GDPR Security Ressources Scaling Video Conference Quality

BigBlueButton Hosting: Matching Use Cases with the Right Server Capacity

Choosing the right server size is one of the most important factors for a stable and enjoyable BigBlueButton experience. As a platform that provides BigBlueButton hosting on dedicated servers, we see many recurring use cases — each with its own technical requirements, usage patterns, and planning pitfalls.

In this guide, we walk through common BigBlueButton scenarios and explain how to align server capacity with real-world needs. The goal is not to oversell resources, but to help you plan reliably and avoid performance issues during live sessions.

Typical BigBlueButton Use Cases and Requirements

1. Schools and Online Classrooms

Primary and secondary schools often use BigBlueButton for daily lessons, hybrid teaching models, and small group work. Sessions usually follow a fixed timetable and tend to overlap heavily in the mornings.

  • Typical concurrent users: 10–25 per classroom
  • Recommended server sizing: Small to medium servers, depending on the number of parallel classes
  • Common planning mistake: Calculating capacity per class, but forgetting overlapping lessons across grades

For schools, it is usually more important to plan for peak hours than for total user accounts. A stable audio and screen sharing experience matters more than advanced webinar features.

2. Universities and Higher Education

Universities use BigBlueButton for lectures, seminars, and exam preparation sessions. Class sizes vary significantly, and usage often spikes during the semester while dropping during breaks.

  • Typical concurrent users: 30–100+ per session
  • Recommended server sizing: Medium to large servers, often combined with multiple BigBlueButton instances
  • Common planning mistake: Assuming that one large server can handle all lectures simultaneously

In higher education, load distribution and redundancy are often more effective than a single oversized system. This approach also simplifies maintenance and updates.

3. Corporate Training and Internal Meetings

Companies typically use BigBlueButton for onboarding, internal training sessions, and team workshops. Compared to education, meetings are often shorter but may involve screen sharing and webcams from many participants.

  • Typical concurrent users: 5–30 per meeting
  • Recommended server sizing: Small to medium servers with good CPU performance
  • Common planning mistake: Ignoring the impact of webcams and high screen-sharing activity

For corporate use cases, consistent performance and data privacy are usually key decision factors. Dedicated BigBlueButton hosting helps avoid unpredictable load from third-party platforms.

4. Webinars and Public Events

Webinars place very different demands on a BigBlueButton server. While only a few presenters actively speak or share video, the audience size can grow quickly.

  • Typical concurrent users: 50–200+ viewers
  • Recommended server sizing: Large servers or specialized webinar setups
  • Common planning mistake: Treating webinars like regular meetings with full interaction

Careful role configuration and realistic expectations about interaction levels are essential to keep webinars stable and cost-efficient.

FAQ: BigBlueButton Capacity Planning

The maximum number of users depends on server resources, usage patterns, and features like webcams and screen sharing. There is no universal number — realistic load testing is key.

For BigBlueButton, CPU performance is usually the limiting factor, followed by network stability. RAM is important, but often secondary for typical conferencing scenarios.

Peak usage should be based on simultaneous sessions, not registered users. Timetables, recurring meetings, and seasonal spikes should all be considered.

In many cases, multiple smaller servers offer better reliability and easier scaling. This also reduces the impact of maintenance or unexpected load peaks.

Yes, bbbserver can be scaled over time. Our immediate, transparent upgrade helps avoid disruptive migrations like other BBB providers require.

Experience the Stability of a "Fresh" Server

Stop worrying about load balancing configurations, database syncing, and API conflicts. Switch to bbbserver for a managed, self-healing cluster environment.

View Plans & Pricing