How to Self-Host Jitsi Meet with Docker

What Is Jitsi Meet?

Jitsi Meet is a self-hosted video conferencing platform. Start or join a meeting from a browser — no account required, no app install needed, no participant limits imposed by a third party. It replaces Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams for organizations that want full control over their video infrastructure. Jitsi is open source (Apache 2.0) and backed by 8x8.

Prerequisites

A Linux server with a public IP (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
Docker and Docker Compose installed (guide)
2 GB of free RAM (4 GB recommended for 10+ simultaneous participants)
10 GB of free disk space
A domain name pointing to your server (required for HTTPS)
UDP port 10000 open in your firewall (critical for video/audio)

Docker Compose Configuration

Jitsi Meet uses four interconnected services. Clone the official Docker repository and configure from there:

# Get the latest stable release
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jitsi/docker-jitsi-meet
cd docker-jitsi-meet

# Copy environment template
cp env.example .env

# Generate strong passwords for internal services
./gen-passwords.sh

# Create config directories
mkdir -p ~/.jitsi-meet-cfg/{web,transcripts,prosody/config,prosody/prosody-plugins-custom,jicofo,jvb}

Edit the .env file — these are the critical settings:

# Pin to a stable release (default is "unstable" — always override this)
JITSI_IMAGE_VERSION=stable-10741

# Your public URL
PUBLIC_URL=https://meet.example.com

# Your server's public IP — CRITICAL for remote participants
JVB_ADVERTISE_IPS=1.2.3.4

# XMPP domain (default works for most setups)
XMPP_DOMAIN=meet.jitsi

# HTTP/HTTPS ports (change if behind a reverse proxy)
HTTP_PORT=80
HTTPS_PORT=443

# Enable Let's Encrypt (skip if using your own reverse proxy)
ENABLE_LETSENCRYPT=1
LETSENCRYPT_DOMAIN=meet.example.com
LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=[email protected]

# Timezone
TZ=UTC

The docker-compose.yml is provided in the repository. It defines four services:

Service	Image	Purpose	Key Ports
web	`jitsi/web`	Nginx frontend, serves the meeting UI	80/TCP, 443/TCP
prosody	`jitsi/prosody`	XMPP server for internal messaging	Internal only
jicofo	`jitsi/jicofo`	Conference focus — orchestrates meetings	8888/TCP (localhost)
jvb	`jitsi/jvb`	Video bridge — routes audio/video streams	10000/UDP

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Initial Setup

Open https://meet.example.com in your browser
Jitsi Meet is ready immediately — no account setup required
Type a room name and click “Start meeting”
Share the URL with participants — they join directly in their browser

By default, anyone can create meetings. To restrict this, enable authentication (see Configuration below).

Configuration

Authentication

By default, Jitsi Meet allows anyone to create meetings. To require authentication:

Add to .env:

ENABLE_AUTH=1
AUTH_TYPE=internal

# Enable guests to join meetings created by authenticated users
ENABLE_GUESTS=1

Restart the stack, then create users:

docker compose exec prosody prosodyctl --config /config/prosody.cfg.lua register admin meet.jitsi your_password

Authenticated users create meetings; guests can join existing meetings without an account.

Meeting Settings

Common settings in .env:

# Require a display name before joining
ENABLE_REQUIRE_DISPLAY_NAME=1

# Start meetings with audio muted
START_AUDIO_MUTED=10    # Mute participants after 10th joins

# Start meetings with video muted
START_VIDEO_MUTED=10    # Mute video after 10th joins

# Enable lobby (waiting room)
ENABLE_LOBBY=1

# Disable or enable recording
ENABLE_RECORDING=0

LDAP Authentication

For integration with Active Directory or LDAP:

ENABLE_AUTH=1
AUTH_TYPE=ldap
LDAP_URL=ldap://ldap.example.com
LDAP_BASE=dc=example,dc=com
LDAP_BINDDN=cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com
LDAP_BINDPW=ldap_password
LDAP_FILTER=(sAMAccountName=%u)

Advanced Configuration (Optional)

Recording with Jibri

Jibri enables meeting recording and live streaming to YouTube/RTMP:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.jibri.yml up -d

Jibri requires Chrome and FFmpeg inside its container and is resource-intensive — allocate at least 4 GB RAM for the Jibri service alone.

SIP Gateway with Jigasi

Jigasi allows phone dial-in to meetings:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.jigasi.yml up -d

Requires a SIP provider account.

Etherpad Integration

Enable collaborative document editing within meetings:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.etherpad.yml up -d

Reverse Proxy

If running behind an external reverse proxy instead of Jitsi’s built-in Nginx:

Set DISABLE_HTTPS=1 in .env
Change HTTP_PORT to an internal port (e.g., 8000)
Remove ENABLE_LETSENCRYPT
Configure your proxy to forward to the web service

Your reverse proxy must:

Forward WebSocket connections (critical for real-time communication)
Pass X-Forwarded-For and X-Forwarded-Proto headers
Handle large request bodies (for file sharing)

UDP port 10000 cannot go through an HTTP reverse proxy. It must be forwarded directly to the JVB container. This is the media transport port — without it, video and audio will not work for remote participants.

See Reverse Proxy Setup for details.

Backup

The configuration directory (~/.jitsi-meet-cfg/) contains all persistent state:

tar czf jitsi-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/.jitsi-meet-cfg/

Jitsi Meet itself is mostly stateless — meetings are ephemeral. The config directory stores Prosody user accounts, SSL certificates, and custom configuration.

See Backup Strategy for a comprehensive approach.

Troubleshooting

Video/Audio Not Working for Remote Participants

Symptom: Local participants can see each other, but remote participants have no video or audio. Fix: Ensure JVB_ADVERTISE_IPS is set to your server’s public IP in .env. Verify UDP port 10000 is open in your firewall: sudo ufw allow 10000/udp. On cloud providers, also open port 10000/UDP in the security group or network firewall.

”Meeting Has Been Oops’d” Error

Symptom: Meetings fail to start or crash immediately. Fix: Check Jicofo logs: docker compose logs jicofo. Common cause: Prosody failed to start, or the internal XMPP passwords are mismatched. Re-run ./gen-passwords.sh and restart all services.

Only 2 Participants Can Connect

Symptom: Meetings work with 2 people but break with 3+. Fix: With 2 participants, Jitsi uses peer-to-peer (no server needed). With 3+, it switches to JVB routing — which requires port 10000/UDP to be open and JVB_ADVERTISE_IPS to be correct.

High CPU Usage During Meetings

Symptom: Server CPU spikes during active meetings. Fix: JVB is CPU-intensive when routing video for many participants. For 10+ simultaneous users, allocate 4+ CPU cores. Consider enabling START_VIDEO_MUTED to reduce initial load.

Let’s Encrypt Certificate Fails

Symptom: HTTPS doesn’t work, certificate errors in browser. Fix: Ensure ports 80 and 443 are open and not used by another service. Verify LETSENCRYPT_DOMAIN matches your DNS A record. Check web container logs: docker compose logs web.

Resource Requirements

RAM: 1 GB idle, 2-4 GB during active meetings (scales with participant count)
CPU: 2 cores minimum, 4+ recommended for 10+ simultaneous participants
Disk: ~500 MB for the application, plus recordings if Jibri is enabled
Network: 3-5 Mbps per participant for HD video; bandwidth is the primary bottleneck for large meetings

Verdict

Jitsi Meet is the best self-hosted video conferencing platform. It works in the browser with zero friction — no accounts, no installs, no limits. The four-service architecture is more complex to deploy than a single-container app, but the official Docker setup handles it well. For small teams (under 20 participants), a modest VPS handles it fine. For larger deployments, you’ll need dedicated hardware.

The main trade-off vs Zoom/Google Meet is reliability at scale — Jitsi requires more server resources per participant since you’re hosting the media infrastructure yourself. For organizations that need privacy, compliance, or just want to stop paying per-user fees, it’s the clear choice.

If you need something lighter for small teams, look at peer-to-peer options. For large-scale education or webinars, BigBlueButton has more classroom features.

FAQ

Can Jitsi Meet handle 100+ participants?

Technically yes, but you’ll need significant server resources (8+ cores, 16+ GB RAM) and excellent bandwidth. For very large meetings, consider Jitsi’s Ocastrator for multi-JVB scaling.

Is Jitsi Meet end-to-end encrypted?

Jitsi supports E2EE for 1-on-1 calls (peer-to-peer). For group calls routed through JVB, E2EE is available as an experimental feature but may impact performance.

Can I use Jitsi Meet with a mobile app?

Yes. Official apps are available for iOS and Android. They connect to your self-hosted instance — just enter your server URL in the app settings.

How does Jitsi compare to Zoom?

Jitsi is free, self-hosted, and has no participant limits. Zoom has better performance at scale, breakout rooms, and a more polished UI. See our Jitsi vs Zoom Alternatives comparison.