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Cloudflare Realtime

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Build live applications where people, AI systems, and devices communicate in real time over Cloudflare's global network ↗︎.

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What you can build

Realtime primitives

Cloudflare TURN

Relay WebRTC traffic through Cloudflare when a NAT or firewall prevents a direct connection.

WebSocket adapter

In beta. Send PCM audio in either direction between Realtime SFU and a WebSocket service, or send JPEG video to the service.

DataChannels

Exchange chat, sensor updates, and control events between WebRTC endpoints.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use RealtimeKit or Realtime SFU?

If you are new to WebRTC ↗︎ and want to add audio or video meetings to your app, use RealtimeKit. It includes web and mobile SDKs with prebuilt UI. Cloudflare handles signaling and media routing, and you can add managed recording or transcription.

If you have WebRTC experience and need control over what each endpoint publishes or receives, use Realtime SFU. Your application handles signaling, permissions, session state, and track discovery. Cloudflare runs the SFU and forwards media to subscribers.

How does TURN fit into WebRTC?

A TURN server relays traffic when a NAT or firewall prevents two WebRTC endpoints from connecting directly. If a direct connection works, TURN stays out of the path.

RealtimeKit configures Cloudflare TURN for you. Realtime SFU includes access to the same service. You can also use Cloudflare TURN with your own SFU or peer-to-peer application by generating TURN credentials.

Cloudflare TURN uses Anycast ↗︎, so you do not have to deploy regional TURN servers or load balancers.

For webinars, should I use RealtimeKit or Stream Live?

Use RealtimeKit webinars when attendees join as participants. They might speak, appear on camera, or move into breakout rooms.

Use Stream Live when a small group of presenters broadcasts and the audience mainly watches. For example, a webinar with a few presenters and a large watch-only audience should use Stream Live.

Next steps

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