BigBlueButton

BigBlueButton is a web conferencing system designed for online learning and virtual classrooms. It provides real-time audio/video meetings plus teaching-focused collaboration tools such as whiteboarding, polls, and breakout rooms, with integrations commonly used in education.

Key Features

• WebRTC-based real-time audio/video with moderator controls
• Interactive whiteboard and multi-user annotations (slides/PDF)
• Screen sharing with presenter controls
• Breakout rooms for small-group activities
• Public and private chat, emoji/status, and participant management
• Polling and presentation tools for live instruction
• Session recording and playback (with published recording formats)
• API-first meeting management (create/join/end, metadata, hooks)
• Learning-platform integrations (commonly Moodle and others via plugins)

Use Cases

• Live online classes, tutoring, and office hours
• Webinar-style lectures with moderated Q&A and polls
• Group work sessions using breakout rooms and shared whiteboard

Limitations and Considerations

• Server sizing and media performance depend heavily on concurrency and recording usage; deployments often require dedicated tuning and bandwidth planning.

BigBlueButton focuses on teaching workflows rather than general-purpose meetings, making it a strong fit for schools and training providers that need classroom features and LMS integration. Its API and extensible ecosystem also make it suitable for embedding virtual classrooms into custom learning platforms.