Stefan SteinbauerApril 25, 20232 min read

How does Eyeson API work?

Eyeson is a video conferencing platform that provides an API for developers to create custom video conferencing solutions. The API allows you to manage rooms, users, and recordings, as well as customize the user interface to fit your needs even while the meeting is already running.

Here's a high-level overview of how the Eyeson API works:

Authentication

To use the Eyeson API, you'll first need to obtain an API key. You can get one by registering an account at Eyeson's website. After obtaining your API key, include it in the HTTP header for your API requests using the Authorization key, like so:

Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY

The API key is required for the following interactions:

start meeting
fetch/delete recording
fetch/delete snapshot
register/remove webhook

A lot of the requests can also be created using one of the ready to use packages on our Github.

Create a Meeting

To start a video conference, you'll first need to create a meeting. You can do this by making a POST request to the /rooms endpoint. The API will return a JSON object containing the created meeting's access_key , the guest_token and other information.

$ curl -X POST \  
-H "Authorization: $API_Key " \
-d "user[name]=Bob" \ 
"https://api.eyeson.team/rooms"

It is required you also send the user name when creating the meeting.

Optionally, you can provide a JSON payload (or also a form-url-encoded-data) to configure the meeting, such as setting a name, a custom layout for the video streams, or webhook URLs for events. Visit the API demo for a short intro.

Join or Invite Users

Once you have started and joined a meeting, you can invite other users to join the video conference. If you do not join the meeting, the meeting will be closed again. There are two main ways to do this:

Use the guest_token you found in the JSON answer of the first post message and use it to quick join some users. If you did not find the guest_token the option might have been false when creating the meeting.
Alternatively, you can create an authenticated user and then invite them to the room by making a POST request to the /guests endpoint.

Manage the Conference

While the video conference is ongoing, you can use the API to manage the participants, such as muting or unmuting their audio or video, updating the room layout, or sending messages. You can also use webhooks to receive updates about events happening in the room. If needed you can also stream the meeting to another endpoint. (See some options in the API documentation)

Recordings and Snapshots

The Eyeson API allows you to record video conferences and take snapshots. To start recording, make a POST request to the /rooms/<access_key>/recordings endpoint. To stop the recording, make a DELETE request to the same endpoint. To take a snapshot, make a POST request to the /rooms/<access_key>/snapshots endpoint.

End the Conference

To end the video conference, make a DELETE request to the /rooms/<access_key> endpoint. This will close the room and disconnect all participants.

For more detailed information, I recommend checking out the official Eyeson API documentation. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification. Good luck with your project!