RTCP

A companion protocol to the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP). While RTP is responsible for transmitting the actual media data—such as audio or video packets—RTCP is designed to provide control, feedback, and synchronization between participants in a real-time communication session.

RTCP packets are sent periodically alongside RTP streams and serve several key functions. They carry quality-of-service reports, including packet loss, jitter, and round-trip time, which allow applications to monitor performance and adapt dynamically to network conditions. RTCP also helps synchronize multiple media streams, such as aligning separate audio and video channels in a video call. Additionally, it offers mechanisms for identifying participants, reporting session statistics, and scaling to accommodate conferences with large numbers of users.

By working in tandem with RTP, RTCP ensures that real-time communication systems—such as VoIP, video conferencing, and live streaming—maintain media quality, manage resources efficiently, and deliver a consistent user experience.