SIP Proxy Server
The source material this page replaces covers repro: a SIP proxy server from the reSIProcate project. repro was a reasonable choice for a lightweight SIP registration proxy when the original roll.urown.net series was written. The project has since stalled: the reSIProcate GitHub repository shows minimal activity, the last meaningful release was several years ago, and deploying unmaintained SIP infrastructure on an internet-facing server is not a good idea.
SIP infrastructure is a security-sensitive surface. A SIP server exposed to the internet receives constant automated scanning and brute-force attempts for toll fraud within hours of going live. Running software that is not receiving security patches in this position is a meaningful risk.
Why FreePBX replaces repro
repro is a SIP proxy: it handles registration and routing of SIP calls but does not provide the broader PBX features a home network actually benefits from. A full PBX provides voicemail, IVR, call routing across multiple sites, SIP trunk management, and a web interface for administration. repro provides none of these.
FreePBX 17 with Asterisk 22 LTS is the current standard for self-hosted telephony. It is actively maintained by Sangoma, runs on Ubuntu 24.04, and provides the complete feature set needed for a three-site network with both internal extensions and external PSTN access via a SIP trunk.
The comparison:
| repro | FreePBX + Asterisk | |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance status | Abandoned | Actively maintained |
| Last meaningful release | Several years ago | Asterisk 22 LTS, April 2026 |
| Feature scope | SIP proxy only | Full PBX |
| Voicemail | No | Yes |
| IVR | No | Yes |
| SIP trunk support | Basic | Full |
| Web management interface | No | Yes (FreePBX) |
| Security updates | None | Regular |
| Ubuntu 24.04 support | Not tested | Confirmed |
What this means for the series
The repro installation page in the source material is not reproduced here. The VoIP section of this series documents FreePBX installation and configuration instead.
The VoIP introduction page covers the architecture, the choice of FreePBX over alternatives, UK SIP trunk provider options, NAT considerations with the UDM-SE, and the security requirements for an internet-facing PBX.
The FreePBX installation page follows.
repro is not the only abandoned component in the source material. ViMbAdmin, RainLoop, and COPS have all been replaced elsewhere in this series for the same reason: software that is no longer receiving security patches should not be deployed on internet-facing infrastructure. The pattern is consistent: identify the abandoned component, document why it is replaced, and document the current alternative.