Video conferencing usage has spiked during this pandemic, and while Zoom has gotten most of the press, there are some other options out there. One of them also happens to be open source: Jitsi. Jitsi doesn't require an account or even a specialized software download – it all happens in the browser. We've begun some early work on integrating Jitsi into an easy to use module for Backdrop CMS that exposes various Jitsi settings to the administrative UI.
We have some ideas on what to implement next, but would love feedback and participation from anyone that is interested. Here are some of our plans:
- Allow admins to specify their own server, in case they have installed their own Jitsi instance and don't plan to use the default/public https://meet.jit.si site.
- Allow embedded meetings to have dates associated with them, so the meetings are not embedded until a specific date/time.
- Expose various other Jitsi settings to the administrative interface. Ideas/suggestions are welcome!
Combining this Jitsi field with an access module would allow fairly quick and easy members-only meetings on your site, for example. Fields that allow attachments could provide the agenda or other meeting documents right next to the embedded meeting.
This module (like Jitsi) is open source. Join us on Github!