FreeSWITCH Installation: Step-By-Step Guide
Sunil · 04 Sep, 2025
FreeSWITCH is an open-source telephony platform designed for building scalable communication applications. This comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring FreeSWITCH on Ubuntu systems.
Core Capabilities
Below is the list of core capabilities of FreeSWITCH.
- Voice, video, and text communication
- Scalable to thousands of concurrent calls
- Multi-protocol support (SIP, WebRTC, XMPP)
- Advanced media handling
Primary Applications
Let us get on about the primary applications now:
- VoIP Services
- Contact Centers
- Unified Communications
- IVR Systems
System Requirements Of FreeSwitch
Learn more about the system requirements of FreeSwitch:
Hardware Requirements
- Minimum 2GB RAM
- 20GB available storage
- Network interface card
Software Requirement
- Ubuntu (Latest LTS version)
- Root/sudo access
- Active internet connection
Network Requirements
Static IP recommended
Open ports:
- 5060 (SIP)
- 5061 (TLS)
- 16384-32768 (RTP)
FreeSWITCH INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
Discover more about installation procedure about FreeSWITCH.
Part A: System Dependencies
Install Required Packages
“`
sudo apt install –yes build-essential pkg-config uuid-dev zlib1g-dev
libjpeg-dev libsqlite3-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libpcre3-dev
libspeexdsp-dev libldns-dev libedit-dev libtiff5-dev yasm
libopus-dev libsndfile1-dev unzip libavformat-dev libswscale-dev
liblua5.2-dev liblua5.2-0 cmake libpq-dev unixodbc-dev autoconf
automake ntpdate libxml2-dev libpq-dev libpq5 sngrep lua5.2
lua5.2-doc libreadline-dev
Part B: Time Configuration & Libraries
Configure System Time
# Set timezone
sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
Install libspandsp3
“`
cd /usr/local/src/
git clone https://github.com/freeswitch/spandsp.git
cd spandsp
run git reset –hard 67d2455efe02e7ff0d897f3fd5636fed4d54549e
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg libavcodec-dev libavutil-dev libavformat-dev libswscale-dev libavformat-dev libswscale-dev libpq-dev
/bootstrap.sh && ./configure && make && sudo make install
Install sofia-sip
cd /usr/local/src/
sudo wget “https://github.com/freeswitch/sofia-sip/archive/master.tar.gz“
sudo tar -xvf sofia-sip.tar.gz
cd sofia-sip-master
./bootstrap.sh && ./configure && make && sudo make install
Part C: FreeSWITCH Installation
Download and Extract
cd /usr/local/src/
sudo wget https://files.freeswitch.org/releases/freeswitch/freeswitch-1.10.10.-release.tar.gz
sudo tar -zxvf freeswitch-1.10.10-release.tar.gz
Compile and Install
sudo apt install
cd freeswitch-1.10.10-release
./configure –enable-core-odbc-support –enable-core-pgsql-support
make
sudo make install
sudo make cd-sounds-install
sudo make cd-moh-install
Configuaration Steps Of FreeSWITCH
Below are the configuration steps that would help you further in shifting to FreeSWITCH.
System Links Setup
sudo ln -s /usr/local/freeswitch/conf /etc/freeswitch
sudo ln -s /usr/local/freeswitch/bin/fs_cli /usr/bin/fs_cli
sudo ln -s /usr/local/freeswitch/bin/freeswitch /usr/sbin/freeswitch
User Permissions
sudo groupadd freeswitch
sudo adduser –quiet –system –home /usr/local/freeswitch
–gecos ‘FreeSWITCH open source softswitch’
–ingroup freeswitch freeswitch –disabled-password
sudo chown -R freeswitch:freeswitch /usr/local/freeswitch/
sudo chmod -R ug=rwX,o= /usr/local/freeswitch/
sudo chmod -R u=rwx,g=rx /usr/local/freeswitch/bin/*
Service Setup
Step-by-step guide on how to setup the service.
SystemD Service Configuration
Create /etc/systemd/system/freeswitch.service with:
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/freeswitch.service
[Unit]
Description=FreeSWITCH
Wants=network-online.target
Requires=network.target local-fs.target
After=network.target network-online.target local-fs.target
[Service]
Type=forking
PIDFile=/usr/local/freeswitch/run/freeswitch.pid
Environment=”DAEMON_OPTS=-nonat”
Environment=”USER=freeswitch”
Environment=”GROUP=freeswitch”
EnvironmentFile=-/etc/default/freeswitch
ExecStartPre=/bin/chown -R ${USER}:${GROUP} /usr/local/freeswitch
ExecStart=/usr/local/freeswitch/bin/freeswitch -u ${USER} -g ${GROUP} -ncwait ${DAEMON_OPTS}
TimeoutSec=45s
Restart=always
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Save and exit:
Ctrl + O (save)
Enter (confirm)
Ctrl + X (exit)
Enable and Start Service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable freeswitch.service
sudo systemctl start freeswitch.service
TROUBLESHOOTING
Some of the common issues you might face.
1. Common Issues
- Service Failed to Start
- Check logs: sudo journalctl -u freeswitch.service
- Verify permissions on /usr/local/freeswitch
- Ensure all dependencies are installed correctly
2. Audio Problems
- Verify sound files: ls /usr/local/freeswitch/sounds
- Reinstall sound files: sudo make cd-sounds-install
- Check audio device permissions
3. Connection Issues
- Verify network configuration
- Check firewall settings
- Ensure proper SIP configuration
Verification Commands
# Check service status
sudo systemctl status freeswitch.service
# View logs
tail -f /usr/local/freeswitch/log/freeswitch.log
# Test FreeSWITCH CLI
fs_cli
MAINTENANCE NOTES
Learn how to maintain the set up services.
Regular Updates
- Keep system packages updated
- Monitor FreeSWITCH releases
- Back up configuration regularly
Performance Monitoring
- Watch system resources
- Monitor call quality
- Check log files regularly
Security
- Keep firewall rules updated
- Review access logs
- Maintain secure passwords
Final Thoughts
With FreeSWITCH you will get a robust platform that will allow you to build advanced communication applications. In this read you will get to learn all the steps for installing, configuring and maintaining FreeSwitch.
Follow the procedures and use FreeSWITCH for many purposes such as IVR and VoIP systems. With Regular maintenance and updates you will also get optimal security and performance. The power of FreeSWITCH will upgrade your communication solutions and connect with the best community for ongoing resources and support.
At LN Webworks, we specialize in customizing FreeSWITCH implementations to meet your unique business requirements.
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