SlipStream

A high-performance, low-latency remote desktop solution using WebRTC for real-time streaming with AV1 hardware encoding.

Overview

SlipStream enables secure, low-latency screen sharing over local networks using modern web technologies. The server captures the host display using the Windows Graphics Capture API and encodes it with AV1 hardware acceleration (NVENC, QSV, or AMF). Clients connect via any modern web browser without plugins.

Features

• AV1 Hardware Encoding - Leverages GPU encoders (NVIDIA NVENC, Intel QSV, AMD AMF) with software fallback
• Ultra-Low Latency - Optimized pipeline for sub-50ms end-to-end latency on local networks
• WebRTC Transport - Encrypted peer-to-peer streaming with automatic ICE negotiation
• System Audio - Captures and streams system audio via Opus codec
• Full Input Control - Complete mouse, keyboard, and touch input support
• Multi-Monitor - Dynamic monitor switching during active sessions
• Touch Gestures - Trackpad and direct touch modes with pinch-to-zoom
• Authentication - PIN-based authentication with rate limiting

System Requirements

Host (Server)

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
• Visual Studio 2022 with C++ Desktop workload
• DirectX 11 compatible GPU
• vcpkg package manager

Client

• Modern web browser with WebRTC support (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)
• Hardware video decoding recommended for best performance

Architecture

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                         HOST (Server)                             |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                   |
|  +-------------+    +-------------+    +-----------------------+  |
|  |   Screen    |--->|     AV1     |--->|       WebRTC          |  |
|  |   Capture   |    |   Encoder   |    |    Data Channel       |  |
|  +-------------+    +-------------+    +-----------+-----------+  |
|                                                    |              |
|  +-------------+    +-------------+                |              |
|  |    Audio    |--->|    Opus     |----------------+              |
|  |   Capture   |    |   Encoder   |                |              |
|  +-------------+    +-------------+                |              |
|                                                    |              |
|  +-------------+                                   |              |
|  |    Input    |<----------------------------------+              |
|  |   Handler   |                                                  |
|  +-------------+                                                  |
|                                                                   |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
                                |
                                |  DTLS/SRTP Encrypted
                                |  Local Network
                                v
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                        CLIENT (Browser)                           |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                   |
|  +-------------+    +-------------+    +-----------------------+  |
|  |   WebRTC    |--->|    AV1      |--->|       WebGL2          |  |
|  |   Receive   |    |   Decoder   |    |      Renderer         |  |
|  +-------------+    +-------------+    +-----------------------+  |
|                                                                   |
|  +-------------+    +-------------+                               |
|  |    Audio    |<---|    Opus     |                               |
|  |   Playback  |    |   Decoder   |                               |
|  +-------------+    +-------------+                               |
|                                                                   |
|  +-------------+                                                  |
|  |    Input    |---> (sent to server via WebRTC)                  |
|  |   Capture   |                                                  |
|  +-------------+                                                  |
|                                                                   |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

Quick Start

1. Install Prerequisites

# Install vcpkg
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg.git C:\vcpkg
cd C:\vcpkg
.\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
.\vcpkg integrate install

2. Build the Server

build.bat

The build process will:

1. Install dependencies via vcpkg (libdatachannel, FFmpeg, Opus, etc.)
2. Configure the project with CMake
3. Build the Release executable

Output: build\bin\Release\SlipStream.exe

3. Run the Server

run.bat

On first run, you'll configure:

• Username (3-32 alphanumeric characters)
• PIN (6 digits)

Configuration is saved to auth.json.

4. Connect from Client

1. Open a web browser on any device on the same network
2. Navigate to http://<HOST_IP>:6060
3. Enter the server URL if not auto-detected
4. Authenticate with username and PIN

Configuration

auth.json

{
  "username": "admin",
  "pin": "123456"
}

vcpkg.json

Dependencies are automatically managed by vcpkg:

• libdatachannel (WebRTC)
• cpp-httplib (HTTP server)
• nlohmann-json (JSON parsing)
• opus (Audio codec)
• openssl (TLS/DTLS)
• ffmpeg (AV1 encoding)

Web Client

The server hosts these files on port 6060:

File	Description
index.html	Main application shell
styles.css	UI styling
js/network.js	WebRTC connection management
js/renderer.js	WebGL2 video rendering
js/input.js	Mouse, keyboard, touch handling
js/media.js	Video and audio decoding
js/state.js	Application state management
js/ui.js	Settings panel and controls

Controls

Desktop (Mouse + Keyboard)

• Click canvas - Capture mouse (pointer lock)
• ESC - Release mouse capture
• All keys - Passed through to host

Touch Devices

Trackpad Mode (Default)

• One finger drag - Move cursor
• Tap - Left click
• Long press + drag - Drag operation
• Two finger tap - Right click
• Two finger drag - Scroll
• Pinch - Zoom view

Direct Mode

• Touch - Move cursor to touch position
• Tap - Left click
• Long press + drag - Drag operation

Performance Tuning

Encoder Selection Priority

1. NVIDIA NVENC - Lowest latency, best quality
2. Intel QSV - Good latency, integrated GPU friendly
3. AMD AMF - Good performance on AMD GPUs
4. libsvtav1 - Fast software fallback
5. libaom-av1 - Universal software fallback

Optimizing Latency

• Use wired network connections when possible
• Select frame rate matching host display refresh rate
• Ensure GPU hardware encoding is active
• Client browser should use hardware video decoding

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Cannot connect to server

• Verify server is running (console shows [LIVE] when streaming)
• Check firewall allows port 6060 (TCP) and 50000-50100 (UDP)
• Ensure devices are on the same network

Video not displaying

• Check authentication succeeded
• Verify browser supports AV1 decoding
• Try refreshing the page

Build Issues

vcpkg not found

• Set VCPKG_ROOT environment variable
• Or install vcpkg to C:\vcpkg

Encoder initialization failed

• Update GPU drivers
• Verify DirectX 11 support
• Check FFmpeg codec availability

Performance Issues

High latency

• Check network connection quality
• Reduce frame rate in settings
• Verify hardware encoding is active (check console output)

Choppy video

• Lower frame rate
• Check client CPU/GPU usage
• Ensure hardware video decoding is enabled in browser

Security

• All WebRTC streams are encrypted with DTLS
• PIN-based authentication with rate limiting (3 attempts)
• Sessions are isolated per connection
• Designed for trusted local networks

Building Installer

build_installer.bat

Creates either:

• NSIS installer (.exe) if NSIS is installed
• Portable ZIP package otherwise

License

Business Source License (Personal-Online / No-Company) v1.1

See LICENSE.txt for full terms.

Copyright

© 2025-2026 Daniel Chrobak