jupyter-videochat

Video Chat with JupyterHub peers inside JupyterLab and RetroLab, powered by Jitsi.

Requirements

• python >=3.7
• jupyterlab ==3.*

Install

Install the server extension and JupyterLab extension with pip:

pip install -U jupyter-videochat

...or conda/mamba:

conda install -c conda-forge jupyter-videochat

Usage

See the [Jitsi Handbook] for more about using the actual chat once launched.

View the Room List

JupyterLab

• From the Main Menu...
  • Click File ▶ New ▶ Video Chat
• From the Launcher...
  • Open a new JupyterLab Launcher
  • Scroll down to Other
  • Click the Video Chat launcher card

RetroLab

• From the Main Menu...
  • Click File ▶ New ▶ Video Chat
• From the RetroLab File Tree...
  • Click the New Video Chat button

Start a Chat

• Provide your name and email (optional)
  • these will be saved in JupyterLab user settings for future usage
  • your email will be used to provide Gravatar icon
• From one of the room providers, choose a room.
  • You may need to provide a room name

Stop a Chat

• From the the Jitsi IFrame:
  • Click the red "hang up" button, or
• From the Video Chat toolbar
  • Click the Disconnect Video Chat button

Troubleshoot

If the Jitsi frame actually loads, the [Jitsi Handbook] is the best source for more help.

I see the Lab UI, but the video chat IFrame doesn't load

Sometimes the Jitsi IFrame runs into issues, and just shows a white frame.

Try reloading the browser.

I see the UI but I'm missing rooms

If you are seeing the frontend extension but it is not working, check that the server extension is enabled:

jupyter server extension list
jupyter server extension enable --sys-prefix --py jupyter_videochat

... and restart the server.

If you launch your Jupyter server with jupyter notebook, as Binder does, the equivalent commands are:

jupyter serverextension list
jupyter serverextension enable --sys-prefix --py jupyter_videochat

If the server extension is installed and enabled but you are not seeing the frontend, check the frontend is installed:

jupyter labextension list

If you do not see jupyterlab-videochat, the best course of action is to uninstall and reinstall, and carefully watch the log output.

Architecture

This extension is composed of:

• a Python package named jupyter_videochat, which offers:
  • a jupyter_server extension which provides convenient, configurable defaults for rooms on a JupyterHub
  • a JupyterLab pre-built or federated extension named jupyter-videochat
    • also distributed on npm
      • for more about the TypeScript/JS API, see CONTRIBUTING
    • at JupyterLab runtime, some Plugins which can be independently disabled
      • jupyterlab-videochat:plugin which is required by:
      • jupyterlab-videochat:rooms-server
      • jupyterlab-videochat:rooms-public
      • jupyterlab-videochat:toggle-area

Configuration

Server Configuration

In your jupyter_server_config.json (or equivalent .py or conf.d/*.json), you can configure the VideoChat:

• room_prefix, a prefix used for your group, by default a URL-frieldy version of your JupyterHub's hostname
  • can be overriden with the JUPYTER_VIDEOCHAT_ROOM_PREFIX environment variable
• jitsi_server, an HTTPS host that serves the Jitsi web application, by default meet.jit.si
• rooms, a list of Room descriptions that everyone on your Hub will be able to join

Example

{
  "VideoChat": {
    "room_prefix": "our-spiffy-room-prefix",
    "rooms": [
      {
        "id": "stand-up",
        "displayName": "Stand-Up",
        "description": "Daily room for meeting with the team"
      },
      {
        "id": "all-hands",
        "displayName": "All-Hands",
        "description": "A weekly room for the whole team"
      }
    ],
    "jitsi_server": "jitsi.example.com"
  }
}

Client Configuration

In the JupyterLab Advanced Settings panel, the Video Chat settings can be further configured, as can a user's default displayName and email. The defaults provided are generally pretty conservative, and disable as many third-party services as possible.

Additionally, access to globally-accessible public rooms may be enabled.

Binder Client Example

For example, to enable all third-party features, public rooms, and open in the main area by default:

• create an overrides.json

  {
    "jupyter-videochat:plugin": {
      "interfaceConfigOverwrite": null,
      "configOverwrite": null,
      "disablePublicRooms": false,
      "area": "main"
    }
  }
  

• Copy it to the JupyterLab settings directory

  # postBuild
  mkdir -p ${NB_PYTHON_PREFIX}/share/jupyter/lab/settings
  cp overrides.json ${NB_PYTHON_PREFIX}/share/jupyter/lab/settings
  

JupyterLite Client Example

Note: JupyterLite is still alpha software, and the API is likely to change.

jupyter lite build

jupyter_lite_config_.json

{
  "LabBuildConfig": {
    "federated_extensions": ["https://pypi.io/.../jupyterlab-videochat-0.6.0.whl"]
  }
}

Add a runtime jupyter-lite.json (or a build time overrides.json) to disable server rooms.

{
  "jupyter-lite-schema-version": 0,
  "jupyter-config-data": {
    "disabledExtensions": ["jupyterlab-videochat:rooms-server"],
    "settingsOverrides": {
      "jupyterlab-videochat:plugin": {
        "disablePublicRooms": false
      }
    }
  }
}

This can then be tested with:

jupyter lite serve

Start a Meet by URL

Appending ?jvc=room-name to a JupyterLab URL will automatically open the Meet (but not fully start it, as browsers require a user gesture to start audio/video).

Binder URL Example

On Binder, use the urlpath to append the argument, ensuring the arguments get properly URL-encoded.

https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/jupyterlab-contrib/jupyter-videochat/demo?urlpath=tree%3Fjvc%3DStand-Up
                                                         # URL-encoded  [? ] [=  ]

nbgitpuller

If you have two repos (or branches) that contain:

• content that changes frequently
• a stable environment

...you can use nbgitpuller to have fast-building, (almost) single-click URLs that launch right into JupyterLab showing your meeting and content. For example, to use...

• the [Python Data Science Handbook] as master
• this project's repo, at demo (not recommended, as it's pretty minimal)

...and launch directly into JupyterLab showing

• the Preface notebook
• the Office Hours room

...the doubly-escaped URL would be something like:

https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/jupyterlab-contrib/jupyter-videochat/demo?
urlpath=git-pull
  %3Frepo%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fgithub.com%252Fjakevdp%252FPythonDataScienceHandbook
  %26branch%3Dmaster
  %26urlpath%3Dlab%252Ftree%252FPythonDataScienceHandbook%252Fnotebooks%252F00.00-Preface.ipynb
  %253Fjvc%253DOffice%2BHours

JupyterLite Example

Additionally, ?JVC-PUBLIC=a-very-long-and-well-thought-key can be enabled, providing a similar experience, but for unobfuscated, publicly-visible rooms. Use with care, and as a moderator take additional whatever steps you can from within the Jitsi security UI, including:

• lobbies
• passwords
• end-to-end encryption

Once properly configured above, a JupyterLite site can be git pushed to GitHub Pages, where a URL is far less obfuscated.

https://example.github.io/my-repo/lab?JVC-PUBLIC=a-very-long-and-well-thought-key

• probably don't click on links shorter than about ten characters

Uninstall

pip uninstall jupyter-videochat

or

conda uninstall jupyter-videochat