RFC 8831 - WebRTC Data Channels

What are WebRTC Data Channels?

WebRTC Data Channels provide a bidirectional communication channel for arbitrary data between peers. Built on top of SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol), they enable real-time data exchange without requiring a server intermediary.

Key Features

Low Latency

Direct peer-to-peer communication with minimal delay.

Reliable/Unreliable

Configurable delivery guarantees based on application needs.

Ordered/Unordered

Optional message ordering for performance optimization.

Binary/Text Data

Support for both binary data and UTF-8 text messages.

Technical Implementation

SCTP over DTLS

Stream Control Transmission Protocol over Datagram Transport Layer Security.

Message Framing

Automatic fragmentation and reassembly of large messages.

Flow Control

Built-in congestion control and flow management.

Common Use Cases

Gaming: Real-time game state synchronization
File Transfer: Direct peer-to-peer file sharing
Chat Applications: Text messaging alongside video calls
Collaborative Editing: Real-time document collaboration
IoT Communication: Device control and telemetry
Screen Annotation: Interactive whiteboarding and markup

Channel Configuration

Reliability

Reliable: Guaranteed delivery with retransmissions
Unreliable: Best-effort delivery for low latency

Ordering

Ordered: Messages delivered in sequence
Unordered: Messages delivered as received