Svyazist

Svyazist is a small self-hosted PWA for private video calls between family members.
Pure JavaScript, WebRTC - no installation required for end users, no accounts.

Live demo: https://call.wiredgeese.com/

The product is developed together with the OpenAI Codex agent using the ADSM methodology
(Agent-Driven Software Methodology, a context-driven programming approach).

The user interface and the full cognitive-context documentation are in Russian;
see AGENTS.md as the entry point.

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Installation Guide

This guide describes how to deploy a self-hosted instance of Svyazist using:

• Linux server
• Apache
• HTTPS via Certbot
• Node.js backend (WebSocket signaling)
• Public STUN server (stun.l.google.com:19302)

TURN is not required in the minimal installation.
Reference version: 0.1.0.

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1. Environment Preparation

General requirements

• Linux server with SSH access
• Apache web server with HTTPS support
• Domain name pointing to the server
• Node.js 20+
• Free local port for WebSocket signaling
• Directory for application files
• Ability to download the GitHub release
• Available STUN server (public STUN is sufficient)

Configuration used in this guide

• Web server: Apache
• Domain: call.example.com
• HTTPS port: 443
• WebSocket port: 4444
• Installation path: /home/user/app/svyazist
• Application version: 0.1.0
• STUN: stun.l.google.com:19302

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2. Download and Place Application Files

Clone the stable release:

git clone --branch 0.1.0 https://github.com/flancer64/pwa-home-call /home/user/app/svyazist

Create environment file:

cp /home/user/app/svyazist/.env.example /home/user/app/svyazist/.env

Set WebSocket signaling port:

WS_PORT=4444

Install backend dependencies:

cd /home/user/app/svyazist
npm ci

Start backend to verify installation:

npm start

Expected output:

[INFO] Svyazist backend starting.
[INFO] [Signal] WebSocket signaling server started.
[INFO] Svyazist backend started.

Check that the signaling port is open:

ss -tlnp | grep 4444

You should see a listener on 0.0.0.0:4444.

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3. Configure Apache and HTTPS

Set document root and domain:

DocumentRoot /home/user/app/svyazist/web
ServerName call.example.com

Request TLS certificate:

sudo certbot --apache -d call.example.com

After successful configuration:

• https://call.example.com/ should serve index.html
• Browser should show a valid HTTPS certificate
• apachectl -S must show a VirtualHost for call.example.com:443

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4. Configure WebSocket Proxying in Apache

Local WebSocket signaling runs on port 4444, public endpoint must be:

wss://call.example.com/signal

Add proxy routes:

ProxyPass        "/signal"  "ws://127.0.0.1:4444/signal"
ProxyPassReverse "/signal"  "ws://127.0.0.1:4444/signal"

Enable required modules:

sudo a2enmod proxy proxy_http proxy_wstunnel
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Checking modules:

apachectl -M | grep proxy

The WebSocket request should return 101 Switching Protocols.

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5. Validate WebRTC Operation

ICE configuration is located in web/app/Rtc/Peer.mjs:

Default configuration:

iceServers: [{ urls: "stun:stun.l.google.com:19302" }];

TURN servers are not used in this setup.

Final validation steps

• Open https://call.example.com/ on two devices
• Confirm WebSocket signaling works correctly
• Check SDP and ICE candidate exchange (DevTools → Network → WS)
• Initiate a test call and confirm that a direct media connection is established

If no ICE candidates are received, clients may be behind restrictive NAT or blocked UDP traffic. In this case, deploy your own STUN/TURN server (e.g., coturn) to ensure connectivity.

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License

Apache-2.0