Guides

Step-by-step tutorials and in-depth guides for Asterisk configuration, deployment, and administration.

ai ami ari astdb asterisk-21 audio authentication automation beginner billing call-files cdr chan_sip chatgpt claude cli codec compliance configuration contexts database dialplan diversion email extensions fail2ban formats getting-started gosub hardening iax2 integrations logging macro mariadb mcp migration mixmonitor moh mpg123 multi-site music-on-hold mwi mysql nat networking odbc originate outbound-registration p-asserted-identity patterns peering performance pjsip postgresql python recording registration reporting rest-api routing security sip sip headers sip-trunk sox spool sqlite stasis streaming troubleshooting trunking voicemail websocket
PJSIP Configuration from Scratch

Configure PJSIP in Asterisk from scratch. Covers transports, endpoints, auth, AOR, SIP trunk registration, endpoint templates for multiple phones, and NAT traversal settings.

Featured Getting Started sip pjsip configuration getting-started
Asterisk CDR Storage Backend Guide

Set up Asterisk Call Detail Record storage with modern backends. Includes cdr.conf guidance, MySQL/MariaDB through ODBC, SQLite, PostgreSQL, schemas, retention, troubleshooting, and CDR vs CEL tradeof...

Featured Reporting logging cdr mysql database
Asterisk Security Hardening Checklist

A checklist for hardening an Asterisk PBX: PJSIP ACLs, fail2ban, TLS/SRTP, endpoint authentication, dialplan injection risks, inbound context separation, and AMI/ARI credential hygiene.

Getting Started pjsip security fail2ban ami
Macro to Gosub Migration

Migrate old Asterisk Macro dialplan code to Gosub with ARG variables, Return, shared subroutines, and examples for app_macro removal.

Getting Started gosub dialplan migration macro
Asterisk Call Files: Spool Directory, Retries, and Archive Behavior

Asterisk call file reference covering file format, outgoing spool semantics, retry timing, archive behavior, permissions, and safe deployment patterns.

Getting Started automation dialplan call-files originate
Managing PJSIP Outbound Registrations from the Asterisk CLI

Use pjsip send unregister safely with Asterisk outbound registrations. Covers syntax, endpoint and AOR scope, expected output, troubleshooting, pjsip send register, and SIP trace verification.

Getting Started pjsip troubleshooting cli sip-trunk
Working with PJSIP Headers in Asterisk Dialplans

Practical guide to reading and setting PJSIP headers in Asterisk dialplans, including channel scope, pre-dial handlers, P-Asserted-Identity, Diversion, inheritable headers, response headers, and SIP t...

Getting Started pjsip troubleshooting dialplan sip headers
Connecting Claude and ChatGPT to the AsteriskRecipes MCP Server

Step-by-step guide to connecting Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and ChatGPT to the public, read-only AsteriskRecipes MCP server for direct access to the Asterisk reference library, no API key required.

Getting Started integrations getting-started mcp ai
CDR Variables and Disposition Values

Quick lookup for Asterisk CDR fields, disposition values (ANSWERED, NO ANSWER, BUSY, FAILED), AMA flags, and the difference between billsec and duration.

Reporting logging dialplan cdr billing
PJSIP Authentication

Configure PJSIP authentication in Asterisk. Covers basic auth setup for phones and SIP trunks, how SIP digest authentication works, pre-hashed passwords, realm configuration, and the SHA-256/SHA-512-2...

Getting Started sip pjsip security configuration
Migrating from chan_sip to PJSIP

Migrate from chan_sip to res_pjsip in Asterisk. Covers the sip_to_pjsip.py conversion script, side-by-side sip.conf vs pjsip.conf examples for endpoints and SIP trunks, NAT option mapping, and how to ...

Getting Started sip pjsip configuration getting-started
Configuring PJSIP to Work Through NAT

Configure PJSIP NAT traversal in Asterisk. Covers Asterisk behind a NAT router with an ITSP trunk, remote phones behind NAT, double-NAT, and the key settings: local_net, external_media_address, rtp_sy...

Getting Started sip pjsip configuration getting-started
Asterisk Audio Formats Explained

A guide to Asterisk audio formats, codec selection, bandwidth per call, concurrent call capacity, and how to convert files with sox and ffmpeg.

Getting Started audio music-on-hold sox formats
Asterisk Dial Patterns: The Complete Guide

Complete reference for Asterisk dialplan pattern syntax: wildcard characters (X, Z, N, dot, bang), specificity rules for overlapping patterns, NANP and international pattern sets, digit timeout behavi...

Getting Started dialplan routing extensions patterns
Where to Find Hold Music (and How to Stream It Live)

Covers where to find royalty-free audio to replace the default opsound tracks, how to convert downloaded files to the formats Asterisk plays natively, and how to pipe a live internet radio stream into...

Getting Started configuration audio moh music-on-hold
IAX2 Trunk Between Two Asterisk Servers

Connect two Asterisk systems over IAX2 so they can dial each other's extensions. Covers iax.conf on both sides, authentication, trunking, and dialplan routing.

Getting Started Asterisk 18+ trunking iax2 peering multi-site
Asterisk Music on Hold with Native Audio Files

Configure Asterisk music on hold using native audio files instead of mpg123. Covers musiconhold.conf setup, sox format conversion, multi-codec files to avoid transcoding, multiple MOH classes, and tro...

Getting Started configuration audio music-on-hold performance
Selective Call Recording

Use AstDB to flag which extensions get recorded and toggle recording from the Asterisk CLI without editing the dialplan. Covers outbound and inbound routes, an agent-facing feature code, file organiza...

Getting Started astdb recording mixmonitor compliance
Getting Started with Asterisk ARI: Build Your First App

Build your first Asterisk ARI app from start to finish. Configure HTTP and ari.conf, connect WebSocket events, hand calls to Stasis, test with curl, and run a minimal Python application.

Getting Started pjsip dialplan ari rest-api
Setting Up Voicemail in Asterisk

Configure voicemail boxes in voicemail.conf, connect VoiceMail() and VoiceMailMain() to the dialplan, enable MWI, send email notifications, and use contexts for multi-tenant setups.

Getting Started Asterisk 18+ pjsip voicemail email mwi
Dialplan Contexts, Extensions, and Priorities

How Asterisk dialplans work: contexts isolate call routing by endpoint, extensions match dialed numbers using patterns, and priorities run applications in sequence. Covers includes, special extensions...

Getting Started dialplan beginner contexts getting-started
Your First Working Asterisk Dialplan

Register two PJSIP endpoints, write a minimal dialplan, and make internal calls between phones. Step-by-step from a fresh Asterisk install to two extensions calling each other, with voicemail and debu...

Getting Started pjsip dialplan beginner getting-started