PipeWire Multimedia Server

PipeWire is a server and userspace API for handling audio and video streams on Linux, designed as a unified replacement for PulseAudio and JACK. Created by Wim Taymans at Collabora in 2015 (initially called PulseVideo), it was adopted as the default audio server in Fedora 34 (2021). Key features: low-latency audio and video processing with sample-accurate synchronization, targeting sub-5ms latency for professional audio. Unified graph-based architecture where clients create nodes (audio/video sources and sinks) connected via links. PulseAudio compatibility layer intercepting and translating client connections, so existing applications work without modification. JACK compatibility mode for professional audio tools (Ardour, Qtractor, Carla). Native video stream support including screen capture and camera input, enabling screen sharing in Wayland compositors and video conferencing. Bluetooth audio with A2DP and HFP/HSP support and modern codecs (SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX) via WirePlumber session manager. WirePlumber: modular session manager (C and Lua) handling routing, profiles, and bluetooth connections. Pro Audio profile for raw ALSA access with minimal latency. Security via memfd and peer-to-peer shared memory (dmabuf) for zero-copy transfer. Permission model based on portal and per-client permissions. Adopted by Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch Linux, Debian as default audio server.