[asterisk-biz] recommendation CMS / business logic for voice apps ?

Wed Apr 24 02:56:05 CDT 2013

Ben, 

thanks for your comments.

ASR and TTS are not crucial. The main point for me is that building with php usually results in very rigid apps. It is very hard to change them or reuse code for other projects. So usually these apps run for years basically unchanged.

What is needed is an easy-to-use business logic abstraction layer between the user and the softswitch. Kazoo seems to aim at this and they are using Erlang, they can also cluster their apps.

Can you please point me to some Adhearsion code examples so I can understand how hard it is to build apps?

Cheers

Gerry

On 23 Apr 2013, at 23:55, Ben Klang wrote:

> It depends a bit on your requirements.  For a pure-cloud system, definitely take a look at the likes of Tropo of Twilio.  
> 
> Cloud (Tropo & Twilio)
> Pros:
> * Nice feature list.  Especially for Tropo, you have immediate, no-extra-cost Text-to-speech and Speech Recognition
> * Simple pricing.  I think they're both around $0.03/min (yes, that's expensive relative to wholesale SIP, but you have no other costs)
> * No infrastructure to run.  Combine something like Twilio or Tropo with an app running on Heroku and you have zero infrastructure to manage.
> * Best for simple apps.  Low complexity lends itself to small, self-contained functionality, like a simple IVR or call recording feature.
> 
> Cons:
> * Service/pricing options limited.  In both cases you can't bring in 3rd party providers.  We've had customers in the past who wanted DIDs from regions not served by the cloud host.  There's no (good) way around that: you get whatever they service they provide, nothing more.  You also cannot shop around for better termination rates.
> * Limited to simple applications.  Twilio covers probably 80% to 90% of telephony use cases, but that leaves a lot of interesting options out in the cold.  Tropo is better about this, but there are still limits to the API.  Call progress analysis (answering machine detection) is one example: it's not available on either platform.  Twilio also does not allow some interesting interactions between two live calls that are possible when you control the whole stack.
> 
> 
> 
> Since you mentioned Adhearsion, I'll also talk about that option (disclosure: I'm the Adhearsion project lead).
> 
> Adhearsion + Asterisk
> Pros:
> * Functionality. Really sophisticated voice apps are possible in a real programming language (as opposed to extensions.conf).  This means modern practices like unit testing, functional testing, a HUGE library of available functionality (Rubygems), easy integration with web services and/or databases, including databases behind your firewall.
> * Control. Provides the most control possible over phone calls.  You can bridge two calls together, tear them apart, redirect them, record media, play media, do ASR and TTS, integrate with instant messaging and web dashboard, etc.
> * Self-hosted or cloud. Adhearsion apps can run on your own infrastructure if that is a requirement (for PCI/SOX or other compliance reasons, or simply as a matter of choice).  Note that while you can self-host, you can also run Adhearsion in the cloud. We've done it on both AWS and Heroku.
> * Shop around for rates.  You can purchase from whatever service providers you choose, and you can mix-and-match.  Especially important at high volume or in obscure markets.
> 
> Cons:
> * Learning Curve.  You may already be familiar with Asterisk.  I'm guessing you'll have to learn Adhearsion.  Both of these things have a steeper curve (due to their capabilities) than either cloud offering above.
> * Infrastructure costs. Most people who chose to use Adhearsion+Asterisk end up running it themselves, whether hosted at a facility or on-premise.  Someone will need to manage these servers.
> * Too much power.  I'm not being flippant here: For some jobs the simpler tool is the right one.  We use and love Adhearsion for most of our apps, but we're usually doing more complicated things that need the functionality.  I probably wouldn't start out with Adhearsion if all I wanted to do was make a simple call recording app.
> * Licenses needed for ASR and TTS.  There are no good open source/free ASR or TTS engines available.  If you need them, you'll have to license them.
> 
> I hope that helps.  If you do choose Adhearsion, let us know! We love hearing how people use the framework.
> /BAK/
> -- 
> Ben Klang
> Principal/Technology Strategist, Mojo Lingo
> bklang at mojolingo.com
> +1.404.475.4841
> 
> Mojo Lingo -- Voice applications that work like magic
> http://mojolingo.com
> Twitter: @MojoLingo
> 
> 
> On Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 2:34 AM, Gerrit Jacobsen <gjacobsen at x164.com> wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> can anyone recommend a fast time-to-market development platform for voice apps? (Not LAMP + Asterisk)
> 
> I am looking for
> 
> CMS + Business Logic elements + Softswitch
> What is out there ? Plivo, Adhearsion, 2600hz. Anything else?
> 
> Thanks for your hints. I would love to hear from people who actually went into production with such systems.
> 
> Gerry
> 
> 
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