Five user-visible layers
- Page: the site loads its interface and real-time components.
- Permission: the browser and operating system apply camera and microphone choices.
- Local media: permitted device tracks become available to the page.
- Session coordination: the service manages matching and connection state.
- Remote media: the conversation presents media from the other participant.
The W3C WebRTC Recommendation describes browser APIs for real-time communication. MDN's getUserMedia() guide explains permission-controlled media capture and secure-context requirements. These sources describe web technology generally, not ChitChatVideo's complete internal architecture.
Local preview is not remote media
Seeing your own camera can indicate that local access works; it does not prove that matching, session coordination, network transport, or the other person's media is ready. Diagnose the last successful layer rather than treating every failure as a camera problem.
Who controls what
The device provides hardware, the operating system controls privacy and device access, the browser applies site permissions, the network carries traffic, and the service coordinates the experience. ChitChatVideo cannot override browser or system permission decisions.
Failure router
Denied permission → permission guides. Missing local device → camera or microphone diagnosis. Page/session initialization failure → not loading. Freezing or disconnecting → connection problems.
What the model does not prove
It does not prove direct peer-to-peer routing, end-to-end encryption, recording prevention, compatibility with every browser, or no-download access. Those claims require separate production evidence.
After-diagram CTA: Start Video Chat
Why secure context matters
Browser media capture is generally restricted to secure contexts, with platform-specific exceptions such as local development. HTTPS helps protect the connection between the browser and the genuine site; it does not verify another participant's identity, prevent capture, or prove the service's full security architecture. Check the canonical domain before granting permission.
Session coordination is not the same as media transport
The service must coordinate who is matched and when the conversation state changes. The live media path can use several network arrangements. A diagram should therefore show service coordination and media path as concepts without claiming every packet travels directly between two devices or through a specific provider.
Diagnose at the boundary
If local preview works but remote media does not, camera permission is no longer the only suspect. If the whole page fails, media-device steps are premature. The last successful layer narrows the next check.
Additional path: How Matching Works · Live Video Chat