ConfBridge Conferencing Guide

This guide covers managing Asterisk ConfBridge conferences via the Asterisk Manager Interface (AMI) in VueSIP.

Overview

VueSIP provides a reactive useAmiConfBridge composable for managing ConfBridge audio conferences. This enables:

Feature	Description
Room Management	List, lock/unlock, mute conferences
Recording	Start/stop conference recording
Participant Control	Mute, unmute, kick users
Video Source	Set single video source for video conferences
Real-time Events	Join, leave, talking status updates

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐      ┌──────────────────┐      ┌─────────────────┐
│  VueSIP App     │◄────►│  amiws Proxy     │◄────►│  Asterisk PBX   │
│  (Browser)      │  WS  │  (WebSocket)     │  AMI │  (ConfBridge)   │
└─────────────────┘      └──────────────────┘      └─────────────────┘
                                                          │
                                                          ▼
                                                   ┌─────────────────┐
                                                   │  Conference     │
                                                   │  Rooms          │
                                                   └─────────────────┘

Components

Asterisk PBX - Hosts ConfBridge conferences
amiws Proxy - Converts AMI protocol to WebSocket (JSON)
VueSIP - useAmiConfBridge composable for reactive conference management

Prerequisites

Asterisk Configuration

1. Configure ConfBridge

Create or edit /etc/asterisk/confbridge.conf:

ini

; /etc/asterisk/confbridge.conf

[general]

; Default user profile
[default_user]
type=user
admin=no
marked=no
startmuted=no
music_on_hold_when_empty=yes
music_on_hold_class=default
quiet=no
announce_user_count=yes
announce_join_leave=yes
dtmf_passthrough=no
announce_user_count_all=yes

; Admin user profile
[admin_user]
type=user
admin=yes
marked=yes
startmuted=no
dtmf_passthrough=no

; Default bridge profile
[default_bridge]
type=bridge
max_members=50
record_conference=no
internal_sample_rate=auto
mixing_interval=20
video_mode=follow_talker

2. Create Conference Dialplan

Edit /etc/asterisk/extensions.conf or use FreePBX Custom Extensions:

; /etc/asterisk/extensions.conf

[confbridge-rooms]
; Room 1000 - Regular conference
exten => 1000,1,Answer()
 same => n,ConfBridge(1000,default_bridge,default_user)
 same => n,Hangup()

; Room 1001 - Admin conference
exten => 1001,1,Answer()
 same => n,ConfBridge(1001,default_bridge,admin_user)
 same => n,Hangup()

; Dynamic room - dial any 4-digit number starting with 1
exten => _1XXX,1,Answer()
 same => n,ConfBridge(${EXTEN},default_bridge,default_user)
 same => n,Hangup()

3. Configure AMI User

Edit /etc/asterisk/manager.conf:

ini

; /etc/asterisk/manager.conf
[general]
enabled = yes
port = 5038
bindaddr = 127.0.0.1

[vuesip]
secret = your-secure-password
deny = 0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0
permit = 127.0.0.1/255.255.255.255
read = call,user,reporting
write = call,originate
eventfilter = !Event: RTCP*
eventfilter = !Event: VarSet

Required Permissions:

read = call - Receive ConfBridge events
write = call - Send ConfBridge commands

4. Reload Configuration

bash

asterisk -rx "module reload app_confbridge.so"
asterisk -rx "manager reload"

FreePBX Configuration

In FreePBX, conferences are managed via the GUI:

Navigate to Applications > Conferences
Click + Add Conference
Configure:
- Conference Number: e.g., 1000
- Conference Name: e.g., Main Conference
- User PIN: Optional access PIN
- Admin PIN: Optional admin PIN
- Options: Join/Leave announcements, recording, etc.
Submit and Apply Config

For AMI access, configure via Settings > Asterisk Manager Users as described in the AMI CDR Guide.

VueSIP Integration

Basic Setup

typescript

import { computed } from 'vue'
import { useAmi, useAmiConfBridge } from 'vuesip'

// Create AMI connection
const ami = useAmi()

// Connect to amiws proxy
await ami.connect('ws://pbx.example.com:8080')

// Initialize ConfBridge management
const {
  rooms, // Map<string, ConfBridgeRoom>
  users, // Map<string, ConfBridgeUser>
  roomList, // Computed array of rooms
  userList, // Computed array of users
  totalParticipants, // Total participant count
  isLoading, // Loading state
  error, // Error state
  listRooms, // Fetch all conferences
  listUsers, // Fetch users in a conference
  lockRoom, // Lock a conference
  unlockRoom, // Unlock a conference
  startRecording, // Start recording
  stopRecording, // Stop recording
  muteUser, // Mute a participant
  unmuteUser, // Unmute a participant
  kickUser, // Remove a participant
  setVideoSource, // Set video source
  refresh, // Refresh all data
} = useAmiConfBridge(computed(() => ami.getClient()))

Conference Dashboard

vue

<template>
  <div class="confbridge-dashboard">
    <!-- Conference List -->
    <div class="conferences">
      <h2>Active Conferences</h2>
      <div v-for="room in roomList" :key="room.conference" class="conference-card">
        <div class="conference-header">
          <h3>Room {{ room.conference }}</h3>
          <span class="participant-count">{{ room.parties }} participants</span>
        </div>

        <div class="conference-status">
          <span v-if="room.locked" class="badge locked">Locked</span>
          <span v-if="room.recording" class="badge recording">Recording</span>
          <span v-if="room.muted" class="badge muted">Muted</span>
        </div>

        <div class="conference-actions">
          <button @click="toggleLock(room)">
            {{ room.locked ? 'Unlock' : 'Lock' }}
          </button>
          <button @click="toggleRecording(room)">
            {{ room.recording ? 'Stop Recording' : 'Start Recording' }}
          </button>
          <button @click="viewParticipants(room)">View Participants</button>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>

    <!-- Participant List -->
    <div v-if="selectedRoom" class="participants">
      <h2>Participants in {{ selectedRoom.conference }}</h2>
      <div v-for="user in roomParticipants" :key="user.channel" class="participant-card">
        <div class="participant-info">
          <span class="name">{{ user.callerIdName || user.callerIdNum }}</span>
          <span v-if="user.admin" class="badge admin">Admin</span>
          <span v-if="user.talking" class="badge talking">Speaking</span>
        </div>

        <div class="participant-actions">
          <button @click="toggleMute(user)">
            {{ user.muted ? 'Unmute' : 'Mute' }}
          </button>
          <button @click="kick(user)" class="danger">Kick</button>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
import { ref, computed } from 'vue'
import { useAmi, useAmiConfBridge } from 'vuesip'
import type { ConfBridgeRoom, ConfBridgeUser } from 'vuesip'

const ami = useAmi()
const {
  roomList,
  userList,
  lockRoom,
  unlockRoom,
  startRecording,
  stopRecording,
  muteUser,
  unmuteUser,
  kickUser,
  listUsers,
} = useAmiConfBridge(computed(() => ami.getClient()))

const selectedRoom = ref<ConfBridgeRoom | null>(null)

const roomParticipants = computed(() =>
  userList.value.filter((u) => u.conference === selectedRoom.value?.conference)
)

async function viewParticipants(room: ConfBridgeRoom) {
  selectedRoom.value = room
  await listUsers(room.conference)
}

async function toggleLock(room: ConfBridgeRoom) {
  if (room.locked) {
    await unlockRoom(room.conference)
  } else {
    await lockRoom(room.conference)
  }
}

async function toggleRecording(room: ConfBridgeRoom) {
  if (room.recording) {
    await stopRecording(room.conference)
  } else {
    await startRecording(room.conference)
  }
}

async function toggleMute(user: ConfBridgeUser) {
  if (user.muted) {
    await unmuteUser(user.conference, user.channel)
  } else {
    await muteUser(user.conference, user.channel)
  }
}

async function kick(user: ConfBridgeUser) {
  await kickUser(user.conference, user.channel)
}
</script>

Real-time Events

Subscribe to conference events for live updates:

typescript

const { rooms, users } = useAmiConfBridge(
  computed(() => ami.getClient()),
  {
    // Auto-refresh room list on connect
    autoRefresh: true,

    // Handle user join events
    onUserJoin: (user) => {
      console.log(`${user.callerIdName} joined ${user.conference}`)
      showNotification(`${user.callerIdName} joined the conference`)
    },

    // Handle user leave events
    onUserLeave: (user) => {
      console.log(`${user.callerIdName} left ${user.conference}`)
    },

    // Handle talking status changes
    onTalkingChange: (user, isTalking) => {
      if (isTalking) {
        console.log(`${user.callerIdName} is speaking`)
        // Update active speaker indicator
      }
    },

    // Optional: Filter conferences
    conferenceFilter: (room) => {
      // Only show conferences starting with '100'
      return room.conference.startsWith('100')
    },

    // Optional: Transform user data
    transformUser: (user) => ({
      ...user,
      displayName: user.callerIdName || `Ext ${user.callerIdNum}`,
    }),
  }
)

Recording Management

typescript

// Start recording with custom filename
const result = await startRecording(
  '1000',
  '/var/spool/asterisk/monitor/conf-1000-${TIMESTAMP}.wav'
)

if (result.success) {
  console.log('Recording started')
} else {
  console.error('Recording failed:', result.error)
}

// Stop recording
await stopRecording('1000')

Video Conferencing

For video conferences, set the single video source:

typescript

// Set a specific participant as the video source
await setVideoSource('1000', 'PJSIP/1001-00000001')

// The video source participant's video will be broadcast to all

Note: Video mode must be configured in confbridge.conf:

ini

[video_bridge]
type=bridge
video_mode=single_source  ; or follow_talker

API Reference

ConfBridgeRoom Interface

Field	Type	Description
`conference`	string	Conference name/number
`parties`	number	Number of participants
`locked`	boolean	Whether room is locked
`muted`	boolean	Whether room is globally muted
`recording`	boolean	Recording active
`markedUsers`	number	Count of admin/marked users

ConfBridgeUser Interface

Field	Type	Description
`conference`	string	Conference name
`callerIdNum`	string	Caller's number
`callerIdName`	string	Caller's display name
`channel`	string	Channel identifier
`admin`	boolean	Is admin/moderator
`marked`	boolean	Is marked user
`muted`	boolean	Is muted
`talking`	boolean	Currently talking
`joinedAt`	Date	Join timestamp

Actions

Method	Parameters	Description
`listRooms()`	-	Fetch all active conferences
`listUsers(conference)`	conference: string	Fetch users in a conference
`lockRoom(conference)`	conference: string	Lock conference (no new joins)
`unlockRoom(conference)`	conference: string	Unlock conference
`startRecording(conference, file?)`	conference: string, file?: string	Start recording
`stopRecording(conference)`	conference: string	Stop recording
`muteUser(conference, channel)`	conference: string, channel: string	Mute participant
`unmuteUser(conference, channel)`	conference: string, channel: string	Unmute participant
`kickUser(conference, channel)`	conference: string, channel: string	Remove participant
`setVideoSource(conference, channel)`	conference: string, channel: string	Set video source
`refresh()`	-	Refresh all room and user data

AMI Events Reference

VueSIP automatically handles these AMI events:

Event	Description
`ConfbridgeJoin`	User joined conference
`ConfbridgeLeave`	User left conference
`ConfbridgeTalking`	User talking status changed
`ConfbridgeMute`	User was muted
`ConfbridgeUnmute`	User was unmuted
`ConfbridgeLock`	Conference was locked
`ConfbridgeUnlock`	Conference was unlocked
`ConfbridgeRecord`	Recording started

Troubleshooting

No Conferences Visible

Verify ConfBridge is loaded:

bash

asterisk -rx "module show like app_confbridge"
# Should show: app_confbridge.so

Check active conferences:
bash
```
asterisk -rx "confbridge list"
```

Verify AMI permissions:

bash

asterisk -rx "manager show user vuesip"
# Check read permissions include 'call'

Lock/Recording Actions Fail

Check write permissions:
- AMI user needs write = call permission
Verify conference exists:
bash
```
asterisk -rx "confbridge show 1000"
```

Check for error responses:

typescript

const result = await lockRoom('1000')
if (!result.success) {
  console.error('Lock failed:', result.error)
}

Talking Events Not Working

Enable talk detection in confbridge.conf:

ini

[default_bridge]
type=bridge
talk_detection_events=yes

Reload configuration:

bash

asterisk -rx "module reload app_confbridge.so"

Recording Path Issues

Ensure directory exists and is writable:

bash

mkdir -p /var/spool/asterisk/monitor
chown asterisk:asterisk /var/spool/asterisk/monitor

Use absolute paths:

typescript

await startRecording('1000', '/var/spool/asterisk/monitor/conf-1000.wav')

Security Best Practices

Restrict AMI permissions - Only grant required read/write permissions
Use conference PINs - Configure user/admin PINs for access control
Enable TLS - Use WSS for WebSocket connections
Limit conference sizes - Set max_members in bridge profiles
Monitor recordings - Implement retention policies for recorded conferences

AMI CDR Guide - Call Detail Records via AMI
Call Parking - Park and retrieve calls
Voicemail - Voicemail management

ConfBridge Conferencing Guide ​

Overview ​

Architecture ​

Components ​

Prerequisites ​

Asterisk Configuration ​

1. Configure ConfBridge ​

2. Create Conference Dialplan ​

3. Configure AMI User ​

4. Reload Configuration ​

FreePBX Configuration ​

VueSIP Integration ​

Basic Setup ​

Conference Dashboard ​

Real-time Events ​

Recording Management ​

Video Conferencing ​

API Reference ​

ConfBridgeRoom Interface ​

ConfBridgeUser Interface ​

Actions ​

AMI Events Reference ​

Troubleshooting ​

No Conferences Visible ​

Lock/Recording Actions Fail ​

Talking Events Not Working ​

Recording Path Issues ​

Security Best Practices ​

Related Documentation ​

External Resources ​

ConfBridge Conferencing Guide

Overview

Architecture

Components

Prerequisites

Asterisk Configuration

1. Configure ConfBridge

2. Create Conference Dialplan

3. Configure AMI User

4. Reload Configuration

FreePBX Configuration

VueSIP Integration

Basic Setup

Conference Dashboard

Real-time Events

Recording Management

Video Conferencing

API Reference

ConfBridgeRoom Interface

ConfBridgeUser Interface

Actions

AMI Events Reference

Troubleshooting

No Conferences Visible

Lock/Recording Actions Fail

Talking Events Not Working

Recording Path Issues

Security Best Practices

Related Documentation

External Resources