Chapter 8 GET POST

isMeetingRunning – Check Meeting Status

The isMeetingRunning endpoint checks whether a specific meeting is currently active on the BigBlueButton server. It returns a simple boolean value, making it the lightest monitoring call available in the API.

Endpoint

GET/POST https://api-guide.bbbserver.com/bigbluebutton/api/isMeetingRunning?meetingID=replace-with-meeting-id&checksum=replace-with-checksum

This endpoint always returns a SUCCESS return code, even if the supplied meeting ID does not exist. In that case the running value is simply false.

Required Parameters

Parameter Type Required Description
meetingID String Yes The meeting ID of the meeting you want to check.

Example Request

https://api-guide.bbbserver.com/bigbluebutton/api/isMeetingRunning?meetingID=replace-with-meeting-id&checksum=replace-with-checksum

Example Response

<response>
  <returncode>SUCCESS</returncode>
  <running>true</running>
</response>

Response Fields

Field Type Description
returncode String Always SUCCESS for this endpoint, regardless of whether the meeting exists.
running Boolean true if the meeting is currently running, false if it is not running or the meeting ID is unknown.

When Is a Meeting Considered Running?

A meeting is considered running once at least one participant has joined. A freshly created meeting with no attendees will return running as false, even though it exists on the server.

Call create to set up a new meeting on the server.

At this point, isMeetingRunning returns false — no one has joined yet.

A participant joins via join. The meeting is now running.

isMeetingRunning now returns true.

Notes for bbbserver.de Users

On bbbserver.de managed instances, the API checksum is calculated automatically when you use the built-in API tools. You do not need to compute it manually.

Tips and Best Practices

While isMeetingRunning is suitable for simple status polling, consider using webhooks for more efficient real-time monitoring. Polling this endpoint at high frequency adds unnecessary load to the server.

Do not rely on isMeetingRunning alone for detailed meeting status. Use getMeetingInfo instead if you need participant counts, recording status, or other metadata.

  • Use this endpoint for lightweight health checks or simple dashboards that only need to know whether a meeting is active.
  • Combine it with getMeetings if you need to monitor multiple meetings at once — a single getMeetings call is more efficient than many individual isMeetingRunning calls.
  • Keep your polling interval reasonable (e.g. every 30 to 60 seconds) to avoid putting unnecessary load on the server.

Frequently Asked Questions

The endpoint still returns SUCCESS with running set to false. It does not produce an error for unknown meeting IDs.

No. A meeting is only considered running once at least one participant has joined. A meeting that was created but has no attendees returns running as false.

For simple status checks, yes. However, for real-time event-driven monitoring, webhooks are a more efficient alternative since they push updates to your application instead of requiring repeated polling.

isMeetingRunning returns only a boolean indicating whether the meeting is active. getMeetingInfo returns comprehensive details including participant lists, recording status, metadata, and more. Use isMeetingRunning when you only need a quick yes-or-no answer.

Yes. The BigBlueButton API accepts both GET and POST requests for isMeetingRunning. The parameters and response are identical regardless of the HTTP method used.