STUN/TURN Servers
STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT) and TURN (Traversal Using Relays around NAT) are protocols and servers used to establish peer-to-peer connections over the internet, particularly for real-time communication like WebRTC. STUN servers help clients discover their public IP addresses and NAT types, enabling direct connections, while TURN servers act as relays to forward data when direct connections fail due to restrictive network configurations. They are essential components for enabling voice, video, and data sharing in applications such as video conferencing, online gaming, and live streaming.
Developers should learn and use STUN/TURN servers when building real-time communication applications that require low-latency peer-to-peer connections, such as video chat apps, online collaboration tools, or multiplayer games. They are crucial for handling network address translation (NAT) and firewall traversal, ensuring connectivity across diverse network environments. Without them, many users behind restrictive networks would be unable to establish direct connections, leading to failed calls or degraded performance.