Randall 🎥 — Free Random Video Chat App & Omegle Alternative

Randall is a free, modern, open-source random video chat application and privacy-first Omegle alternative. Connect instantly with strangers worldwide across 1-on-1 video, group video calls (up to 5 users), and text chat — with zero accounts, no history stored, and peer-to-peer WebRTC encryption.

👉 Try it live: https://randall.superezz.dev/

⚡ Highlights & Features

🎥 Video Calling & Multi-Party Layouts

📹 1-on-1 Full-Bleed Video Chat: WhatsApp-style immersive full-bleed video interface with floating Picture-in-Picture (PiP), multi-corner movement, and tap-to-swap views.
👥 Adaptive Group Video Grid (Up to 5 Users): Responsive, dynamic multi-party grid layout optimized for mobile portrait, mobile landscape, tablet, and desktop viewports.
📌 Spotlight / Pin Mode: Tap any participant in a group call to spotlight them in a large primary stage while keeping other participants in a smooth thumbnail filmstrip.
🔍 Full-Frame "Fit View" vs. "Fill View" Toggle: Instant toggle between edge-to-edge fill (object-cover) and 100% full uncropped camera frame (object-contain with ambient backdrop blur).
🎙️ Active Speaker Detection: Real-time Web Audio API frequency analysis that highlights the active speaker with an animated glowing green ring.
👑 Room Host Controls: Automatic host assignment and failover, allowing the room host to mute participants or kick disruptive users.
🔄 Rear & Front Camera Switcher: Seamlessly toggle between selfie and rear cameras on mobile devices with live camera enumeration.
🖥️ Screen Sharing: One-click screen sharing with dynamic WebRTC track replacement.

💬 Chat, Matching & Privacy

💬 Text-Only Chat Mode: Anonymously connect and chat with random users without using your camera or microphone.
🎯 Interest & Topic Matching: Enter your favorite interests (e.g. coding, music, gaming, anime) to match with like-minded people.
🔒 Privacy First & Zero Registration: No accounts, emails, passwords, or phone numbers needed. No chat logs or media recorded.
🛡️ Community Safety & Moderation: Instant skip, user report mechanisms, and automated bot prevention via Arcjet and Zod.
⚡ Real-Time Presence: Live online user counter, typing indicators, and instant matchmaking over native WebSockets.
✨ Modern Responsive UI: Built with React 19, Tailwind CSS, Lucide Icons, and Motion.

🥊 Why Randall? (Omegle Alternative Comparison)

Feature	🚫 Omegle (Defunct)	👥 Traditional Chat Apps	🎥 Randall (Open Source)
Open Source	❌ Proprietary	❌ Proprietary	✅ 100% AGPL-3.0 Open Source
Group Video Calls	❌ No	⚠️ Requires Accounts	✅ Yes (Adaptive 1-5 Grid)
Spotlight / Pin Mode	❌ No	⚠️ Heavy Client Apps	✅ Yes (Instant Stage Focus)
Fit vs. Fill No-Crop	❌ Fixed Crop	❌ Fixed Crop	✅ Per-Tile & Global Toggle
Active Speaker Glow	❌ No	⚠️ Heavy Apps	✅ Web Audio API Frequency Analysis
Host Moderation	❌ None	⚠️ Admin-only / Accounts	✅ Mute / Kick / Auto-Failover
No Account Needed	✅ Yes	❌ Requires Sign-up	✅ Instant 1-Click Access
Peer-to-Peer Encrypted	⚠️ Partial	❌ Relayed Servers	✅ WebRTC P2P Direct + STUN/TURN
Bot Protection	❌ Poor	⚠️ Captchas	✅ Arcjet Shield & Zod
Modern Responsive UI	❌ 2000s Web Layout	⚠️ Heavy Apps	✅ Vibrant, Clean & Fast

🛠️ Tech Stack

Layer	Technology	Purpose
Frontend	React 19 + Vite	Fast, responsive Single Page Application (SPA).
P2P Video / Audio	WebRTC (`RTCPeerConnection`)	Direct browser-to-browser media streaming with zero server recording.
Real-time Signaling	WebSockets (`ws`)	Instant user matching, multi-peer signaling negotiation, and text messages.
Backend Server	Node.js + Express	Lightweight API server, WebSocket broker, and TURN credential provider.
Styling & UI	Tailwind CSS + Motion + Lucide	Responsive design with micro-animations and adaptive grid geometry.
Security & Validation	Arcjet + Zod	Bot detection, rate limiting, and schema validation.

🔍 How WebRTC Video Chat Works in Randall

 [User A (Browser)] <====== WebSockets Signaling (Match & ICE) ======> [User B (Browser)]
         |                                                                   |
         +=========== Direct WebRTC P2P Media Stream (Video/Audio) ===========+
                    (Zero server relay — 100% private and encrypted)

Signaling Connection: When you visit randall.superezz.dev, your browser connects to the central WebSocket signaling server.
Matchmaking: The server pairs you with waiting users based on your selected mode (1-on-1, Group, or Text) and overlapping interests.
Offer & Answer (SDP): The browsers exchange WebRTC session descriptions (SDP offer/answer) and ICE candidates via the WebSocket signaling channel.
Peer-to-Peer Streaming: Once handshaking completes, video and audio flow directly between the browsers. Randall's servers never capture, touch, or store your video frames.

🚀 Getting Started Locally

Prerequisites

Node.js (v18.0.0 or higher)
Git
A working webcam and microphone (for video testing)

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/superezzdev/randall.git
cd randall

Install root & UI dependencies:
```
npm install
npm --prefix ui install
```
Set up Environment Variables:
```
cp .env.example .env
```
Open .env and configure your port and security keys:
```
PORT=8000
ARCJET_KEY=your_arcjet_key_here
```
Run the Development Servers:

Option A: Run both backend and frontend together:
```
npm run dev
```
Option B: Run in separate terminals:
- Terminal 1 (Backend):
```
node src/index.js
```
- Terminal 2 (Frontend UI):
```
cd ui
npm run dev
```
Open http://localhost:5173 in two browser windows or on separate devices to test video matching!

Testing Integration & Signaling

Run the comprehensive matchmaking, group calling, and host control integration test suite:

node test-matchmaking.js

📂 Project Structure

randall/
├── src/                    # Backend server & WebSockets
│   ├── index.js            # Express server entry point
│   ├── arcjet.js           # Security & bot protection configuration
│   ├── routes/             # REST endpoints (/api/turn-credentials, /api/users)
│   └── ws/                 # WebSocket signaling, group rooms & matchmaking
├── ui/                     # Frontend React 19 application
│   ├── public/             # Static assets, robots.txt, sitemap.xml, llms.txt
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/     # UI components (Home, VideoChat, Controls, Header)
│   │   ├── hooks/          # Custom WebRTC & WebSocket hooks (useVideoChat)
│   │   ├── pages/          # Static pages (About, Safety, Terms, Privacy, Contact)
│   │   ├── App.jsx         # App shell & routing
│   │   └── index.css       # Tailwind & theme styles
│   ├── index.html          # SEO-optimized HTML template & JSON-LD
│   └── vite.config.js      # Vite build configuration
├── test-matchmaking.js     # Automated WebSockets & WebRTC integration test suite
├── CONTRIBUTING.md         # Contribution guidelines
├── LICENSE                 # GNU Affero General Public License v3.0
└── README.md

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Randall?

Randall is an open-source, free random video chat web application and modern Omegle alternative. It allows users to meet strangers across the world instantly with no account required.

Is Randall completely free?

Yes! Randall is 100% free with no subscriptions, premium tiers, or hidden fees.

Is my video or chat stored?

No. Randall uses peer-to-peer WebRTC connections. All media streams flow directly between users and are never recorded or stored on any server.

Can I host my own instance of Randall?

Yes! Randall is open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license. You can clone the repository, customize the branding, and deploy it to your own server or cloud provider in compliance with the AGPL-3.0 terms.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Whether it is fixing bugs, improving the WebRTC signaling engine, or enhancing UI design:

Fork the Project (https://github.com/superezzdev/randall/fork)
Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
Open a Pull Request

See CONTRIBUTING.md for full details.

📄 License

Distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0). See LICENSE for more information.

Note on AGPL-3.0: Randall is open-source software. Anyone is free to use, modify, contribute, and self-host this project. However, any modified versions or hosted deployments must also remain open-source under the same AGPL-3.0 license, ensuring that community improvements remain accessible to everyone and cannot be misappropriated into closed-source proprietary products.

👨‍💻 Author

Built with ❤️ by ARYA RCB (@superezzdev)

Website: randall.superezz.dev
GitHub: @superezzdev

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github		.github
drizzle		drizzle
randall		randall
src		src
ui		ui
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md
drizzle.config.js		drizzle.config.js
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
scratch.jsx		scratch.jsx
test-matchmaking.js		test-matchmaking.js
test-ws.js		test-ws.js

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Randall 🎥 — Free Random Video Chat App & Omegle Alternative

⚡ Highlights & Features

🎥 Video Calling & Multi-Party Layouts

💬 Chat, Matching & Privacy

🥊 Why Randall? (Omegle Alternative Comparison)

🛠️ Tech Stack

🔍 How WebRTC Video Chat Works in Randall

🚀 Getting Started Locally

Prerequisites

Installation

Testing Integration & Signaling

📂 Project Structure

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Randall?

Is Randall completely free?

Is my video or chat stored?

Can I host my own instance of Randall?

🤝 Contributing

📄 License

👨‍💻 Author

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Randall 🎥 — Free Random Video Chat App & Omegle Alternative

⚡ Highlights & Features

🎥 Video Calling & Multi-Party Layouts

💬 Chat, Matching & Privacy

🥊 Why Randall? (Omegle Alternative Comparison)

🛠️ Tech Stack

🔍 How WebRTC Video Chat Works in Randall

🚀 Getting Started Locally

Prerequisites

Installation

Testing Integration & Signaling

📂 Project Structure

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Randall?

Is Randall completely free?

Is my video or chat stored?

Can I host my own instance of Randall?

🤝 Contributing

📄 License

👨‍💻 Author

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