Standard Talk is solid for small and medium conferences. If you want to scale Talk beyond that, you need the High Performance Backend — a separate software layer that removes Talk’s scaling limits.
This article explains the technology behind it. The practical context first: Since September 2026, our Nextcloud Talk HPB exists as its own product — €10/month per server, for up to 50 concurrent Talk users, pluggable into any Nextcloud. For conferences with webinar ambitions (breakout rooms, whiteboard, polls), the BigBlueButton add-on remains the more fitting tool — more on that below.
What the HPB is
Standard Talk routes audio/video streams in a mesh pattern: every participant has direct WebRTC connections to all others. With 5 participants: 4 connections per person, 10 streams total. With 10 participants: 9 per person, 45 streams. With 20: 19 per person, 190 streams. Scales quadratically.
Participants’ hardware and internet connections can’t handle that from about 10 people on.
The HPB (High Performance Backend) solves this with an SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit) — a server component that accepts all audio/video streams once and selectively redistributes them to the participants:
- Per participant: only 1 upload stream to the HPB
- Per participant: N download streams from the HPB (N = participant count)
- Scales linearly, not quadratically
Consequence: Even with 30+ participants, the load per device and per internet connection stays manageable.
What software is behind it
The Talk HPB uses open-source WebRTC components:
- Janus Gateway as the SFU
- Spreed WebRTC signaling for connection setup
- Coturn as the TURN server for NAT traversal
We run these components on separate hardware (or as a virtualized cluster) — no intrusion into your Nextcloud database, no load on the web server.
What concretely changes with an HPB
Scaling
| Conference size | Standard Talk | With HPB |
|---|---|---|
| 2 people | good | good |
| 5 people | good | good |
| 10 people | shaky | good |
| 20 people | not usable | good |
| 50 people | not possible | good, with a well-configured HPB |
| 100+ people | not possible | possible, depending on the HPB setup |
Bandwidth per participant
Standard Talk: with 10 people, ~5 Mbit/s upload per person (4 streams), ~5 Mbit/s download.
With HPB: 1 Mbit/s upload (only to the HPB), ~9 Mbit/s download (from the HPB). Less in total than standard, but asymmetric.
On symmetric connections (fiber): no difference. On asymmetric ones (DSL with 50 Mbit down, 10 Mbit up): the HPB is clearly better because less upload is needed.
Stability
With an HPB:
- Fewer NAT problems (the TURN server helps)
- More stable connections on home internet
- Better recovery when a participant briefly loses connection
- Screen sharing between multiple participants is more stable
Recording
With a suitably expanded HPB, server-side recordings are possible — the conference is recorded by the backend, not by the browser. This is not part of the standard scope of our Talk HPB: If you need recording, open a ticket — or look at the BigBlueButton add-on, which ships with recording out of the box.
When an HPB is (technically) worth it
The following applies to vanilla Talk in P2P mode, say when self-hosting. In our setup, Talk calls already run stable up to ~25 participants — see Talk — chat and video conferencing.
Definitely:
- You regularly hold conferences with 10+ people
- You want to record conferences
- You use Talk as the central communication platform for a company
Probably:
- You have 5–8 people, but unstable home internet connections
- You regularly want screen sharing with several people in parallel
- You’re planning webinar-like setups
Not needed:
- 1-on-1 or 2–4-person conferences
- Occasional calls (once a month or less)
- All participants have symmetric fiber
What to book at xaweho for large conferences
Since September 2026, the HPB is its own product in the catalog: Nextcloud Talk HPB — €10/month per connected server, for up to 50 concurrent Talk users. It works with any Nextcloud: hosted by us, at another provider, or self-run. You get the backend URL and shared secret, enter both in the Talk settings, done. On the Nextcloud Server it’s directly bookable as an add-on, and we set everything up.
If you regularly need webinar-style conferences — breakout rooms, whiteboard, polls, reliable recording — you’re still better served by the BigBlueButton add-on: a dedicated BBB server per customer, fully managed, with full Nextcloud integration (start meetings from the calendar, recordings land in your Nextcloud Files). Plans on the Nextcloud product page. Talk HPB and BBB aren’t mutually exclusive.
If you need more than 50 concurrent Talk users, open a ticket with your planned conference size and frequency — we’ll calculate that individually.
What you do after HPB activation
Nothing big. You enter the backend URL and shared secret in the Talk settings (on the Nextcloud Server, we handle that) — Talk automatically detects that an HPB is available and uses it for all conferences from then on.
As admin or user, you only notice it through:
- More stable conferences with more participants
- A recording option in the conference settings (if enabled)
- The lobby working more robustly
No changes to your workflows or conversation settings.
HPB scaling — what we do when demand grows
The Talk HPB covers up to 50 concurrent Talk users. If your needs grow beyond that, open a ticket — larger setups (more capacity, clustered backends) are calculated individually.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book the HPB on its own? Yes — as Nextcloud Talk HPB for €10/month per server, for up to 50 concurrent Talk users. On the Nextcloud Server, also directly as an add-on.
Does the HPB also work with Nextcloud Hosting (shared)? Technically, the HPB is a separate component and doesn’t depend on the Nextcloud server itself. Our hosting setup is built for small and medium Talk rounds — whether connecting the HPB is worth it for your plan, or the BigBlueButton add-on is the better choice, is something we sort out via ticket.
Can multiple Talk instances share one HPB? Technically yes — but with us you book the Talk HPB per connected Nextcloud: €10/month per server, so the 50 concurrent users really are yours.
What does the Talk HPB cost? €10/month per connected server, cancel monthly — details on the product page. Only if you need more than 50 concurrent Talk users or server-side recording do you get an individual quote via ticket.
Does the HPB affect the mobile apps? Yes. The iOS and Android Talk apps also use the HPB automatically once it’s configured.
How do I see whether the HPB is active? Administration settings → Talk shows whether an HPB is configured. With an active HPB config: stability and scaling benefits in conferences.
Can we test such a setup before committing? On request: yes, we can set up a trial period. Open a ticket.
What’s next
First login as a Nextcloud admin
What to do after your Nextcloud is provisioned — login, profile, the important first settings, what we handle and what you handle.
Admin GUI overview — what you'll find where
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Creating users and groups
Create users for family, club or team, organize groups, set quotas, control login behavior.
Sharing — files with others, internally and externally
Sharing files in Nextcloud — within your cloud with other users, with groups, or externally via sharing link.