Asterisk or FreeSWITCH? In the world of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication, two names frequently arise when considering open-source telephony platforms: Asterisk and FreeSWITCH. These two platforms are widely used for building VoIP applications, offering robust solutions for both small-scale and enterprise-level telecommunication systems. Both Asterisk and FreeSWITCH can handle VoIP termination, enabling businesses to set up cost-effective, scalable, and feature-rich communication systems. However, each solution has its strengths and potential limitations, depending on the specific needs of the user or organization. This article will compare Asterisk and FreeSWITCH to help determine which VoIP termination solution is the right fit for your needs: Asterisk or FreeSWITCH.
Asterisk or FreeSWITCH: Overview of Asterisk and FreeSWITCH
Before diving into the specifics of their features and functionalities, let’s understand what Asterisk and FreeSWITCH are.
Asterisk: Asterisk is a well-established open-source telephony platform originally created by Mark Spencer in 1999. It is renowned for being highly versatile and feature-rich, offering a wide range of capabilities, including VoIP termination, conference calling, voicemail, interactive voice response (IVR), call queuing, and much more. Asterisk supports a variety of telephony protocols, including SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), IAX (Inter-Asterisk eXchange), and more. It is widely used by small businesses, service providers, and telecom companies for creating custom telephony systems.
FreeSWITCH: FreeSWITCH, developed by the FreeSWITCH project team, is another popular open-source
communication platform, designed to address modern telephony needs. Released in 2006, FreeSWITCH was created to handle voice, video, and messaging services at scale. While Asterisk is more focused on telephony, FreeSWITCH is more versatile, offering powerful media processing capabilities for voice, video, and instant messaging. It supports SIP, WebRTC, and other protocols, and is capable of handling large-scale deployments and handling thousands of concurrent calls.
Key Differences Between Asterisk and FreeSWITCH
While both platforms serve similar purposes, there are several key differences that may make one more suitable for your needs than the other. Here, we’ll break down the major aspects that set Asterisk and FreeSWITCH apart.
1. Architecture
· Asterisk Architecture: Asterisk follows a modular architecture, which means users can install various modules based on their requirements. This modular structure makes Asterisk very flexible and allows users to add features such as voicemail, conferencing, and more. However, this modularity also means that complex installations may require significant configuration effort. It can be relatively less efficient in terms of performance compared to FreeSWITCH, especially for large-scale deployments.
· FreeSWITCH Architecture: FreeSWITCH uses a more modern and scalable architecture, with better resource management and performance optimization. Its design allows FreeSWITCH to handle large-scale deployments with ease. The architecture is event-driven, using a multi-threaded design, which makes it suitable for high-performance environments. FreeSWITCH’s approach is ideal for large call volumes, media processing, and video calls, which Asterisk can struggle with in very large setups.
2. Scalability
· Asterisk Scalability: Asterisk can be scaled horizontally and vertically to meet the needs of small businesses and larger enterprises. However, when it comes to massive scalability (hundreds of thousands or more concurrent calls), Asterisk might need additional tweaking and complex configurations. It has traditionally been more suitable for small to medium-sized installations but can be adapted for larger environments with the right expertise.
· FreeSWITCH Scalability: FreeSWITCH excels in terms of scalability, handling tens of thousands of concurrent calls with relative ease. It is built to be distributed, meaning that its architecture supports clustering and load balancing out of the box. As a result, FreeSWITCH is often the preferred choice for carriers and large-scale service providers who need to manage extensive VoIP termination or who require high reliability and uptime.
3. Performance and Resource Management
· Asterisk Performance: Asterisk performs well in environments with moderate call volumes. However, in high-load situations, it may require more hardware resources and optimization to handle peak traffic. For instance, when dealing with a significant number of simultaneous calls, the system might experience resource bottlenecks in terms of memory, CPU, and network bandwidth, leading to possible call drops or degraded performance.
· FreeSWITCH Performance: FreeSWITCH, on the other hand, is designed with high performance in mind. Its multi-threaded, event-driven architecture ensures that it can efficiently utilize system resources. FreeSWITCH offers better performance under heavy loads, especially in high-traffic VoIP termination scenarios. It’s able to process large volumes of media streams (audio, video, etc.) without sacrificing the quality of service.
4. Feature Set
· Asterisk Features: Asterisk is known for its broad set of features, including:
- VoIP termination (SIP, IAX)
- IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
- Call routing and queuing
- Call recording and voicemail
- Conferencing
- Call center features
- Extensive API and dialplan scripting options
It also supports advanced features like real-time communications (RTC), video calling (with additional modules), and integration with third-party software. Asterisk’s dialplan scripting offers flexibility, which is useful for building customized telephony systems.
· FreeSWITCH Features: FreeSWITCH offers a more comprehensive set of media-related features, including:
- VoIP termination (SIP, WebRTC, XMPP)
- Video calling and video conferencing
- Instant messaging
- Multi-channel call handling
- Call recording and monitoring
- NAT traversal and load balancing
- High-definition audio and video codec support
FreeSWITCH’s focus on media processing and its built-in support for video calling make it more suitable for applications that require rich media communications, like video conferencing, WebRTC, and even streaming. It is also better equipped for handling large-scale video communications, which Asterisk may struggle with in larger implementations.
5. Community and Support
· Asterisk Support: Asterisk has been around for a long time and has a large, active community of developers and users. Its extensive documentation, forums, mailing lists, and third-party resources ensure that users can find help when they encounter issues. Additionally, commercial support is available through companies like Sangoma (Asterisk’s main sponsor), which provides enterprise-grade assistance.
· FreeSWITCH Support: FreeSWITCH has a smaller but still highly engaged community. It also offers robust documentation and has a variety of resources, including mailing lists, forums, and wikis. Commercial support is available through FreeSWITCH’s own consulting and support services, which can be critical for large deployments. Its support network, though smaller than Asterisk’s, is well-regarded, especially in the carrier and enterprise space.
6. Installation and Configuration
· Asterisk Installation and Configuration: Asterisk can be challenging to set up and configure, particularly for beginners. Its configuration is primarily done through configuration files (such as sip.conf and extensions.conf), which require familiarity with its syntax and structure. Setting up advanced features or optimizing the platform for high scalability requires a certain level of expertise, which may present a steep learning curve.
· FreeSWITCH Installation and Configuration: FreeSWITCH also requires a certain level of expertise, but its configuration can be more intuitive, thanks to its modular design and XML-based configuration files. It may require less customization for large-scale installations, as it is already optimized for performance and scalability. However, for advanced features, users will need to familiarize themselves with FreeSWITCH’s configuration system and underlying concepts.
7. Use Cases
· Asterisk Use Cases: Asterisk is ideal for businesses that need a robust telephony solution without requiring excessive scalability or media processing features. It is widely used in applications such as:
- Call centers (small and medium-sized)
- VoIP service providers (small to medium scale)
- Conference calling systems
- Custom telephony systems
Asterisk is also a good fit for organizations that require extensive flexibility in configuring call flows and business logic, thanks to its dialplan scripting.
· FreeSWITCH Use Cases: FreeSWITCH is better suited for large-scale implementations or those requiring rich media communications, such as:
- Large-scale VoIP service providers
- Enterprise video conferencing
- WebRTC-based applications
- Streaming platforms
- Carriers handling thousands of concurrent calls
FreeSWITCH shines in high-demand environments where performance, scalability, and media handling are key priorities.
Conclusion
Choosing between Asterisk and FreeSWITCH for VoIP termination largely depends on your specific needs.
· If you are building a smaller-scale telephony system with standard voice communication needs (such as for a call center or small business), Asterisk’s flexibility, ease of use, and established community make it a strong candidate.
· However, if you need to handle large-scale deployments, require better media processing capabilities (such as video calling), or are planning to implement WebRTC or high-definition audio/video solutions, FreeSWITCH’s architecture and performance capabilities make it the better choice.
Both platforms are excellent, but understanding the scale, features, and performance demands of your project will guide you in making the right choice.
