Discourse plugin for P2P voice and video calls (WebRTC) with a built-in UI. One plugin, no theme component. Plugin directory name: diskuz-call.
Authors: diskuz.com, Cristian Deraco
Credits: Concept, features, and design by Cristian Deraco (diskuz.com). Implementation with AI-assisted development.
- On the server where Discourse runs, go to the plugins directory (e.g. Docker:
cd /var/www/discourse). - Clone:
git clone https://github.com/idiskuz/diskuz-call - Rebuild (e.g.
./launcher rebuild app). - Admin → Plugins → enable diskuz Call.
- Admin → Settings → Plugins → enable Enable diskuz Call.
- Floating button (bottom right): opens the widget to enter a username and start a call. The button is hidden when the topic composer or chat is open. Admin can turn the floating button off for the whole site (then only the chat Call button can start calls, if enabled).
- Call button in chat: in 1:1 chat, a Call icon in the composer starts a call with the other user. Visible only to allowed groups; admin can hide it for everyone (then only the floating button can start calls, if enabled).
- User status: Online, Busy, Offline (stored in the browser). Incoming calls can be auto-rejected when status is Busy or Offline.
- Widget errors: e.g. "You cannot call yourself.", follow/groups reasons; shown at the bottom of the widget and auto-dismiss after 5 seconds.
- Outgoing call: if the callee does not answer within 30 seconds, the call ends; status and toasts show the outcome (e.g. user not available).
- Duration from connection (MM:SS or HH:MM:SS).
- Desktop — other tab / background: if the user switches to another browser tab or minimizes the window, a 60-second timer starts; if they do not return within 60 seconds, the call ends automatically. The media stream is not intentionally disconnected while in the background.
- Voice and video: toggle camera on/off; the other side sees a placeholder (avatar + duration) when video is off.
- Blur (desktop and Android only): optional blur of your camera image; not available on iOS (browser limitation).
- Mute: microphone on/off. Each new call starts with the mic on (mute state is not carried over).
- Speaker — desktop: cycles audio output (default vs other devices). Mobile (iOS and Android): the speaker button does not change the audio route; tapping it shows a message to use the phone’s volume keys.
- Volume on mobile: voice-only calls use lower remote volume (0.5); when the call has video, remote volume is set to 1. Applied on iOS and Android.
- Hide / Show controls: hide the control row; tap again to show. On mobile landscape the label is "Hide buttons" / "Show".
- Ear mode (mobile): full-screen dark overlay so you can hold the phone to your ear. Unlock by tapping the screen 3 times. Layout: logo and slogan at the top, "Ear mode" and unlock hint in the center. Auto-activates after 1 minute on voice-only calls. In landscape voice-only, ear buttons are hidden and avatar/name appear bottom-left.
- Local video preview: fixed at top-left when video is active and draggable; position is reset when entering each video call.
- Floating button pulses (green) when there is an incoming call.
- Ringtone: configurable in Admin. Options:
none,default,ding,bell,chat,custom(user picks one of up to 10 admin MP3s in the widget, with Preview and Select), oralternative(built-in presets). Ringtone plays for up to 48 seconds. - Browser notification (if permitted) with caller name; click to focus the tab.
- Discourse bell: custom notification type. Incoming: "is calling you" style. Missed: title "Missed call" / "Chiamata persa", description includes the time (from
event_at). - Incoming UI: Accept and Reject; after accepting, Mute, Speaker, Video, Hang up, and Hide controls appear.
- Two pages: home ("Call a friend") and Notifications. Notifications has tabs: Received, Sent, Recent, Missed (up to 10 entries per tab). Back button returns to home. Usernames in the list are clickable to start a call.
- Desktop: draggable by the top bar; "diskuz Call" and "by diskuz.com" on one line. Hide button on both pages.
- Mobile: when open, the widget is full-page (covers the screen). Hide button to close.
- Custom ringtones: when Sound is custom, a Ringtones section in the widget lists admin-configured MP3s with Preview (~12 s) and Select; selection is saved per user.
- Desktop: draggable, resizable window; top bar with "diskuz Call", "by diskuz.com", and Ko-fi link. Avatar, username, status, duration, then controls at the bottom. Video area with remote stream (or placeholder) and local preview.
- Mobile: call UI is full-screen (Android and iOS). Portrait: controls with blur at the bottom. Landscape: single-row top bar (logo left, then Hide buttons, Mute, Speaker, Video, Hang up, Ko-fi right) with animated background; fullscreen button for video; local preview at top-left.
- Fullscreen (video): desktop and mobile landscape support fullscreen on the video element (or CSS fallback on iOS).
- Calls use WebRTC (voice and video). Default STUN (Google). Optional TURN in Admin (JSON) for stricter NATs and corporate/mobile networks.
- If the connection fails (e.g. ICE failure), a message is shown and the call ends.
- Allowed groups: only users in the configured groups can see and use diskuz Call.
- Show floating button (Admin): if ON, the floating button is shown only to allowed groups; if OFF, it is hidden for everyone (allowed users can still start calls from the chat Call button if that is enabled).
- Show chat button (Admin): if ON, the Call button in 1:1 chat is shown only to allowed groups; if OFF, it is hidden for everyone (allowed users can still start calls from the floating button if that is enabled).
- Require follow: when enabled (with Discourse Follow), the callee must follow the caller to receive calls.
- Video allowed groups: separate setting for who can use the Video button during a call.
- 403 reasons (e.g. cannot_call_yourself, follow_required, group restrictions) are shown in the UI and in toasts.
- Enable diskuz Call — master switch.
- Who can see and use diskuz Call — group list (e.g.
1|2|3). - Show floating button — if ON, the floating button is visible only to allowed groups; if OFF, hidden for everyone.
- Show chat button — if ON, the Call button in 1:1 chat is visible only to allowed groups; if OFF, hidden for everyone.
- Require the callee to follow the caller — when Discourse Follow is enabled.
- Primary color — hex (e.g.
#13c98c) for button and accents. - Sound for incoming calls —
none,default,ding,bell,chat,custom,alternative. - Custom ringtones 1–10 — MP3 URLs; user chooses one in the widget when Sound is custom.
- Alternative ringtone — preset when Sound is alternative (e.g. soft, classic, modern, festivo, marimba, relax1–5).
- Groups that can enable video — group list for the Video button in call.
- ICE servers — optional JSON array; empty = Google STUN only.
- Debug log — when enabled,
[diskuz-call]messages in the browser console (F12).
- Endpoints are available for status, preferences, callability check, and signaling. See the plugin source or documentation for details.
- English and Italian (client and server).
- NAT/firewall: With STUN only, many connections work; with symmetric NATs or corporate firewalls, add TURN in Admin → Plugins → ICE servers (JSON).
- Microphone and camera: The user must allow microphone (and camera for video) access in the browser.
- Recommendation: Configure TURN when users report failed calls or one-way audio.
- Admin → Settings → Plugins: ensure Enable diskuz Call is on.
- Who can see and use diskuz Call: your user must be in one of the listed groups.
- Show floating button / Show chat button: ensure the button you expect (floating or chat) is enabled in Admin.
- Console (F12): look for
[diskuz-call]messages; rebuild and hard refresh (Ctrl+F5) if the plugin does not load.
Minimum size 360×560 is enforced. To reset: F12 → Application → Local Storage → your site → delete diskuz_call_widget_rect → reload.
- Discourse (uses the site’s built-in real-time messaging for signaling; no separate setup).
- Optional: Discourse Follow for "Require the callee to follow the caller".
- Browser with WebRTC support and microphone (and camera for video).
This plugin is provided as-is. If the repository is public:
- There is no guarantee of ongoing development, maintenance, or compatibility with future Discourse or browser versions.
- Use at your own risk; you are responsible for testing and any impact on your site.
- No warranty. For critical use, consider forking or contacting the authors for support.
Version: 0.4.0-beta · URL: https://github.com/idiskuz/diskuz-call
