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Recording

The plugin supports several recording methods. Choose the one that best fits your infrastructure — from a fully managed Google Cloud setup to YouTube streaming, Dropbox or externally-linked recordings.

Recording methods

The most integrated recording option. When using a GCP auto-managed server (Type 3), the plugin automatically provisions a dedicated Jibri recording VM alongside the Jitsi server. Recordings are saved directly to Google Cloud Storage (GCS) and published automatically in the activity's Recordings tab — no YouTube account or manual intervention required.

This method also unlocks AI features (summary, quiz, transcription) powered by Google Vertex AI (Gemini), since recordings are stored in GCS.

Simplest path to recording

To use this method, set up a GCP auto-managed server. Recording and AI features are enabled automatically once Jibri is provisioned.

YouTube Moodle-integrated

Configure the plugin to record sessions to corporate YouTube accounts. Teachers just need to click the Record and Streaming switch — recordings are automatically published as unlisted videos and embedded in the activity's Recordings tab. One Jitsi activity can have many recordings.

Record and Streaming switch

Recordings are stored as unlisted videos in YouTube. Teachers can hide or delete recordings from the activity; only administrators can permanently delete them from YouTube. A scheduled task handles automatic deletion based on a configurable retention period.

This method uses YouTube v3 APIs to:

  • create live streaming sessions on the fly
  • embed recordings inside Moodle
  • delete recordings when no longer needed

Sharing of unlisted videos

Recordings remain unlisted on YouTube, but there is no way to prevent students from sharing the URL externally. Teachers should be aware of this.

Multiple YouTube accounts can be configured — only one is active at a time, but having extras available is useful if YouTube restricts a specific account.

Set up your OAuth 2.0 Client ID in Google Cloud

  1. Prepare one or more YouTube accounts with live streaming enabled (requires phone verification and a 24-hour wait).
  2. Create a project in Google Cloud Console and enable the YouTube Data API v3.
  3. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials for a Web application, adding the redirect URI shown in the Jitsi plugin settings (e.g. https://your_moodle_domain/mod/jitsi/auth.php).
  4. In the OAuth consent screen, add the Google accounts associated with your YouTube channels as authorised users. Google calls these "Test users" — despite the name, this is the correct setup for production use when you only need a limited set of known accounts. You do not need to publish the app publicly.
  5. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret to the Jitsi plugin settings in Moodle.
  6. In Moodle, add and authorise your Streaming/Recording Accounts.
  7. Enable Live stream and select Moodle Integrated as the Live Streaming Method.

On app status and token expiry

Google's "Testing" status means only the accounts you explicitly added can authorise the app, and tokens expire every 7 days — requiring periodic re-authorisation in Moodle. To avoid token expiry, either publish the app (Google may require verification depending on scopes) or use the Google Workspace internal mode described below.

Google Workspace users

Set the User type in the OAuth consent screen to INTERNAL — no authorised users need to be added and tokens never expire. This is the recommended setup if your institution uses Google Workspace.

Never delete the OAuth credentials

Never delete the OAuth credentials in Google Cloud — doing so will remove all recordings from the associated YouTube accounts.

YouTube manual (teacher's own account)

Teachers can also stream using their own personal YouTube accounts by creating a "Go Live" stream and copying the stream key into the Jitsi interface. The recording link must then be published manually. This requires no plugin configuration, but each teacher needs their own YouTube account with live streaming enabled.

In addition to YouTube streaming, the plugin supports publishing recordings stored in Dropbox or retrieved directly from the JaaS (8x8) cloud recording system.

Recordings tab

When a session ends, the plugin listens to two Jitsi events:

  • recordingLinkAvailable — fired by Jitsi when a recording link is ready (Dropbox or other).
  • recordingStatusChanged — fired when recording stops; may include a direct URL.

Links are saved automatically in the activity's Recordings tab. Duplicate links for the same session are ignored.

JaaS (8x8) cloud recordings

When using a JaaS server with cloud recording enabled, recordings appear automatically in the Recordings tab with a Download button. These links are hosted on 8x8's CDN and expire after 24 hours (or according to your JaaS plan). Once expired, they are automatically hidden from the tab — no manual cleanup is needed.

Dropbox recordings

If Dropbox is configured in the plugin settings (App Key and Redirect URI), teachers can record sessions directly to their Dropbox account. Once the recording is saved to Dropbox, the teacher must manually publish the link to students:

  • After the session, the teacher gets the share link from their Dropbox account.
  • In the activity's Recordings tab, the teacher pastes the link using the "Add recording link" form.

Why Dropbox links can't be captured automatically

When using Dropbox recording, Jitsi fires recordingStatusChanged when the recording stops, but the Dropbox URL is not included — it is generated asynchronously by Dropbox after the upload completes. This is why Dropbox links cannot be captured automatically and must be published manually.

Dropbox configuration

Navigate to Site administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Jitsi and fill in the Dropbox recording configuration section:

Setting Description
Dropbox App Key The App Key from your Dropbox app (Dropbox Developer Console → your app → Settings tab).
Dropbox Redirect URI The OAuth2 redirect URI registered in your Dropbox app. Must match exactly what you set in the Dropbox App Console — usually https://your-jitsi-domain/static/oauth.html.

You need to create a Dropbox app at the Dropbox App Console.

Embedding Dropbox videos

When adding a Dropbox link manually, teachers can choose to embed the video directly in the Recordings tab by checking the "Embed video (Dropbox)" option. The plugin transforms the Dropbox share URL to a direct streaming URL (?raw=1) and renders it with an HTML5 <video> player. A fallback "Open recording" link is always shown below the player.

Dropbox bandwidth limit

Dropbox has a monthly bandwidth limit on free accounts. If many students view the embedded video simultaneously, Dropbox may temporarily block direct access.

Teachers with the Record session (mod/jitsi:record) capability can:

  • Add external recording links manually via the form at the bottom of the Recordings tab.
  • Edit any manually-added link (URL, name, embed option) using the edit icon next to the recording.
  • Hide/show recordings from students.
  • Delete recordings from the activity (external links are only removed from Moodle; the actual file in Dropbox or 8x8 is not affected).

The Recordings tab is always visible to teachers even when no recordings exist yet, so they can add links at any time.

The timeexpires field in the database controls when a recording link is automatically hidden:

Source Expiry
JaaS (8x8.vc) 24 hours from creation (or TTL from event if available)
Dropbox Never (permanent)
YouTube Never (managed via YouTube API)
Manual entry Never (permanent)

Expired recordings are hidden from the tab but not deleted from the database. They can be deleted manually from the Recordings tab.