@zoom/rtms

Zoom Realtime Media Streams (RTMS) SDK

Bindings for real-time audio, video, and transcript streams from Zoom Meetings

Supported Products

The RTMS SDK works with multiple Zoom products:

Zoom Meetings - Real-time streams from Zoom Meetings
Zoom Webinars - Broadcast-quality streams from Zoom Webinars
Zoom Video SDK - Custom video experiences with RTMS access

See examples/ for complete guides and code samples.

Platform Support Status

Language	Status	Supported Platforms
Node.js	✅ Supported	darwin-arm64, linux-x64
Python	✅ Supported	darwin-arm64, linux-x64
Go	📅 Planned	-

We are actively working to expand both language and platform support in future releases.

Overview

The RTMS SDK allows developers to:

Connect to live Zoom meetings
Process real-time media streams (audio, video, transcripts)
Receive events about session and participant updates
Build applications that interact with Zoom meetings in real-time
Handle webhook events with full control over validation and responses

Installation

Node.js

⚠️ Requirements: Node.js >= 20.3.0 (Node.js 24 LTS recommended)

The RTMS SDK uses N-API versions 9 and 10, which require Node.js 20.3.0 or higher.

# Check your Node.js version
node --version

# Install the package
npm install @zoom/rtms

If you're using an older version of Node.js:

# Using nvm (recommended)
nvm install 24       # Install Node.js 24 LTS (recommended)
nvm use 24

# Or install Node.js 20 LTS (minimum)
nvm install 20
nvm use 20

# Reinstall the package
npm install @zoom/rtms

Download Node.js: https://nodejs.org/

The Node.js package provides both class-based and singleton APIs for connecting to RTMS streams.

Python

⚠️ Requirements: Python >= 3.10 (Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, or 3.13)

The RTMS SDK requires Python 3.10 or higher.

# Check your Python version
python3 --version

# Install from PyPI
pip install rtms

If you're using an older version of Python:

# Using pyenv (recommended)
pyenv install 3.12
pyenv local 3.12

# Or using your system's package manager
# Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install python3.12
# macOS: brew install python@3.12

Download Python: https://www.python.org/downloads/

The Python package provides a Pythonic decorator-based API with full feature parity to Node.js.

For Contributors

This project uses Task (go-task) for development builds and testing.

If you're an end user installing via npm or pip, you don't need Task - the installation will work automatically using prebuilt binaries.

If you're a contributor building from source, you'll need to install Task:

macOS:

brew install go-task

Linux:

sh -c "$(curl --location https://taskfile.dev/install.sh)" -- -d -b ~/.local/bin

Quick Start for Contributors:

# Verify your environment meets requirements
task doctor

# Setup the project (fetch SDK, install dependencies)
task setup

# Build for your platform
task build:js          # Build Node.js bindings
task build:py          # Build Python bindings

# Run tests
task test:js           # Test Node.js
task test:py           # Test Python

# See all available commands
task --list

For detailed contribution guidelines, build instructions, and troubleshooting, see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Usage

Speaker Identification with Mixed Audio

When using AUDIO_MIXED_STREAM (the default), all participants are mixed into a single audio stream and the audio callback's metadata will not identify the current speaker. To identify who is speaking, register an onActiveSpeakerEvent callback — it fires whenever the active speaker changes. See Troubleshooting #7 and #80 for details.

Node.js - Webhook Integration

Easily respond to Zoom webhooks and connect to RTMS streams:

import rtms from "@zoom/rtms";

// CommonJS
// const rtms = require('@zoom/rtms').default;

rtms.onWebhookEvent(({event, payload}) => {
    if (event !== "meeting.rtms_started") return;

    const client = new rtms.Client();
    
    client.onAudioData((data, timestamp, metadata) => {
        console.log(`Received audio: ${data.length} bytes from ${metadata.userName}`);
    });

    client.join(payload);
});

Node.js - Advanced Webhook Handling

For advanced use cases requiring custom webhook validation or response handling (e.g., Zoom's webhook validation challenge), you can use the enhanced callback with raw HTTP access:

import rtms from "@zoom/rtms";

rtms.onWebhookEvent((payload, req, res) => {
    // Access request headers for webhook validation
    const signature = req.headers['x-zoom-signature'];
    
    // Handle Zoom's webhook validation challenge
    if (req.headers['x-zoom-webhook-validator']) {
        const validationToken = req.headers['x-zoom-webhook-validator'];
        
        // Echo back the validation token
        res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
        res.end(JSON.stringify({ plainToken: validationToken }));
        return;
    }
    
    // Custom validation logic
    if (!validateWebhookSignature(payload, signature)) {
        res.writeHead(401, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
        res.end(JSON.stringify({ error: 'Invalid signature' }));
        return;
    }
    
    // Process the webhook payload
    if (payload.event === "meeting.rtms_started") {
        const client = new rtms.Client();
        
        client.onAudioData((data, timestamp, metadata) => {
            console.log(`Received audio from ${metadata.userName}`);
        });
        
        client.join(payload.payload);
    }
    
    // Send custom response
    res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
    res.end(JSON.stringify({ status: 'ok' }));
});

If you need to integrate webhook handling with your existing Express, Fastify, or other HTTP server (useful for Cloud Run, Kubernetes, or any deployment requiring a single port), use createWebhookHandler:

import express from 'express';
import rtms from '@zoom/rtms';

const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

// Your existing application routes
app.get('/health', (req, res) => {
    res.json({ status: 'healthy' });
});

app.get('/admin', (req, res) => {
    res.json({ admin: 'panel' });
});

// Create a webhook handler that can be mounted on your existing server
const webhookHandler = rtms.createWebhookHandler(
    (payload) => {
        console.log(`Received webhook: ${payload.event}`);

        if (payload.event === "meeting.rtms_started") {
            const client = new rtms.Client();
            client.onAudioData((data, timestamp, metadata) => {
                console.log(`Audio from ${metadata.userName}`);
            });
            client.join(payload.payload);
        }
    },
    '/zoom/webhook'  // Path to handle
);

// Mount the webhook handler on your Express app
app.post('/zoom/webhook', webhookHandler);

// Single port for all routes
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 8080;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
    console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
    console.log(`Webhook endpoint: http://localhost:${PORT}/zoom/webhook`);
    console.log(`Health check: http://localhost:${PORT}/health`);
});

You can also use RawWebhookCallback with createWebhookHandler for custom validation:

const webhookHandler = rtms.createWebhookHandler(
    (payload, req, res) => {
        // Custom validation with raw HTTP access
        const signature = req.headers['x-zoom-signature'];

        if (!validateSignature(payload, signature)) {
            res.writeHead(401);
            res.end('Unauthorized');
            return;
        }

        // Process webhook...

        res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
        res.end(JSON.stringify({ status: 'ok' }));
    },
    '/zoom/webhook'
);

app.post('/zoom/webhook', webhookHandler);

Node.js - Class-Based Approach

For greater control or connecting to multiple streams simultaneously:

import rtms from "@zoom/rtms";

const client = new rtms.Client();

client.onAudioData((data, timestamp, metadata) => {
    console.log(`Received audio: ${data.length} bytes`);
});

client.join({
    meeting_uuid: "your_meeting_uuid",
    rtms_stream_id: "your_stream_id",
    server_urls: "wss://example.zoom.us",
});

Node.js - Global Singleton

When you only need to connect to a single RTMS stream:

import rtms from "@zoom/rtms";

rtms.onAudioData((data, timestamp, metadata) => {
    console.log(`Received audio from ${metadata.userName}`);
});

rtms.join({
    meeting_uuid: "your_meeting_uuid",
    rtms_stream_id: "your_stream_id",
    server_urls: "wss://rtms.zoom.us"
});

Python - Basic Usage

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import rtms
import signal
import sys
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

client = rtms.Client()

# Graceful shutdown handler
def signal_handler(sig, frame):
    print('\nShutting down gracefully...')
    client.leave()
    sys.exit(0)

signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal_handler)

# Webhook event handler
@client.on_webhook_event()
def handle_webhook(payload):
    if payload.get('event') == 'meeting.rtms_started':
        rtms_payload = payload.get('payload', {})
        client.join(
            meeting_uuid=rtms_payload.get('meeting_uuid'),
            rtms_stream_id=rtms_payload.get('rtms_stream_id'),
            server_urls=rtms_payload.get('server_urls'),
            signature=rtms_payload.get('signature')
        )

# Callback handlers
@client.onJoinConfirm
def on_join(reason):
    print(f'Joined meeting: {reason}')

@client.onTranscriptData
def on_transcript(data, size, timestamp, metadata):
    text = data.decode('utf-8')
    print(f'[{metadata.userName}]: {text}')

@client.onLeave
def on_leave(reason):
    print(f'Left meeting: {reason}')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    print('Webhook server running on http://localhost:8080')
    import time
    while True:
        # Process queued join requests from webhook thread
        client._process_join_queue()
        # Poll for SDK events
        client._poll_if_needed()
        time.sleep(0.01)

Python - Advanced Webhook Validation

For production use cases requiring custom webhook validation:

import rtms
import hmac
import hashlib

client = rtms.Client()

@client.on_webhook_event()
def handle_webhook(payload, request, response):
    # Access request headers for validation
    signature = request.headers.get('x-zoom-signature')

    # Handle Zoom's webhook validation challenge
    if request.headers.get('x-zoom-webhook-validator'):
        validator = request.headers['x-zoom-webhook-validator']
        response.set_status(200)
        response.send({'plainToken': validator})
        return

    # Custom signature validation
    if not validate_signature(payload, signature):
        response.set_status(401)
        response.send({'error': 'Invalid signature'})
        return

    # Process valid webhook
    if payload.get('event') == 'meeting.rtms_started':
        client.join(payload.get('payload'))

    response.send({'status': 'ok'})

Python - Environment Setup

Create a virtual environment and install dependencies:

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv .venv

# Activate virtual environment
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install python-dotenv

# Install RTMS SDK
pip install rtms

Create a .env file:

# Required - Your Zoom OAuth credentials
ZM_RTMS_CLIENT=your_client_id
ZM_RTMS_SECRET=your_client_secret

# Optional - Webhook server configuration
ZM_RTMS_PORT=8080
ZM_RTMS_PATH=/webhook

# Optional - Logging configuration
ZM_RTMS_LOG_LEVEL=debug          # error, warn, info, debug, trace
ZM_RTMS_LOG_FORMAT=progressive    # progressive or json
ZM_RTMS_LOG_ENABLED=true          # true or false

Building from Source

The RTMS SDK can be built from source using either Docker (recommended) or local build tools.

Using Docker (Recommended)

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose
Zoom RTMS C SDK files (contact Zoom for access)
Task installed (or use Docker's Task installation)

Steps

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zoom/rtms.git
cd rtms

# Place your SDK library files in the lib/{arch} folder
# For linux-x64:
cp ../librtmsdk.0.2025xxxx/librtmsdk.so.0 lib/linux-x64

# For darwin-arm64 (Apple Silicon):
cp ../librtmsdk.0.2025xxxx/librtmsdk.dylib lib/darwin-arm64

# Place the include files in the proper directory
cp ../librtmsdk.0.2025xxxx/h/* lib/include

# Build using Docker Compose with Task
docker compose run --rm build task build:js    # Build Node.js for linux-x64
docker compose run --rm build task build:py    # Build Python wheel for linux-x64

# Or use convenience services
docker compose run --rm test-js                # Build and test Node.js
docker compose run --rm test-py                # Build and test Python

Docker Compose creates distributable packages for linux-x64 (prebuilds for Node.js, wheels for Python). Use this when developing on macOS to build Linux packages for distribution.

Building Locally

Prerequisites

Node.js (>= 20.3.0, LTS recommended)
Python 3.10+ with pip (for Python build)
CMake 3.25+
C/C++ build tools
Task (go-task) - https://taskfile.dev/installation/
Zoom RTMS C SDK files (contact Zoom for access)

Steps

# Install system dependencies
## macOS
brew install cmake go-task python@3.13 node@24

## Linux
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y cmake python3-full python3-pip npm
sh -c "$(curl --location https://taskfile.dev/install.sh)" -- -d -b ~/.local/bin

# Clone and set up the repository
git clone https://github.com/zoom/rtms.git
cd rtms

# Place SDK files in the appropriate lib directory
# lib/linux-x64/ or lib/darwin-arm64/

# Verify your environment meets requirements
task doctor

# Setup project (fetches SDK if not present, installs dependencies)
task setup

# Build for specific language and platform
task build:js             # Build Node.js for current platform
task build:js:linux       # Build Node.js for Linux (via Docker)
task build:js:darwin      # Build Node.js for macOS

task build:py             # Build Python for current platform
task build:py:linux       # Build Python wheel for Linux (via Docker)
task build:py:darwin      # Build Python wheel for macOS

Development Commands

The project uses Task (go-task) for build orchestration. Commands follow the pattern: task <action>:<lang>:<platform>

# See all available commands
task --list

# Verify environment
task doctor                   # Check Node, Python, CMake, Docker versions

# Setup project
task setup                    # Fetch SDK and install dependencies

# Build modes
BUILD_TYPE=Debug task build:js    # Build in debug mode
BUILD_TYPE=Release task build:js  # Build in release mode (default)

# Debug logging for C SDK callbacks
RTMS_DEBUG=ON task build:js       # Enable verbose callback logging

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

1. Segmentation Fault / Crash on Startup

Symptoms:

Immediate crash when requiring/importing the module
Error message: Segmentation fault (core dumped)
Stack trace shows napi_module_register_by_symbol

Root Cause: Using Node.js version < 20.3.0

Solution:

# 1. Check your Node.js version
node --version

# 2. If < 20.3.0, upgrade to a supported version

# Using nvm (recommended):
nvm install 24           # Install Node.js 24 LTS (recommended)
nvm use 24

# Or install minimum version:
nvm install 20
nvm use 20

# Or download from: https://nodejs.org/

# 3. Clear npm cache and reinstall
npm cache clean --force
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install

Prevention:

Always use Node.js 20.3.0 or higher
Use recommended version with .nvmrc: nvm use (Node.js 24 LTS)
Check version before installing: node --version

2. Platform Support

Verify you're using a supported platform (darwin-arm64 or linux-x64)

3. SDK Files

Ensure RTMS C SDK files are correctly placed in the appropriate lib directory

4. Build Mode

Try both debug and release modes (npm run debug or npm run release)

5. Dependencies

Verify all prerequisites are installed

6. Audio Defaults Mismatch

This SDK uses different default audio parameters than the raw RTMS WebSocket protocol for better out-of-the-box quality. If you need to match the WebSocket protocol defaults, see #92 for details.

7. Identifying Speakers with Mixed Audio Streams

When using AUDIO_MIXED_STREAM, the audio callback's metadata does not identify the current speaker since all participants are mixed into a single stream. To identify who is speaking, use the onActiveSpeakerEvent callback:

Node.js:

client.onActiveSpeakerEvent((timestamp, userId, userName) => {
    console.log(`Active speaker: ${userName} (${userId})`);
});

Python:

@client.onActiveSpeakerEvent
def on_active_speaker(timestamp, user_id, user_name):
    print(f"Active speaker: {user_name} ({user_id})")

This callback notifies your application whenever the active speaker changes in the meeting. You can also use the lower-level onEventEx function with the active speaker event type directly. See #80 for more details.

For Maintainers

If you're a maintainer looking to build, test, or publish new releases of the RTMS SDK, please refer to PUBLISHING.md for comprehensive documentation on:

Building platform-specific wheels and prebuilds
Publishing to npm and PyPI
GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow
Testing procedures
Troubleshooting common issues
Release workflows for Node.js and Python

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details.

@zoom/rtms

Zoom Realtime Media Streams (RTMS) SDK

Supported Products

Platform Support Status

Overview

Installation

Node.js

Python

For Contributors

Usage

Node.js - Webhook Integration

Node.js - Advanced Webhook Handling

Node.js - Class-Based Approach

Node.js - Global Singleton

Python - Basic Usage

Python - Advanced Webhook Validation

Python - Environment Setup

Building from Source

Using Docker (Recommended)

Prerequisites

Steps

Building Locally

Prerequisites

Steps

Development Commands

Troubleshooting

1. Segmentation Fault / Crash on Startup

2. Platform Support

3. SDK Files

4. Build Mode

5. Dependencies

6. Audio Defaults Mismatch

7. Identifying Speakers with Mixed Audio Streams

For Maintainers

License

Settings

On This Page

@zoom/rtms

Zoom Realtime Media Streams (RTMS) SDK

Supported Products

Platform Support Status

Overview

Installation

Node.js

Python

For Contributors

Usage

Node.js - Webhook Integration

Node.js - Advanced Webhook Handling

Node.js - Sharing Ports with Existing Servers

Node.js - Class-Based Approach

Node.js - Global Singleton

Python - Basic Usage

Python - Advanced Webhook Validation

Python - Environment Setup

Building from Source

Using Docker (Recommended)

Prerequisites

Steps

Building Locally

Prerequisites

Steps

Development Commands

Troubleshooting

1. Segmentation Fault / Crash on Startup

2. Platform Support

3. SDK Files

4. Build Mode

5. Dependencies

6. Audio Defaults Mismatch

7. Identifying Speakers with Mixed Audio Streams

For Maintainers

License

Settings

On This Page