Jitsi is a collection of open-source projects that together form a powerful, flexible, and privacy-respecting video conferencing solution. At the heart of it is Jitsi Meet, a browser-based video conferencing application that allows users to instantly launch secure video calls without the need to register or install anything. Jitsi Meet is backed by Jitsi Videobridge, a high-performance Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) that routes video streams efficiently between participants, allowing for high-quality calls with minimal bandwidth usage.

Why Choose Jitsi?

One of Jitsi’s biggest strengths is its commitment to privacy and user autonomy. Since it’s open source, you can host your own Jitsi server and have complete control over your data, user access, and configurations. Whether you’re running a small business, organizing online classes, or managing a community, Jitsi gives you the flexibility to scale and customize the platform to suit your specific needs.

Feature-wise, Jitsi Meet offers everything you’d expect from a modern conferencing tool: high-definition video, screen sharing, chat, background blur, moderation tools, and even breakout rooms. All of this runs directly in the browser with no plugins required, making it accessible across desktops and mobile devices alike.

Deploying Jitsi with Elestio

To make self-hosting easier than ever, Elestio now provides a ready-to-use template for deploying Jitsi. With just a few clicks, you can launch your own private Jitsi instance, complete with all the core components pre-configured and optimized for production use. This template removes the complexity of manual setup and lets you focus on using the platform right away.

Once deployed, your instance will be publicly accessible via a secure HTTPS endpoint. You can immediately start hosting meetings, invite others to join via a simple URL, and optionally enable additional features like password protection, lobby mode, or authentication for private meetings.

Final Thoughts

Jitsi is an ideal choice for teams, educators, developers, and communities looking for a trustworthy alternative to proprietary conferencing tools. By self-hosting Jitsi with Elestio, you combine the power of open-source software with the simplicity of managed infrastructure resulting in a secure, reliable, and fully customizable video conferencing experience.