Hello y'all!
As you might already know, Flottform uses WebRTC under the hood. Today, we want to highlight some examples of where WebRTC is used, its main features, and how we are using it to enable great UX patterns. This blog post includes some examples from Jörn's talk on WebRTC use cases - you can find his slides at narigo.dev/talks/webrtc-use-cases - at MunichJS or the live lightning talk at the B4Y3RW4LD HACKATHON.
WebRTC is an open-source technology that allows users to make secure peer-to-peer connections online. “Secure” means it's end-to-end encrypted by default, ensuring privacy. “Peer-to-peer” means that devices can communicate directly without needing to route through a server in most cases. While WebRTC is often associated with video and voice calls, it has a much broader range of applications. In this blog post, we explore some less common use cases of WebRTC and show how Flottform.io employs the technology to enhance user experiences by enabling real-time collaboration of web forms.
What is WebRTC?
WebRTC's history
WebRTC has been around for about 10 years. Its primary purpose is to enable secure real-time communication without the need for plugins or external software. This was a significant advancement for online communication, enabling seamless video and voice conversations. Over time, WebRTC has evolved to support a wide variety of real-time applications.
Common Perception
During the pandemic, WebRTC gained immense popularity as a backbone for video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. This association has led to the common perception that WebRTC is primarily for video and voice calls.
WebRTC Beyond Calls
Gaming
WebRTC's data channel allows you to create peer-to-peer games that don't rely on centralized servers. This setup reduces latency and improves the gaming experience, making it ideal for fast-paced, real-time multiplayer games like action or racing games. Since WebRTC supports real-time collaboration and communication, it's also great for strategy or online board games.
Remote Controls
Another interesting use of WebRTC is using smartphones as remote input devices. With a WebRTC connection, users can control apps on their desktops or smart TVs with their phones, making it easier to interact with their devices.
Communication Tools
WebRTC powers real-time communication tools like Slack and Google Chat, enabling users to chat, share files, and collaborate instantly. These platforms utilize end-to-end encryption to ensure that all data exchanged remains private and secure, protecting user interactions from potential eavesdropping and unauthorized access. With WebRTC, you can trust that your real-time communications are safeguarded with the highest standards of privacy.
File Sharing
WebRTC can also facilitate secure file sharing. Services like WebWormhole use WebRTC to transfer files directly between users, allowing them to share files without relying on third-party servers.
Let's take a closer look at Flottform
At Flottform.io, we use WebRTC to make web forms more collaborative. This technology allows multiple users or devices to fill out and edit forms in real-time, boosting productivity, collaboration, and user experience.
Our journey began with the frustration of transferring files from a phone to a computer just to upload them. Traditional solutions come with limitations. Typically requiring you to save a file on your computer before uploading it. However, with WebRTC, you can transfer data directly between devices and upload it straight into the required form field, eliminating unnecessary steps.
While developing the Flottform prototype, we identified additional applications for WebRTC. One such application is location sharing, which we discussed in our previous blog post.
To demonstrate the power of our solutions we created some demos for you to experience firsthand. If you want to see how the form uploader works, check our Return and Complaints demo out. If you want to effortlessly share your location with friends or colleagues, visit the where-are-you.at website and give it a try. We'd love to get your feedback on our services.
We are using WebRTC for connecting devices. Regardless of whether you're connecting your own devices or those of your friends. We aim to reduce friction between the devices that you use. Think of it like hand-over functionality as Apple has it - but without being limited to a single vendor or user.
Connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter / X. Every comment, like, and share fuels our progress!
Cheers,
