Daily Post August 4 2025

FusionPBX

This is a graphical user interface (GUI) that manages and extends FreeSWITCH, A strong and scalable communications platforms available today. FreeSWITCH forms the technical backbone responsible for call routing, media handling, and protocol support, FusionPBX overlays a user-friendly web interface, making it accessible to system administrators and business managers without deep VoIP expertise. This combination helps users set up and control complex telephony functions such as voicemail, conferencing, call queues, and call routing all through a dashboard.

Should you use?

FusionPBX can be deployed as a single-tenant system or scaled to manage multiple separate organizations (known as multi-tenancy) on one server. This is important for Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs) and enterprises with subsidiary businesses, as each tenant can have its own isolated environment – from extensions and dial plans to voicemails and call routing.

Another advantage is its feature set. FusionPBX has unlimited extensions, voicemail-to-email, call parking, music on hold, hot desking (sign in/out at any phone), fax server capabilities, call centers, interactive voice response (IVR), conference rooms, and high availability configurations. The dial plan programming options allow for detailed and customized call flows, fitting the needs of any organization from the very simple to the extremely complex.

The web-based GUI brings simplicity. Most modern phone systems require repetitive command-line interaction; FusionPBX changes this by introducing a structured graphical interface, drastically lowering the barrier to entry for administrators. Provisioning devices and managing users, phone numbers, and groups now happens all in one place, dramatically reducing not only administrative time, but also potential for errors.

Licensing

It is completely open source. Its source code is publicly available under the Mozilla Public License 1.1 (MPL 1.1), allowing anyone to study, modify, and distribute the software, provided the terms of the license are respected. This open model fosters a broad community of contributors and encourages rapid development and innovation.

Additionally, being open source means no upfront license costs, making FusionPBX a long-term choice, particularly for businesses or resellers who want control over their infrastructure without the heavy investment required by proprietary offerings.

The open-source model also feeds an active ecosystem. Forums, mailing lists, chat channels and organizations sharing experiences, updates, and solutions. This collaborative community means that finding support, troubleshooting, and accessing a knowledge base is always within reach.

Features

• Multi-Tenant Support Isolate configurations, extensions, and call routing for different companies or departments on the same system.
• Unlimited Extensions Create as many extensions (users or phones) as you need.
• Voicemail-to-Email Forward voicemail messages as audio attachments to users' email inboxes.
• Device Provisioning Automate the configuration of supported desk phones and softphones.
• Call Center Functions Manage call queues, agents, and real-time statistics.
• IVR and Custom Call Routing Build automated phone menus and logic to direct calls as desired.
• Conference Rooms Host virtual meeting spaces for team discussions or customer calls.
• High Availability Deploy FusionPBX in redundant/resilient configurations for mission-critical needs.
• Detailed CDRs Access comprehensive call detail records for tracking and billing.
• RESTful API Integrate FusionPBX with external software and automate tasks.

How the setup works?

FusionPBX itself does not provide phone numbers (Direct Inward Dialing or DID numbers) or SIP trunking services. Instead, it acts as the brains of your phone infrastructure and connects to the outside world via third-party SIP trunk providers (gateways).

To make and receive calls to and from public telephone networks, you need to purchase phone numbers and SIP service from a VoIP provider. Providers supply you with telephone numbers which you then configure as inbound routes in FusionPBX. The same is true for outbound calling: FusionPBX routes outgoing calls through the SIP trunk, which is billed by the provider. This means that the actual telephone numbers and call credits are handled externally, and you have full freedom to choose a provider based on price, required features, geographical coverage, and billing method.

Once you acquire a number, you configure FusionPBX to recognize it and manage the corresponding inbound and outbound call flow. This separation gives you flexibility—and keeps your phone system independent of any one provider.

Who Could Use FusionPBX?

• Small businesses that want full control and low ongoing costs for their phone systems.
• Larger companies or managed service providers who need to manage multiple business divisions or clients from a single backend.
• Enterprises seeking an open-source, highly customizable telephony platform that can evolve alongside internal IT needs.
• Telephony professionals and hobbyists keen on deploying advanced communications solutions with finely tuned control.

While FusionPBX is accessible, technical expertise is recommended for advanced functions, such as building dialplans, integrating with SIP trunking, and maintaining server security.

It is an interesting tool, worth checking out if you want to get out of the vendor lock-in game. https://github.com/fusionpbx/fusionpbx