FreePBX is a web-based
open-source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
graphical user interface
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows User (computing), users to Human–computer interaction, interact with electronic devices through graphical icon (comp ...
(GUI) that manages
Asterisk
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...
, a
voice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Interne ...
and
telephony
Telephony ( ) is the field of technology involving the development, application, and deployment of telecommunication services for the purpose of electronic transmission of voice, fax, or data, between distant parties. The history of telephony is i ...
server.
FreePBX is licensed under the
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end user
In product development, an end user (sometimes end-user) is a person who ultimately uses or is intended to ulti ...
version 3. It is a component of the
FreePBX Distro
The FreePBX Distro is a freeware unified communications software system that consists of a graphical user interface (GUI) for configuring, controlling, and managing Asterisk PBX software. The FreePBX Distro includes packages that offer VoIP, PBX ...
, which is an independently maintained
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which i ...
system derived from the source code of the
CentOS distribution, having Asterisk pre-installed. It is also included in various third-party distributions such as ''The FreePBX Distro'' and ''AsteriskNow''.
FreePBX was acquired by Schmooze.com in early 2013. That firm was, in turn, taken over by
Sangoma Technologies Corporation on Jan 2, 2015.
FreePBX is a community of developers and contributors who devote their work to making complicated phone system software easy to use and functional.
Many of the songs that are preinstalled are made by artist
Macroform.
Installation
FreePBX can be installed as standalone software, or as part of a pre-configured FreePBX Distro that includes the operating system, the Asterisk PBX, FreePBX, and assorted dependencies:
FreePBX is included in open source distributions such as
The Official FreePBX Distro, AsteriskNOW,
Elastix and RasPBX
Development
FreePBX is written in PHP and JavaScript. The first FreePBX release, version 0.2 (November 28, 2004), was named the Asterisk Management Portal (AMP). The project was renamed to FreePBX for trademark reasons, as
Asterisk
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...
is a registered trademark of the
Digium
Digium, Inc. is a communications technology company based in Huntsville, Alabama, and since 2018, a subsidiary of Sangoma Technologies Corporation. The company makes VoIP business phone systems, IP phones, and hardware products. It was founded ...
corporation (which is now also a subsidiary of
Sangoma Technologies Corporation).
New releases of Asterisk have been accommodated by various updates to FreePBX. Updates have included new menus and support for additional capabilities such as voice mail, calling queues, fax, multiple languages, DAHDI and a local user directory.
Current versions are:
* FreePBX 2.11 – Completed 2013-05-14- – Adds support for Asterisk 11, Destination popOvers, Module Admin Security Auditing, Chan Motif Module, WebRTC User Control Panel
* FreePBX 12 – Previous Release 2014-06-23- – Adds support for Asterisk 12&13, New User Control Panel, Module Admin version control, PJSIP Support
*FreePBX 13 - Previous Stable - adds responsive GUI, support for Asterisk 13, Call Event Logging CEL and reporting, fwconsole CLI system management, Enhanced Bulk User Management, expanded localization support for audio and sound files, and a new global search option.
*FreePBX 14 - Previous Stable
*FreePBX 15 - Stable Adds a new REST and GraphQL API. Adds a rebuilt backup module and a new Filestore module.
FreePBX supports numerous hardware manufacturers, including
Aastra Technologies, Algo, AND,
AudioCodes
AudioCodes Ltd. is a provider of advanced communications software, products and productivity solutions. Its services enable enterprises and service providers to build and operate all-IP voice networks for unified communications (UC), contact cen ...
,
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develo ...
, Cyberdata,
Digium
Digium, Inc. is a communications technology company based in Huntsville, Alabama, and since 2018, a subsidiary of Sangoma Technologies Corporation. The company makes VoIP business phone systems, IP phones, and hardware products. It was founded ...
,
Grandstream,
Mitel
Mitel Networks Corporation is a Canadian telecommunications company. The company previously produced TDM PBX systems and applications, but after a change in ownership in 2001, now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP (VoIP) products. Mitel ...
,
Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation (Nortel), formerly Northern Telecom Limited, was a Canadian Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was foun ...
,
Panasonic
formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...
,
Polycom
Poly, formerly Polycom, a part of HP Inc., is an American multinational corporation that develops video, voice and content collaboration and communication technology.
Polycom was co-founded in 1990 by Brian L Hinman and Jeffrey Rodman. In 2018 ...
,
Sangoma,
Snom
Snom Technology GmbH is a German company which manufactures Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones, based on the IETF standard Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Snom's products are targeted at the small- to medium-sized business sector ...
, Xorcom, and
Yealink. FreePBX developers estimate the distro has been deployed in millions of active PBX systems in over 220 countries and territories.
''Telephony features...''
TMC.net
References
External links
* {{official website, https://freepbx.org//
Free VoIP software
Unified communications
Software using the GNU AGPL license
Software using the GPL license