Simple Peer 2 Peer WebRTC for React and React Native

This package provides a WebRTC wrapper implementation for both React(tested w/ Next) and React Native applications, enabling peer-to-peer (P2P) data communication. It abstracts the WebRTC integration into React-based projects, both cjs and mjs available.

Features

• Cross-platform support (React and React Native)
• Simplified WebRTC setup process
• Hooks for React and React Native
• Single data channel support (for now)
• TypeScript support

Installation

1npm install simple-p2p-webrtc 
2# or
3yarn add simple-p2p-webrtc

Usage

There are both hook and class implementations for React and React Native apps, same interface with dependency injection under the hood.

To make the connection process smoother you can use a signaling server.

Example React-Native Usage

For simplicity below example acts as a counterpart to the following application in Next.js. It initiates the p2p connection. The offer is then provided to the next app.

1import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
2import { Button, Keyboard, StyleSheet, Text, TextInput, View } from 'react-native';
3import { usePeer } from 'simple-p2p-webrtc/react-native';
4
5const UPDATE_INTERVAL = 300; // optional
6const RTC_CONF = { iceServers: [{ urls: 'stun:stun.l.google.com:19302' }] }; // you have to provide stun servers
7const CHAN = "data"; // channel descriptor to be used
8
9export default function App() {
10    // creating peer
11    const peer = usePeer(RTC_CONF, undefined, UPDATE_INTERVAL); // second argument is the msg callback
12                                                                // update interval is optional
13    const { dataChannelState, connectionState } = peer; // destructure
14
15    const [answer, setAnswer] = useState('');
16    const [offer, setOffer] = useState('');
17    const [ice, setIce] = useState<RTCIceCandidate[]>([]);
18
19    useEffect(() => {
20        if (dataChannelState === "open") {
21            try {
22                peer.send("PING"); // ping once connected
23            } catch (e) {
24                console.log('Connection severed'); // you dont have to log errors but can handle them
25            }
26        }
27    }, [dataChannelState]);
28
29    const handleCreateOffer = async () => {
30        try {
31            peer.createDataChannel(CHAN);
32            const offer = await peer.createOffer();
33            setOffer(offer);
34        } catch (e) {
35            console.error("Error creating offer", e);
36        }
37    };
38
39    const handleSetIceCandidates = async () => {
40        try {
41            for (const iceCand of ice) {
42                await peer.addRemoteIceCandidate(iceCand);
43            }
44        } catch (e) {
45            console.error("Error setting ICE candidates", e);
46        }
47    };
48
49    const handleSetRemoteDescription = async () => {
50        try {
51            await peer.setRemoteDescription(answer);
52        } catch (e) {
53            console.error("Error setting remote description", e);
54        }
55    };
56
57    return (
58        <View style={styles.container}>
59            <Text> Connect</Text>
60            <Text>Connection state: {connectionState}</Text>
61            <Text>Data channel state: {dataChannelState}</Text>
62            {["closed", "create"].includes(dataChannelState) ?
63                <>
64                    <Button title="Create Offer" onPress={handleCreateOffer} />
65                    {offer && <TextInput
66                        returnKeyType="done"
67                        onSubmitEditing={() => Keyboard.dismiss()}
68                        value={offer}
69                        multiline
70                        style={styles.input}
71                    />}
72
73                    <TextInput
74                        returnKeyType="done"
75                        onSubmitEditing={() => Keyboard.dismiss()}
76                        value={answer}
77                        onChangeText={setAnswer}
78                        placeholder="Paste Answer"
79                        style={styles.input}
80                    />
81                    <Button title="Set Remote Description" onPress={handleSetRemoteDescription} />
82
83                    <TextInput
84                        returnKeyType="done"
85                        onSubmitEditing={() => Keyboard.dismiss()}
86                        value={JSON.stringify(ice)}
87                        onChangeText={(s) => setIce(JSON.parse(s))}
88                        placeholder="Paste Ice Candidates"
89                        style={styles.input}
90                    />
91                    <Button title="Set Ice Candidates" onPress={handleSetIceCandidates} />
92                </> :
93                <Text>Data is being sent to the web client!</Text>}
94        </View>
95    );
96}
97
98const styles = StyleSheet.create({
99    container: {
100        flex: 1,
101        paddingTop: 100,
102        backgroundColor: '#fff',
103        alignItems: 'center',
104    },
105    input: {
106        height: 40,
107        borderColor: 'gray',
108        borderWidth: 1,
109        marginVertical: 10,
110        width: '80%',
111        padding: 10,
112    },
113});

Example React/ Next Usage

The Next.js app receives an offer and generates an answer along with providing ice candidates for connection. Both the answer and the ice candidates need to be fed back to the react native app, typically this is done through a signaling server.

1"use client" // we need to be a client component/ page
2
3import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
4import { usePeer } from "simple-p2p-webrtc";
5
6const RTC_CONF = { iceServers: [{ urls: 'stun:stun.l.google.com:19302' }] }; // stun servers
7const UPDATE_INTERVAL = 300; // optional
8
9export default function Home() {
10    const [data, setData] = useState<string>('');
11    const [offer, setOffer] = useState<string>('');
12    const [answer, setAnswer] = useState<string>('');
13    const peer = usePeer(RTC_CONF, (msg) => {
14        setData(msg); // message callback
15                      // data will be ping
16                      // set once
17    }, UPDATE_INTERVAL);
18    const { connectionState, dataChannelState, iceCandidates } = peer;
19
20    return (
21        <div className="min-h-screen w-full flex flex-col items-center justify-center bg-gray-100 p-4 text-black">
22            <p className="mb-4">Connection status: {connectionState}</p>
23            <p className="mb-4">Data chan status: {dataChannelState}</p>
24
25            {(dataChannelState == 'closed') ? // automatically set to closed when initialized with msgCallback because we are looking for a dataChannel
26                <>
27                    <form onSubmit={async (e) => {
28                        e.preventDefault();
29                        try {
30                            setAnswer((await peer.createAnswer(offer))); // an answer to the offer is created and shown
31                        } catch (e) {
32                            console.error(e);
33                        }
34                    }} className="mb-4 flex flex-col">
35                        <textarea
36                            value={offer}
37                            onChange={(e: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLTextAreaElement>) => setOffer(e.target.value)}
38                            placeholder="Paste the offer from the React Native app here"
39                            className="w-64 h-32 p-2 border rounded"
40                        />
41                        <button type="submit" className="mt-2 px-4 py-2 bg-blue-500 text-white rounded">
42                            Connect
43                        </button>
44                    </form>
45                    {(answer && peer) && (
46                        <div className="mb-4">
47                            <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold">Answer & Ice Candidates:</h2>
48                            <textarea
49                                value={answer}
50                                readOnly
51                                className="w-64 h-32 p-2 border rounded"
52                            />
53                            <textarea
54                                value={JSON.stringify(iceCandidates)}
55                                readOnly
56                                className="w-64 h-32 p-2 border rounded"
57                            />
58                        </div>
59                    )}
60                </> :
61                <>
62                    <p>Receiving data</p>
63                </>
64            }
65        </div>
66    );
67};

Other

License is MIT. Feel free to contribute.