> > what is the difference between FreeSwitch and Asterisk , > > The main difference in functionality is that FreeSwitch is a voip-switch > only.
Technically, FreeSWITCH is a soft-switch, or a "modular media switching library" that can switch more than just voice. Also, technically, FS is a library, and there is a freeswitch application built on that library. The best analogy I can think of is the application curl, which is a command line app built on libcurl. Asterisk is a full-featured PBX that can do many of the things a true soft-switch can do. FreeSWITCH is (or will be, depending on your viewpoint) a full-featured soft-switch that can do many of the things that a PBX can do. > It does not have any method to interface to the PSTN, other than through > using another host which does have that connectivity, such as an Asterisk- > based host. To be fair, this isn't quite accurate. FreeSWITCH can interface to PSTN via PRI or analog FXS/FXO using Digium, Sangoma, PIKA, etc. cards. (Any Zaptel-compatible cards should work. I've done PRI with a Tor2 clone.) Also, to be fair, the PSTN interface, like the rest of FS, is still "young" and therefore subject to the usual (and unusual) bugs that inhabit beta releases. Technically, the FreeSWITCH project is at RC1. The PSTN "mod" to FS is called OpenZAP and it is probably better described as beta. (Not an official statement, just my personal observation formed from my personal usage. I've got an Asterisk box sitting right next to a FS box and I've been playing with both of them and I can tell you that right now Asterisk is much more ready for PSTN usage.) > > > whitch one is more scalable and reliable? > > That is going to depend completely on what environment you're deploying > it, > what features you're using, etc. Keep in mind that Asterisk is going into > its > third major release cycle, while FreeSwitch is still undergoing public > betas > and has not yet had a single general release yet. > > Also, note that the installbase, developer base, and userbase are all much > larger, by an exponential factor, for Asterisk than for FreeSwitch, and > Asterisk has a company backing it which is willing to provide commercial > support. FreeSwitch, as best as I can tell, has no such support > structure. These are all true. The bottom line is that FreeSWITCH is a young, but very cool, project headed by a small core development team. The lead developer is a huge Asterisk contributor - Anthony Minessale. (Check the karma page and I think you'll find he's way near the top...) The community is also small but growing quickly. There are a lot of people who use both FS and * because they have different target applications and different strengths and weaknesses. If you need a tried-and-true app that is well-supported and documented then Asterisk is an easy choice. If you are comfortable on the cutting edge or if you like the way FS is built or the way it approaches the handling of certain challenges then FS is something you should check out. This is one area where FOSS is so cool - you can totally check out both projects and give them a test drive without paying a penny in software costs. To the OP I recommend that you investigate both projects and see if one fits your needs better, which I believe is Tilghman's advice as well. -MC > > -- > Tilghman > > _______________________________________________ > -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com -- > > asterisk-users mailing list > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users _______________________________________________ -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com -- asterisk-users mailing list To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users