Browser Calls (Laravel)

We are currently in the process of updating this sample template. If you are encountering any issues with the sample, please open an issue at github.com/twilio-labs/code-exchange/issues and we'll try to help you.

About

Learn how to use Twilio Client to make browser-to-phone and browser-to-browser calls with ease. The unsatisfied customers of the Birchwood Bicycle Polo Co. need your help!

Read the full tutorial here!

Read the full tutorial here!

Implementations in other languages:

.NET	Java	Python	Ruby	Node
Done	Done	Done	Done	Done

Set up

Requirements

• PHP >= 7.2.5 and composer
• Node.js
• SQLite
• A Twilio account - sign up

Twilio Account Settings

This application should give you a ready-made starting point for writing your own application. Before we begin, we need to collect all the config values we need to run the application:

Config Value	Description
Account Sid	Your primary Twilio account identifier - find this in the Console.
Phone number	A Twilio phone number in E.164 format - you can get one here
App Sid	The TwiML application with a voice URL configured to access your server running this app - create one in the console here. Also, you will need to configure the Voice "REQUEST URL" on the TwiML app once you've got your server up and running.
API Key / API Secret	Your REST API Key information needed to create an Access Token - create one here.

Create a TwiML App

This project is configured to use a TwiML App, which allows us to easily set the voice URLs for all Twilio phone numbers we purchase in this app.

Create a new TwiML app at https://www.twilio.com/console/voice/twiml/apps and use its Sid as the TWILIO_APPLICATION_SID environment variable wherever you run this app.

Once you have created your TwiML app, configure your Twilio phone number to use it (instructions here).

If you don't have a Twilio phone number yet, you can purchase a new number in your Twilio Account Dashboard.

Local development

After the above requirements have been met:

1. Clone this repository and cd into it

   git clone git@github.com:TwilioDevEd/browser-calls-laravel.git
   cd browser-calls-laravel

2. Install PHP dependencies

   make install

3. Set your environment variables

   cp .env.example .env

   See Twilio Account Settings to locate the necessary environment variables.

4. Install Node dependencies

   npm install 

5. Build the frontend assets

   npm run dev

6. Run the application

   php artisan serve

7. Run the application

   make serve

8. Expose the application to the wider Internet using ngrok

   $ ngrok http 8000

   Once you have started ngrok, update your TwiML app's voice URL setting to use your ngrok hostname, so it will look something like this:

   https://<your-ngrok-subdomain>.ngrok.io/support/call
   

9. To create a support ticket go to the home page. On this page you could fill some fields and create a ticket or you can call to support.

   https://<your-ngrok-subdomain>.ngrok.io
   

   Note: Make sure you use the https version of your ngrok URL as some browsers won't allow access to the microphone unless you are using a secure SSL connection.

10. To respond to support tickets go to the dashboard page (you should open two windows or tabs). On this page you could call customers and answers phone calls.

    https://<your-ngrok-subdomain>.ngrok.io/dashboard
    

    That's it!

Docker

If you have Docker already installed on your machine, you can use our docker-compose.yml to setup your project.

1. Make sure you have the project cloned.
2. Setup the .env file as outlined in the Local Development steps.
3. Run docker-compose up.
4. Follow the steps in Local Development on how to expose your port to Twilio using a tool like ngrok and configure the remaining parts of your application

Unit and Integration Tests

You can run the Unit and Feature tests locally by typing:

php artisan test

Cloud deployment

Additionally to trying out this application locally, you can deploy it to a variety of host services. Here is a small selection of them.

Please be aware that some of these might charge you for the usage or might make the source code for this application visible to the public. When in doubt research the respective hosting service first.

Service
Heroku

Resources

• The CodeExchange repository can be found here.

Contributing

This template is open source and welcomes contributions. All contributions are subject to our Code of Conduct.

Visit the project on GitHub

License

MIT

Disclaimer

No warranty expressed or implied. Software is as is.