Exciting News: FreePBX 17 is Now Generally Available!

Hello Everyone,

We are thrilled to announce the General Availability (GA) of FreePBX 17! This release marks a significant milestone in FreePBX’s development, featuring key updates that set a new standard for stability, security, and performance.

What’s New in FreePBX 17?

FreePBX 17 is a major leap forward, and here’s what you need to know:

1. Major OS Upgrade: FreePBX 17 transitions from CentOS to Debian 12.x. With CentOS reaching its end-of-life, this move ensures continued stability and long-term support. Debian is renowned for its robustness and strong community backing, providing a reliable platform for your FreePBX installation.
2. Cloud-Friendly Deployment: The new release simplifies deployment across various cloud providers, including AWS, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and more. You can easily set up FreePBX on a Debian VM using a straightforward installation script, making cloud integration seamless and efficient.
3. Enhanced Security: Debian’s immediate access to upstream security patches ensures a secure environment, helping you stay protected against vulnerabilities and threats.
4. PHP 8.2 Support: FreePBX 17 now supports PHP 8.2, which means you’ll benefit from the latest features and performance improvements in PHP.
5. Asterisk 21 Integration: The latest version of Asterisk 21 is included by default in FreePBX 17. Notably, Asterisk 21 has deprecated the app_macro application, prompting updates to the FreePBX dialplan. We’ve replaced all Macros with Gosub for enhanced functionality. Note that FreePBX 17 supports chan_pjsip only.
6. Updated NodeJS and Front-End Libraries: FreePBX 17 incorporates the latest NodeJS version and modern front-end libraries, boosting the performance and capabilities of the web interface.

Why Upgrade to FreePBX 17?

Upgrading from FreePBX 15 or 16 is essential, as CentOS has reached its end-of-life. FreePBX 17 not only provides a modern, stable OS in Debian, but also includes upgrades to PHP, NodeJS, and front-end libraries. These enhancements deliver a more secure, efficient, and future-proof platform.

FreePBX 17 Resources

For more details on FreePBX 17 and to get started with your upgrade, visit our website or check out our documentation.

1. Official FreePBX 17 site
2. FreePBX 17 wiki documentation
3. FAQs on Freepbx 17
4. Webinar presentation on FreePBX 17

What’s Next for FreePBX 17?

As we move forward, our focus will remain on enhancing the stability, usability and performance of FreePBX 17. We are committed to open source, FreePBX and Asterisk. A huge thanks to the community and everyone involved in helping launch FreePBX 17.

We encourage everyone to share their experiences, provide feedback, and suggest new features or improvements by raising issues or submitting requests on our GitHub. Your contributions are crucial in shaping the future of FreePBX and ensuring it meets your needs. Thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration!

A Huge Thank You!

This milestone could not have been achieved without the incredible effort and dedication of our developers and QA teams, both in-house and within our dynamic community. Your unwavering support, invaluable feedback, and tireless work have been instrumental in bringing FreePBX 17 to life. We deeply appreciate your contributions and look forward to our continued journey of innovation and improvement together.

Thank you for being part of the FreePBX journey!

Sincerely,
FreePBX Team