The demand for cutting edge SIP communication solutions is reaching unprecedented heights. Certainly, VoIP service providers, businesses, large scaled enterprises, and even end users are seeking the best SIP solutions. Certainly, FreeSWITCH is a versatile and powerful open source telephony stack. Moreover, it is reshaping the way businesses communicate. It has the transformative potential of empowering businesses to build scalable, feature rich communication solutions. These solutions drive efficiency, collaboration, and success. At the forefront of this revolution stands FreeSWITCH and FreeSWITCH development services.
In this blog post, we are going to explore the world of FreeSWITCH and development services to give you an interesting insight into this subject matter.
1. About FreeSWITCH
FreeSWITCH is a highly popular open source telephony stack. As it is an open source, it offers its source code for free. Additionally, it is very flexible, which supports custom FreeSWITCH solution development to develop any type of telephony and SIP solutions. It is licensed under the Mozilla Public License (MPL). Besides the open source version, it also has SignalWire, which is a premium version of the solution. The SignalWire provides APIs, which are outstanding in improving performance and reducing time to market for any business.
Businesses can build advanced and future-proof IP telephony platforms for businesses with custom development services. This multipurpose and platform-independent technology seamlessly operates on macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, and various other operating systems. Remarkably, it facilitates omni-channel communication. As a result, it can provide custom solutions that can flawlessly work on all devices and systems.
FreeSWITCH was initially conceived by Anthony Minessale to create a core library for VoIP Softswitch. This visionary technology aimed to furnish the IP telephony industry with versatile solutions beyond mere Softswitch functionalities.
2. History of FreeSWITCH
When you start acquiring knowledge about FreeSWITCH technology and FreeSWITCH conferencing solution development, it is mandatory to take a quick look at the history and evolution of the technology. Therefore, let’s take a quick look at the evolution of FreeSWITCH.
The evolution of FreeSWITCH began with the foundation of Asterisk PBX. It pioneered SIP telephony solutions and enabled innovative communication developments. Initially, Asterisk PBX embraced open source principles, making its code freely accessible.
Anthony Minessale, a former core member of Asterisk, conceived the idea for FreeSWITCH. He and some of his colleagues unveiled the project in January 2006. By May 2008, the first official version of FreeSWITCH was launched for users. Certainly, it was marked as a significant milestone in its evolution. Since then, FreeSWITCH developers and development companies have continually released new versions to enhance their capabilities and serve the community.
In 2018, SignalWire Inc. was established as the official steward of FreeSWITCH. Since then, the official team has been overseeing its development and introducing further advancements through subsequent releases. This initiative also introduced an enterprise version of FreeSWITCH along with commercial modules, offering additional benefits to users.
In short, FreeSWITCH is much more advanced and potent now. Therefore, it is a useful technology to develop any custom telephony solution. From VoIP Softswitch solutions and SIP Softphone apps to IP PBX solutions and call center software, development using this technology covers endless possibilities for organizations looking to revolutionize their communication infrastructure.
3. Plus Points of FreeSWITCH Over Asterisk
Asterisk and FreeSWITCH are two popular technologies that are used in the process of developing different communication and collaboration solutions. Certainly, both of these technologies have their own pros and cons. Therefore, the decision between Asterisk and FreeSWITCH for custom software development of telephony solutions often leaves service providers in a predicament.
Certainly, based on our experience, we count on FreeSWITCH. However, to help you make the right choice and aid in this decision making process, let’s conduct a thorough comparison of Asterisk and FreeSWITCH. This section of comparison between Asterisk and FreeSWITCH clarifies the remarkable features and offerings that position FreeSWITCH at the forefront of the industry.
Architecture: Modular vs. Monolithic
FreeSWITCH takes pride in having modular architecture. Undoubtedly, it is a paradigm wherein developers add functionalities within distinct modules. This modular approach facilitates seamless integration and removal. Therefore, it empowers the creation of diverse communication solutions with unprecedented ease.
Conversely, Asterisk adopts a monolithic architecture. Therefore, it necessitates the amalgamation of tightly coupled code segments to form functional modules. Indeed, this architectural disparity significantly streamlines FreeSWITCH compared to its Asterisk counterpart.
Performance: Defining the Benchmark
FreeSWITCH stands as a benchmark of efficiency in the development of any VoIP solution such as FreeSWITCH development services. FreeSWITCH boasts about performance metrics that outshine Asterisk on multiple fronts. With similar hardware configurations, FreeSWITCH delivers a staggering twofold increase in performance compared to Asterisk based solutions. Its ability to handle video and manage multiple concurrent calls per second emphasizes its superiority in various telecommunication applications.
Scalability: Building for Tomorrow
Undoubtedly, the core USP of FreeSWITCH is its innate scalability. The modular architecture of FreeSWITCH facilitates its exceptional scalability. This architectural foundation empowers development services to build highly scalable communication solutions. Certainly, in these solutions, each call instance enjoys independent control. As a result, it is a development environment conducive to the creation of scalable and stable telephony solutions.
Conversely, this is an element often vague in Asterisk that weakens the development cycle. Moreover, Asterisk has further challenges that are evidently absent in the FreeSWITCH technology. For example, race conditions, data corruption, and deadlock are prevalent in Asterisk. However, these issues are not part of FreeSWITCH.
Multi Tenancy: Versatility and Flexibility
The core libraries of FreeSWITCH and architectural flexibility render it as a prime candidate for the development of robust solutions tailored to multi-tenant systems. Undoubtedly, FreeSWITCH is an important technology for the development of multi tenant solutions. For example, FreeSWITCH conferencing solution development with multi tenancy has FreeSWITCH as the prime technology to choose from. FreeSWITCH is augmented by commercial modules of SignalWire. Therefore, it empowers developers to effortlessly add instances and implement role-based access.
Unquestionably, the level of flexibility and versatility of FreeSWITCH is way superior to Asterisk. While Asterisk may serve as a tool for multi-tenant solutions, its architectural constraints and dearth of core libraries invariably limit its potential. Therefore, FreeSWITCH wins the game here.
Advanced Features: Redefining the Future of Telephony
FreeSWITCH distinguishes itself through its advanced features and functionalities. Certainly, it sets new benchmarks in the development of telephony solutions. Certainly, core libraries facilitate parallel and serial tone generation, wideband conferencing, inband DTMF generation and detection, and thread isolation. It is a suite of capabilities that expedite the development of custom telephony solutions. FreeSWITCH reduces development time and costs due to its powerful features and functionalities
These advanced features underscore the dominance of FreeSWITCH over Asterisk. Often, this necessitates feature development from scratch.
In conclusion, FreeSWITCH emerges as the preeminent choice over Asterisk. It characterizes unparalleled performance, scalability, versatility, and advanced features. Therefore, FreeSWITCH evidently demonstrates its enduring dominance in the telephony industry over Asterisk.
We recommend you read our blog post covering the Top Reasons to Migrate Asterisk Solution to FreeSWITCH. This blog post covers more details about Asterisk vs. FreeSWITCH. The details covered in this blog post share how FreeSWITCH technology provides several reasons to switch from Asterisk to FreeSWITCH.
4. FreeSWITCH Custom Development
FreeSWITCH serves as a comprehensive telephony stack. Initially, it had the capabilities and features of an IP PBX. However, with technological advancements, FreeSWITCH has evolved to offer the core features of a VoIP Softswitch and several other telephony solutions. This expansion empowers development companies and skilled developers to build customized telephony solutions tailored to specific needs. Leveraging this versatile telephony stack, various communication and collaboration solutions can be developed to address diverse requirements.
Undoubtedly, FreeSWITCH is useful for developing any tailored solution. Let’s take a look at some of the most common solutions developed using FreeSWITCH:
VoIP Softswitch
FreeSWITCH is equipped with pre-existing building blocks. Therefore, this technology facilitates the development of tailored solutions for Softswitch applications. Whether it is developing a class 4 Softswitch solution for managing wholesale VoIP traffic.
Enhance your VoIP systems with our cutting-edge FreeSWITCH development services.
A class 5 Softswitch solution for retail VoIP traffic management, FreeSWITCH provides the necessary tools. Moreover, it is also perfect for developing a hybrid Softswitch solution that is useful for managing both wholesale and retail VoIP traffic.
SIP Softphone
FreeSWITCH enables the creation of feature-rich mobile SIP dialers and PC dialers. These apps allow users to enjoy the benefits of a customized Softphone experience.
IP PBX Solution
Using FreeSWITCH, developers can design both single tenant and multi tenant solutions. This enables efficient communication management for businesses.
FreeSWITCH Billing Software
Developers can leverage FreeSWITCH to develop feature rich billing systems. These solutions enable secure management of billing, rating, invoicing, and payment processing. These systems seamlessly integrate with Asterisk or FreeSWITCH solutions to automate billing and invoicing for VoIP service providers.
Call Center Software
FreeSWITCH is a robust platform that enables the development of feature rich, multi tenant, multilingual, and omnichannel contact center solutions. These solutions can cater to diverse communication needs.
According to Fact Mr, the global IP telephony market is projected to soar to 109.60 billion USD by 2032. This stat shows that the era of traditional telephony systems is rapidly giving way to innovative VoIP technologies to build powerful SIP telephony solutions. Certainly, FreeSWITCH can help in building diverse solutions that can contribute to capturing the global IP telephony market.
5. Major Benefits of FreeSWITCH for Telephony Software Development
Undoubtedly, FreeSWITCH stands out as the preferred platform for developing telephony solutions, whether it is small or large scale. This technology delivers enterprise grade performance. Therefore, it boasts numerous advantages when chosen as the technology for VoIP custom software development.
Let’s take a look at the top benefits of FreeSWITCH
5.1 Reduced Time to Market
FreeSWITCH enables the integration of various modules or customization tailored to project requirements due to its modular architecture. Ready-to-use modules and libraries of FreeSWITCH streamline common functionalities. Therefore, it accelerates the software development process. This reduces development time. Moreover, it leads to a shorter time to market. As a result, it offers a competitive edge.
5.2 Reduced Overheads
FreeSWITCH reduces hardware and software costs by up to 50%. This is possible due to the ability of FreeSWITCH to deliver double the stability and quality performance with identical hardware configurations compared to Asterisk. Remarkably, it saves cost, which minimizes overheads related to software maintenance because fewer hardware components and infrastructure items are required.
5.3 Exceptional Performance
FreeSWITCH solution development is recognized for its high performance across all developed software. FreeSWITCH ensures crystal clear voice and high definition video quality. Even under high call volumes, it maintains quality without issues like echo or delays.
5.4 Outstanding Scalability
Undoubtedly, FreeSWITCH empowers the creation of highly scalable solutions capable of handling growing call volumes and traffic. Therefore, it makes it a preferred choice for multi tenant and large telephony solution development. These solutions can be hosted on either on-premises servers or in the cloud. In short, with FreeSWITCH solutions, maintaining consistent performance and scalability across both models is straightforward.
5.5 Excellent Stability
FreeSWITCH assures impressive stability, which is facilitated by shared libraries, layered APIs, and its modular architecture. Therefore, FreeSWITCH alleviates concerns related to platform stability. Moreover, it enhances overall reliability.
Concluding Note
In conclusion, FreeSWITCH has stayed true to its original purpose since its inception in 2006. Its introduction at O’Reilly Media’s ETEL Conference marked the beginning of a journey toward providing a stable, scalable, and reliable platform for developing tailored communication solutions. For example, Softswitch, IVR, PBX, DID solutions, and several other solutions are developed in FreeSWITCH.
Over time, the core team behind FreeSWITCH has implemented numerous advancements. This elevated the technology to the status of a complete telephony stack. Therefore, it is capable of delivering enterprise grade solutions.
FreeSWITCH is an open source platform, which offers exceptional performance metrics such as built-in libraries, layered APIs, modular architecture, high performance, and high availability.
Harness the complete potential to build scalable, feature rich communication solutions using FreeSWITCH and SignalWire APIs. You can experience enterprise grade reliability with our FreeSWITCH development services. To discuss this in detail, please contact us.