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What does OpenVBX do? How?
OpenVBX is an open source PHP/MySQL application that helps developers build rich, high quality Internet phone and SMS applications. OpenVBX provides a modern user interface for end-users and a complete API for developers. See Twilio's OpenVBX page for more information.
How is OpenVBX different from Twilio?
OpenVBX is an open source project started by Twilio that is powered by Twilio's hosted phone and SMS service. In order to make and receive phone calls using OpenVBX, you must have a Twilio.com account. OpenVBX extends Twilio's API by providing a user interface and other primitives like voicemail that build upon Twilio's core API stack. OpenVBX is designed to be extensible by developers, and ease to use by end users.
Does OpenVBX run on Twilio's servers or mine?
OpenVBX runs on your servers. You can download and run OpenVBX on nearly any web server with PHP and MySQL installed. OpenVBX is a PHP application that provides a user-interface, database, integration and call control functionality. The actual voice and SMS functionality is provided by Twilio's cloud communications platform, which interacts in realtime with your installation of OpenVBX. See the How it Works page for more information.
Is Twilio going to host a version OpenVBX?
Twilio has not announced plans to host OpenVBX.
Where can I find a hosting company to host OpenVBX for my company?
Nearly any company that can host PHP and MySQL applications, such as Wordpress or MediaWiki, can host an installation of OpenVBX. DreamHost has a one click install of OpenVBX available. There are lots of other hosting providers such as MediaTemple, ServerBeach, and Amazon EC2.
Who started the OpenVBX project? Who has contributed to the OpenVBX project?
OpenVBX was originally started by Twilio as a way of enabling developers to more rapidly build and deploy rich telephony applications. Developers from Twilio made the initial contributions to the OpenVBX, and now that it's open sourced, we encourage any developer with the skills and interest to contribute.
Can I resell OpenVBX?
Absolutely! With OpenVBX, it's easy to deploy and sell a fully featured solution for your customers. OpenVBX includes multi-tenancy features that let consultants and service providers manage multiple instances of OpenVBX on the same server. The Twilio API is designed to let you white-label and resell phone and SMS services to your customers.
Great, should I just put OpenVBX on my web server and build a huge business reselling it?
Well... you could do that. But anybody could come along and do the exact same thing. You would want some special sauce. Something that makes your OpenVBX-based business unique.
How should I host OpenVBX then?
Bring OpenVBX to a vertical, industry, or other group of customers whose problem you know better than anybody else. Or maybe a group that you know how to market to, because they're already your customers.
I want feature X added to OpenVBX, who should I contact?
OpenVBX is an open source project. You can hack the source code and add the features that meet your needs. Not only is OpenVBX open source, but there's also a full API you can write against without modifying the source code. That way, you'll be sure that you can always upgrade to the newest release of OpenVBX without conflict.
Who can contribute code to OpenVBX?
We encourage any developer with the skills and interest to contribute to improving OpenVBX. The OpenVBX project and plugins are hosted on Github for anyone to fork and extend.
What kind of contributions will be accepted into trunk?
You can contribute fixes or features to OpenVBX itself, or you can contribute plugins that extend the functionality of OpenVBX without modifying the source code itself. Patches submitted to the core OpenVBX project will be evaluated and may be merged into trunk by the maintainers so long as they are high quality, do not introduce bugs, do not create poor user-experiences, and do not reduce the functionality offered by OpenVBX.
How do I contribute back to OpenVBX?
Please contribute patches to the OpenVBX github project at http://github.com/twilio/OpenVBX
Can I make changes to OpenVBX without contributing back?
Yes. While we encourage developers to contribute meaningful additions or bug fixes back into the project, you are not obligated to do so.
Can I replace Twilio with X as the backend for OpenVBX?
OpenVBX is released under the Mozilla Public License and you are free to modify the code under the terms of the MPL. However, OpenVBX relies heavily on Twilio's phone and SMS APIs to provide a reliable user-friendly experience. Twilio will be working to improve OpenVBX and adding to it as we improve Twilio's core APIs. If you replace Twilio as the backend, you lose the functionality and reliability provided by the Twilio platform and will miss out on the improvements we have planned over the coming months and years.
Where can I get commercial support for the OpenVBX software?
For large production installations of OpenVBX, Twilio can provide commercial support. Contact help@twilio.com for more information.
Where can I find somebody to customize OpenVBX for my company?
Developers familiar with Twilio and OpenVBX can be found in Twilio's LinkedIn group. You can also email help@twilio.com and we can help you find a developer.
