Question

Can I ping Vonage Video API's media server to measure latency?

Applies To

• Video API
• Insights
• Latency

Answer

Vonage Video API does not allow developers to ping its media servers for a few reasons. First, it's not a secure practice. Since ping operates by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo request packets to the target host, a malicious attacker can take advantage of this loophole and execute a denial-of-service attack, disrupting services and the functionality of the media server. Consequently, this would render the media server to be unavailable and would result in significant downtime.

Furthermore, ping would not be representative of the quality of an actual session. Ping is too simplistic to be indicative of an ongoing video meeting. WebRTC involves a complex handshake and negotiation to find an optimal path to route media traffic.

Additional Information

To understand session quality, you can either use Advanced Insights in the Account Portal, or use the Insights API.