Subscribers overview

The foundation of user management in Call Fabric

What are subscribers?

Subscribers are the core Resources in SignalWire's Call Fabric platform that represent users in your communication system. More than just a simple user account, Subscribers provide a complete user management solution with built-in authentication, communication endpoints, and billing integration.

Subscribers represent users in your communication system with enterprise-grade capabilities built-in. They embody SignalWire's approach to Programmable Unified Communications (PUC), enabling you to onboard and manage users at scale without building complex infrastructure from scratch.

What's included

Every Subscriber comes with four core components that work together to provide a complete user management solution:

Identity & authentication

Secure user management with industry-standard credential storage for usernames and passwords. Extensible profile system for names, emails, company details, timezones, and locations.

Communication endpoints

Multi-channel connectivity with private Call Fabric address for internal communication plus public phone numbers for external calls. Full SIP, WebRTC, and PSTN support.

Flexible configuration

Customizable codec settings, encryption options, and SIP/WebRTC protocols. Configurable communication preferences and routing rules.

How it works

Subscribers are built on three core technical systems:

Resource addressing

Subscribers use Call Fabric's unified addressing system for consistent identification across all platform Resources. Each Subscriber is uniquely identified by an address in the format /<Context>/<Name>.

Addresses make Subscribers directly callable. When a call is placed to a Subscriber's address, Call Fabric automatically routes the call directly to that Subscriber. This enables seamless peer-to-peer communication without complex routing configuration.

Common address examples:

Address	Description
/private/john-doe	Direct dial to John's devices
/public/support-agent	Publicly accessible support line
/private/jane?channel=video	Video call to Jane

How direct calling works:

• When someone calls /private/john-doe, the call rings John's registered device
• The Subscriber can answer on any device (mobile app, web browser, desk phone)
• Call Fabric handles device registration, presence, and simultaneous ring automatically

Subscribers default to private context for security, with optional public aliases for external access. Learn more about Resource Addresses, including contexts, naming conventions, and advanced routing options.

Authentication system

Multiple token types provide flexible security and integration options:

POSTSubscriber Tokens

Standard user authentication

For End Users: Issued during login, provide access to user-specific resources. Perfect for web and mobile app authentication flows.

POSTGuest Tokens

Temporary guest access

For Guest Users: Allows Subscribers to create guest tokens that provide temporary access to specific Resource addresses. The guest token creates a temporary subscriber with limited permissions to access only the specified allowed_address.

POSTInvite Tokens

Client-side API access

For Client Applications: Creates a Subscriber Invite Token that enables client-side bearer token authentication for API calls.

POSTRefresh Tokens

Session management

For Seamless Experience: Handle automatic token renewal and session management without frequent re-authentication.

API management

Complete REST API with full CRUD operations for programmatic control:

POSTCreate Subscriber

Create new subscribers

Individual or bulk creation with profile data, credentials, and configuration settings.

GETRetrieve Subscriber

Get subscriber details

Fetch individual Subscriber information, settings, and current status.

PUTUpdate Subscriber

Modify subscriber data

Update profile information, settings, credentials, and configuration options.

DELETERemove Subscriber

Delete subscribers

Remove Subscribers and associated data with proper cleanup and notifications.

Bulk operations handle large user populations efficiently, while webhooks provide real-time notifications for lifecycle events, authentication, and communication activities.

Integration example

Here's how Subscribers work in practice with the Browser SDK:

Authentication

import { SignalWire } from "@signalwire/js";

// Initialize the client with your token
const client = await SignalWire({
  token: "<TOKEN>"  // Replace with your actual token
});

// Client is now ready to make and receive calls
console.log("SignalWire client initialized");

Making calls

import { SignalWire } from "@signalwire/js";

// Initialize the client
const client = await SignalWire({
  token: "<TOKEN>"
});

// Make a call to another subscriber
const call = await client.dial({
  to: "/private/jane-doe",
  rootElement: document.getElementById("videoContainer")
});

// Handle call events
call.on("call.state", (state) => {
  console.log("Call state:", state);
});

Receiving calls

import { SignalWire } from "@signalwire/js";

// Define the incoming call handler
const handleIncomingCall = async (notification) => {
  const { invite } = notification;
  console.log("Incoming call from:", invite.from);
  
  // Accept the call
  const call = await invite.accept({
    rootElement: document.getElementById("videoContainer")
  });
};

// Initialize the client with the handler
const client = await SignalWire({
  token: "<TOKEN>",
  incomingCallHandlers: {
    all: handleIncomingCall
  }
});

Common use patterns

• Peer-to-peer calling: Direct subscriber-to-subscriber calls using private addresses like /private/john-doe
• Conference rooms: Multiple subscribers joining shared resources like /public/team-meeting
• AI agent interaction: Subscribers calling AI agents at addresses like /public/support-ai
• PSTN & SIP calling: Ability to call PSTN and SIP destinations directly from Subscriber applications

Common use cases

These technical patterns enable real-world applications across industries:

Contact centers

Agent management made simple

Secure agent onboarding, real-time presence tracking, call routing with queues, and conference bridge integration.

Business phone systems

Enterprise communication

Complete UCaaS/VoIP platforms with call routing, advanced features, multi-channel support, and user lifecycle management.

Video platforms

Personalized video experiences

User authentication, cross-platform compatibility, meeting management, and comprehensive usage analytics.

Value proposition & pricing

Simple, Transparent Pricing

$3/user/month - No setup fees, hidden costs, or complex calculations. Includes complete user management, authentication, multi-channel communication, and enterprise-grade security.

Why choose subscribers?

At $3/user/month, Subscribers provide a complete user management solution with built-in infrastructure:

Complete infrastructure

User management, authentication, billing systems, and communication infrastructure included. Production-ready capabilities without custom development.

Enterprise-grade security

Built-in security controls and compliance features. Industry-standard authentication and encryption without additional implementation.

Predictable scaling

Fixed per-user pricing with no hidden costs. Infrastructure automatically scales without rearchitecting your application.

Developer-first integration

Complete REST APIs, SDKs, and comprehensive documentation. Straightforward integration with existing systems using standard protocols.

Get started

Ready to implement Subscribers? Follow these steps:

Create your first subscriber

Navigate to the SignalWire Dashboard and create your first Subscriber through the Resources section. This establishes your user entity and generates authentication credentials.

Configure user profile

Set up credentials, contact information, and Resource addresses. Configure timezone, location, and other profile details for cross-channel communication.

Set security context

Configure private and public contexts based on your security needs. Determine which Subscribers need public aliases and establish access controls.

Implementation

Use the Browser SDK or REST API to connect your application with Subscriber authentication. Implement token management and session handling.