Edison Jwa
c4b8732bd7
p256 PR draft ready for ReSpeak/tsclientlib submission. Performance benchmarks document with tsclientlib baselines and Chanora current metrics. Web client assessed as infeasible without UDP proxy infrastructure.
69 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
69 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
# Web Client Feasibility Assessment
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**Date:** 2026-06-11
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**Purpose:** Brief assessment of web client feasibility for Chanora (TODO-073)
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---
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## Precedent: TeaSpeak Web Client
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TeaSpeak built a web client (TypeScript, MPL-2.0) that demonstrated:
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- Browser-based TeamSpeak-compatible voice is technically feasible
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- WebAudio API handles Opus decode/encode via WebAssembly
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- Installation-less access is a compelling user benefit
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- VP8 video/screen sharing worked (with bugs)
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**Status:** Archived July 2025, unmaintained since ~2022.
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---
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## Technical Requirements
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| Component | Browser API | Feasibility |
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|---|---|---|
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| Audio capture | `getUserMedia()` + `MediaStream` | ✅ Well-supported |
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| Opus encode/decode | WebAssembly (libopus) | ✅ ~100µs encode, feasible |
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| UDP transport | Not available in browsers | ❌ **Blocker** |
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| WebSocket fallback | `WebSocket` | ⚠️ Requires proxy/gateway |
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| TLS/WebRTC | `RTCPeerConnection` | ⚠️ Possible but complex |
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| File transfer | `File` API + WebSocket | ✅ Feasible |
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---
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## Key Challenge: Transport
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TS3 protocol uses **raw UDP** with custom encryption (EAX mode). Browsers cannot send raw UDP packets.
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### Options
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1. **WebSocket proxy** — Server-side gateway translates WebSocket↔UDP
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- Requires infrastructure (not self-hosted friendly)
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- Adds latency (~10-50ms per hop)
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- Breaks end-to-end encryption
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2. **WebRTC data channel** — Browser-to-browser UDP-like channel
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- Requires signaling server
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- NAT traversal complexity
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- Not compatible with TS3 server protocol
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3. **WASM + raw sockets** — Not possible (browser sandbox)
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---
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## Verdict
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**Not feasible in current scope.** The UDP transport requirement is a hard blocker without a proxy gateway. Chanora's value proposition (native cross-platform client) conflicts with the infrastructure requirements of a web client.
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### If pursued in future
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- Build a lightweight WebSocket↔UDP gateway (Rust, ~500 lines)
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- Reuse `chanora_protocol` for server-side translation
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- Host gateway alongside TS3 server or as optional service
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- Web client would be a thin UI layer over the gateway
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---
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## Recommendation
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**Defer indefinitely.** Focus on native client quality. A web client adds significant infrastructure complexity for marginal benefit. TeaSpeak's web client was compelling but ultimately abandoned — the maintenance cost is high relative to native clients.
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