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-# documentation
-
+# documentation
+
 Here I will start building a list of guides for setting up various open source self-hosted software.

 If you have any suggestions then please send me a chat request on Reddit (https://reddit.com/u/thisiszeev)

-The contents of this repo is licensed under the Creative Commons is free to share in an unaltered state. 
-If you want to publish one of my guides on your website or in your print publication, then please contact me via Reddit.
+The contents of this repo is licensed under the Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivative-Works license. You are free to share the documents in an unaltered state.
+
+If you do wish to publish one of my guides on your website or in your print publication, then please contact me via Reddit to discuss licensing.
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+# Documentation relating to Self-Hosted Nextcloud Installs
+
+| Filename | Description |
+|----------|-------------|
+| coturn.md | Setting up a TURN server for a Self-Hosted Nextcloud Installation |
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+# Setting up a TURN server for a self-hosted Nextcloud installation
+
+**Document Author:** Ze'ev Schurmann
+**Document Version:** v1.0
+**Document License:** CC-4.0-BY-NC-ND
+
+This document is one of a series I intend to compile for various open source projects that I use, support and believe in. For more info visit https://git.zaks.web.za/thisiszeev/documentation
+
+If you have any questions or need 1 on 1 support/training then please send me a chat request on Reddit (https://reddit.com/u/thisiszeev)
+
+Feel free to visit my Git Repo on https://git.zaks.web.za/thisiszeev
+
+If you find this document useful, please let me know via Reddit, share it with others, and if you can afford it, please consider a small donation at https://paypal.me/thisiszeev
+
+The contents of this repo is licensed under the Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivative-Works license. You are free to share the document in an unaltered state.
+
+If you do wish to publish this guide or any of my other guides on your website or in your print publication, then please contact me via Reddit to discuss licensing.
+
+## Contents
+
+- Before you start (requirements, disclaimer and warnings)
+- What is a TURN Server
+- What is coTURN
+- Installing coTURN
+- Configuring coTURN
+- Activating coTURN
+- Configuring Nextcloud Community Edition (Self-Install)
+
+## Before you start (requirements, disclaimer and warnings)
+
+**REQUIREMENTS:** A publically accessible dedicate or virtualized server running Nextcloud. This guide is written for Debian and Debian based operating systems. If you are running a different version of Linux, then please substitute the relevant steps to fit your installation.
+
+**DISCLAIMER:** I am in no way affiliate with Nextcloud GmbH or any of their associated companies or brands. This guide is created as a labor of love and in no ways is intended to represent the views and/or opinions of Nextcloud GmbH or any of the other community members.
+
+**WARNING:** You use this guide at your own risk. I assume no responsibility for any damages, loss of data, loss or revenue, or any other outcome of any nature, either implied or not. It is assumed that you have a basic understanding of the Linux command-line, that you have a working Self-Hosted Installation of Nextcloud, along with root/sudo access to the server that your installation is hosted on.
+
+## What is a TURN Server
+
+A **TURN server** (Traversal Using Relays around NAT) is a type of server used in **real-time communication**—like video calls, voice chats, or online gaming—when **direct peer-to-peer connections** between users fail due to **strict firewalls or NATs (Network Address Translators)**.
+
+### What it does:
+
+- It **relays traffic** between two clients who cannot establish a direct connection.
+- Unlike **STUN** (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT), which just helps discover public IPs and ports, **TURN actually passes the media (audio/video/data)** through the server.
+
+### Why it's needed:
+
+- Some networks (corporate, mobile, or public WiFi) block incoming peer connections.
+- When direct peer-to-peer via STUN isn't possible, TURN is a fallback that ensures communication still works.
+
+### Common in:
+
+- **WebRTC applications** (e.g., video conferencing in browsers)
+- **VoIP apps**, online games, remote desktop tools, etc.
+
+### Downsides:
+
+- It’s **more resource-intensive** than STUN, since the TURN server handles all the data.
+- **Latency** may increase a bit because the server is relaying everything.
+
+### Example use case:
+
+Imagine two users trying to video call using a WebRTC app:
+- If they’re both behind NATs/firewalls that allow STUN, they can talk directly (P2P).
+- If not, a TURN server relays their video and audio between them, acting as a middleman.
+
+## What is coTURN
+
+**coTURN** is a **free, open-source TURN and STUN server** implementation. It’s one of the most popular and reliable choices for adding NAT traversal support to real-time communication apps, especially **WebRTC**.
+
+### What coTURN does:
+
+- Provides both **TURN** and **STUN** services.
+- Helps devices behind NAT/firewalls communicate over the internet.
+- Acts as a **relay server** when direct peer-to-peer (P2P) connections can’t be established.
+
+### Key features of coTURN:
+
+- Supports **UDP, TCP, TLS, and DTLS**.
+- **Authentication** (static or dynamic via REST API).
+- **IPv4 and IPv6** support.
+- Can be used in **high-load** environments.
+- Works great for **WebRTC**, **VoIP**, **SIP**, **video conferencing**, etc.
+
+### Typical usage:
+
+- You install it on a VPS or server with a **public IP**.
+- Configure it via `turnserver.conf`.
+- Apps like Jitsi, Nextcloud Talk, BigBlueButton, and custom WebRTC apps use it when clients can't connect directly.
+
+### Tip:
+
+Even if you’re just using STUN most of the time, having TURN via coTURN ensures your app **always works**, even in the strictest networks.
+
+## Installing coTURN
+
+### With root access
+
+First make sure that Linux is fully updated.
+
+```
+apt update && apt -y upgrade
+```
+
+If updates complete without error, you can install coTURN.
+
+```
+apt -y install coturn
+```
+
+### With sudo access
+
+First make sure that Linux is fully updated.
+
+```
+sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade
+```
+
+If updates complete without error, you can install coTURN.
+
+```
+sudo apt -y install coturn
+```
+
+## Configuring coTURN
+
+### With root access
+
+Open the file `/etc/turnserver.conf`
+
+```
+nano /etc/turnserver.conf
+```
+
+### With sudo access
+
+Open the file `/etc/turnserver.conf`
+
+```
+sudo nano /etc/turnserver.conf
+```
+
+### Editing /etc/turnserver.conf
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#listening-port` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#listening-port=3478
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+listening-port=3478
+```
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#tls-listening-port` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#tls-listening-port=5349
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+tls-listening-port=5349
+```
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#alt-listening-port` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#alt-listening-port=0
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+alt-listening-port=0
+```
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#alt-tls-listening-port` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#alt-tls-listening-port=0
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+alt-tls-listening-port=0
+```
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#min-port` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#min-port=49152
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` and change the number to `60000` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+min-port=60000
+```
+
+---
+
+The line below `min-port` looks like this:
+
+```
+#max-port=65535
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` and change the number to `61999` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+max-port=61999
+```
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#fingerprint` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#fingerprint
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+fingerprint
+```
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#use-auth-secret` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#use-auth-secret
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+use-auth-secret
+```
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#static-auth-secret` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#static-auth-secret=north
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` and change the string after the equals to a nice long string of about 32 characters so that it looks something like this but with your own secret string in place of `SuperStrongSecretGoesHere`:
+
+```
+static-auth-secret=SuperStrongSecretGoesHere
+```
+
+*Save your chosen secret as you will need it when you configure Nextcloud.*
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#realm` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#realm=mycompany.org
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` and change the domain for the domain you use to access the server that coTURN in installed on, so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+realm=nextcloud.mydomain.tld
+```
+
+*If you are installing coTURN on a seperate server then the domain will be different to the domain used for Nextcloud.*
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#total-quota` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#total-quota=0
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+total-quota=0
+```
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `# bps-capacity` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+# bps-capacity=0
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+bps-capacity=0
+```
+
+*If you want to limit the total at a time network usage for coTURN, you can substiture the `0` for a real value limit in bits per second. 1 Kbps is 1024 bps, 1 Mbps is 1024 Kbps, and so on.*
+
+---
+
+Press CTRL+W and type `#no-multicast-peers` followed by ENTER. You will be taken to a line that looks like this:
+
+```
+#no-multicast-peers
+```
+
+Remove the comment `#` so that it looks like this:
+
+```
+no-multicast-peers
+```
+
+## Activating coTURN
+
+coTURN should already be activate. You should only need to restart the service.
+
+### With root access
+
+```
+systemctl restart coturn.service
+```
+
+If you got an error, you will have to start and enable it.
+
+```
+systemctl start coturn.service
+systemctl enable coturn.service
+```
+
+### With sudo access
+
+```
+sudo systemctl restart coturn.service
+```
+
+If you got an error, you will have to start and enable it.
+
+```
+sudo systemctl start coturn.service
+sudo systemctl enable coturn.service
+```
+
+## Configuring Nextcloud Community Edition (Self-Install)
+
+1. Log into your Nextcloud Install as the admin user.
+2. Click on the user icon in the top right.
+3. Click `Administration settings`.
+4. Scroll down the settings menu on the left and click on `Talk`.
+5. On the right of the screen scroll down to find `TURN servers`.
+6. Add a new TURN server and use the following settings:
+6. - turn: and turns:
+6. - TURN server URL - use the domain name you assigned to the setting `realm=`
+6. - TURN server secret - use the long string you assigned to `static-auth-secret=`
+6. - UDP and TCP
+7. Click the wavey icon on the right. If all is done correctly, it should change to a green checkmark.