Media over QUIC
MoQ is an open standard for real-time media streaming built natively on QUIC. Unlike WebRTC, which layers a complex media stack on top of existing protocols, MoQ is designed from the ground up to take advantage of QUIC's properties: low latency, reliable stream multiplexing, and graceful degradation on lossy networks.
Poll-based Streaming
Streams are only created when someone asks for them. Devices don't encode or transmit video until a viewer connects—saving battery, bandwidth, and compute.
Better Than WebRTC
QUIC handles packet loss gracefully without the CPU overhead of WebRTC's baseline. It works especially well on mobile networks with variable connectivity.
Encrypted by Default
Iroh creates direct encrypted connections between devices. You control exactly who can see a stream—no third-party server in the middle.
Works Everywhere
Iroh's NAT traversal finds the fastest path—direct when possible, relayed when needed. The same stack runs on IoT devices, phones, browsers, and servers.
Example
Rave: Video Streaming at Global Scale
Rave evaluated multiple networking stacks—including libp2p and WebRTC—before choosing iroh. Today they stream video between millions of devices every day, self-hosting iroh relays to keep latency low and delivery reliable.
“Media over QUIC has real legs. It works on mobile and handles packet loss so much better.”
600k
Concurrent connections per relay
5
Global relay locations
24/7
Always-on streaming