name: zoom-video-sdk
description: |
Zoom Video SDK for building custom video experiences (not Zoom meetings). Supports Web,
iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux. Use when you want full control over the video
UI and experience, or need raw audio/video data access.

Zoom Video SDK

Build custom video experiences powered by Zoom's infrastructure.

Meeting SDK vs Video SDK

UI Options

Video SDK gives you full control over the UI:

All platforms support custom UI. You render video to your own canvas/view elements.

Prerequisites

• Zoom Video SDK credentials from Marketplace
• SDK Key and Secret
• Platform-specific development environment

Choose Your Platform

Quick Start (Web)

import ZoomVideo from '@zoom/videosdk';

const client = ZoomVideo.createClient();

await client.init('en-US', 'CDN');

await client.join(topic, signature, userName, password);

const stream = client.getMediaStream();
await stream.startVideo();
await stream.startAudio();

Key Concepts

Session Creation Model

Important: Video SDK sessions are created just-in-time, not in advance.

How Sessions Work

1. No pre-creation needed: Sessions don't exist until someone joins
2. Topic = Session ID: Any participants joining with the same topic string join the same session
3. First join creates it: The session is created when the first participant joins
4. No meeting ID: There's no numeric meeting ID like in Zoom Meetings

// Session is created on-the-fly when first user joins
// Any string can be the topic - it becomes the session identifier
await client.join('my-custom-session-123', signature, 'User Name');

// Other participants join the SAME session by using the SAME topic
await client.join('my-custom-session-123', signature, 'Another User');

Exception: Create Session API (PSTN Dial-In)

The only exception is the Create Session API, which is used specifically for associating a session with a dial-in phone number (PSTN). This does NOT mean you must create sessions in advance for regular video sessions.

// Only needed for PSTN dial-in support
// POST /v2/videosdk/sessions
const response = await fetch('https://api.zoom.us/v2/videosdk/sessions', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    session_name: 'my-session',
    // This associates a dial-in number with the session
  })
});

When to use Create Session API:
- You need PSTN dial-in capability for your video session
- You want phone participants to join via a phone number

When NOT needed:
- Standard video-only sessions (just use client.join())
- WebRTC-only participants

Detailed References

UI & Components

• references/ui-toolkit.md - Pre-built UI components (Web, iOS, Android)

Platform Guides

• references/authorization.md - Video SDK JWT generation
• references/web.md - Web Video SDK
• references/electron.md - Electron Video SDK (cross-platform desktop)
• references/ios.md - iOS Video SDK
• references/android.md - Android Video SDK
• references/macos.md - macOS Video SDK (native)
• references/windows.md - Windows Video SDK (native)
• references/linux.md - Linux Video SDK (headless)

Sample Repositories

Official (by Zoom)

Community / Extended

Full list: See zoom-general/references/community-repos.md

Resources

• Official docs: https://developers.zoom.us/docs/video-sdk/
• Developer forum: https://devforum.zoom.us/