I'm trying to add video calling to my app, what's the fastest way to do it?

The fastest way is usually to use a managed video API/SDK rather than building WebRTC infrastructure yourself.

Fastest options

1) Use a video SDK provider

Good if you want to ship quickly with minimal backend work.

Popular choices:

• Agora
• Twilio Video
• Daily
• Vonage Video
• Zoom SDK / Video SDK for some use cases

Typical flow:

1. Create an account
2. Install their SDK
3. Generate a token on your backend
4. Join a room/call
5. Render local/remote video in your app

2) Use WebRTC directly

Best if you want full control and lower vendor cost, but it’s slower to implement.

You’ll need:

• Signaling server
• STUN/TURN servers
• NAT traversal handling
• Device permissions and media handling
• Call state management, reconnection, etc.

Recommendation

If you want the fastest path to production, use a managed SDK like Daily or Twilio:

• Less infrastructure
• Faster demo-to-production
• Better mobile/web support
• Built-in call quality handling

If you want to move even faster

Use a prebuilt UI kit from the provider:

• UI components for call screen
• Mic/camera toggles
• Participant lists
• Screen sharing
• Reactions/chat

That can get you to a working call in hours instead of weeks.

What I’d choose

• Small app / fastest prototype: Daily
• Enterprise / broader comms stack: Twilio
• High-performance / global scale: Agora

Basic implementation steps

1. Pick provider
2. Add frontend SDK
3. Build backend endpoint to mint access tokens
4. Create/join room
5. Handle permissions and device selection
6. Add call controls and disconnect logic

If you want, I can recommend the best option based on your stack:

• Web, iOS, Android, or React Native?
• 1:1 calls or group calls?
• Do you need chat/screen share/recording too?