Feature Request: Dynamic WebSocket URI Support for ARI ExternalMedia

gauravs456 · January 27, 2026, 11:39am

Currently, ARI ExternalMedia (transport=websocket) requires external_host to map to a static entry in websocket_client.conf. This forces all WebSocket destinations to be predefined.

In real-world deployments, media routing is dynamic (load balancing, region-based routing, tenant isolation, HA, etc.). We may have 20–30 WebSocket media servers, and creating a static configuration entry for each does not scale and increases operational complexity.

It would be extremely valuable if Asterisk could accept a dynamic WebSocket host/port or full ws:// / wss:// URI directly in the ARI request and build the connection at runtime, without requiring a predefined config entry.

This change would greatly improve scalability and enable modern cloud-native and AI/media-processing use cases using ARI ExternalMedia.

david551 · January 27, 2026, 11:47am

Feature requests need to be submitted through the Github issue tracker.

jcolp · January 27, 2026, 11:48am

More specifically, the feature requests repo:

gauravs456 · January 27, 2026, 12:31pm

github.com/asterisk/asterisk-feature-requests

Allow Dynamic WebSocket URI in ARI ExternalMedia

opened 12:31PM - 27 Jan 26 UTC

gauravs456

### Is your feature or improvement request related to a problem? Please describe…. Problem Statement Currently, when using ARI ExternalMedia with transport=websocket, the external_host parameter must reference a static WebSocket client definition from websocket_client.conf. This design enforces that: All WebSocket destinations must be predefined in configuration Asterisk cannot dynamically construct a WebSocket URI at runtime Every WebSocket server requires its own static configuration entry This becomes a significant limitation in modern, scalable deployments. Why This Is a Problem In real-world use cases (AI media processing, speech recognition, transcription, analytics, recording pipelines, etc.), media routing is dynamic by nature. WebSocket endpoints are often selected per call based on: Load balancing Regional routing / latency Tenant or customer isolation High availability and failover Runtime business logic In our environment, we may have 20–30 WebSocket media servers, and this number can grow further. Managing static entries in websocket_client.conf for each server: Does not scale Increases operational overhead Makes automation difficult Prevents truly dynamic call-based routing Current Limitation external_host only maps to a named WebSocket client Full ws:// or wss:// URIs cannot be passed via the ARI request WebSocket connection details cannot be decided at call runtime ### Describe the solution you'd like Allow ARI ExternalMedia (transport=websocket) to accept a dynamic WebSocket endpoint at runtime, without requiring a predefined entry in websocket_client.conf. Specifically, Asterisk should be able to: Accept a full ws:// or wss:// URI (or host/port) directly in the ARI ExternalMedia request Construct and establish the WebSocket connection dynamically per call Keep existing static websocket_client.conf behavior unchanged for backward compatibility This would enable dynamic, per-call media routing to different WebSocket servers based on runtime logic (load balancing, region, tenant, HA), and remove the need to maintain multiple static WebSocket client configurations. ### Describe alternatives you've considered Creating static entries in websocket_client.conf for every WebSocket media server, which does not scale when managing 20–30+ servers and increases operational overhead. Using an external proxy or load balancer in front of a single configured WebSocket endpoint, which adds extra infrastructure, latency, and reduces flexibility for per-call routing logic. Spawning multiple Asterisk instances, each configured with different WebSocket endpoin ### Additional context This request is driven by real-world, production deployments using ARI ExternalMedia for real-time media streaming and processing (e.g., AI speech services, transcription, analytics). In dynamic environments, WebSocket media servers are often created, scaled, or replaced automatically. Requiring a static websocket_client.conf entry for each server makes automation difficult and tightly couples Asterisk configuration to external infrastructure. Supporting dynamic WebSocket URIs would significantly improve flexibility, scalability, and cloud-native adoption of ARI ExternalMedia, while remaining backward compatible with existing static configurations.

done

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Feature Request: Dynamic WebSocket URI Support for ARI ExternalMedia

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