Streaming modes - boat

The desktop has two streaming modes.

Mode	Transport	Quality	Best for
Moonlight (default)	WebRTC, which uses UDP and peer connections	Video and audio, 1920x1080 at 60 fps	Most networks
VNC	Plain HTTPS	Lower frame rate	Strict, corporate or low-bandwidth networks

On a strict, corporate or low-bandwidth network, Moonlight can be choppy. It can also fail to connect. VNC works much better on a poor connection.

Open the desktop over VNC

boat desktop bx_f7k2q9hd --vnc
boat desktop bx_f7k2q9hd --vnc --public

curl -sS -X POST "$BOAT_API_BASE/sandboxes/bx_f7k2q9hd/desktop?vnc=1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BOAT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"publicAccess":true}'

const vnc = await sandbox.desktop({
  sandboxId: "bx_f7k2q9hd",
  vnc: 1,
  requestBody: { publicAccess: true },
});
console.log(vnc.desktopUrl);

vnc = sandbox.desktop("bx_f7k2q9hd", vnc=1, request_body={"publicAccess": True})
print(vnc.desktop_url)

Switch mode in the viewer

You do not have to choose the mode first.

The browser viewer shows a “Switch to VNC” option while the default stream connects or plays.
The viewer shows this option again if the default stream has an error.
The sandbox menu in the dashboard has three items: Desktop, Browser and Desktop via VNC.

The VNC viewer opens as its own top-level page. It is not embedded. Its connection can authenticate only from a top-level page. The first --vnc on a sandbox takes a few seconds to prepare. Later opens are instant.