Switchboard

Switchboard is a demo Laravel application that showcases every feature of the Beam package — real-time calls, screen sharing and browser-to-browser file transfer for Laravel — as a small support desk: agents work tickets and call customers; customers get rung whether their tab is open or not.

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What this demo showcases

Feature	How it's demonstrated
Ring one person	Beam::call($ticket->customer)->video()->about(…)->ring() behind Call customer on a ticket
An open tab rings	the customer's dashboard includes the incoming-call modal beam:install --views copied in
A closed tab rings	Ring me when I'm away calls Beam.push.subscribe(); the notification's Answer opens /join/{call}
Who may call whom	Gate::define('beam.call', …): an agent, a customer, an open ticket
Screen share, mute, camera	the copied call screen's controls
A file during the call	Send a file on the call screen → Beam.send(file).to($customerId); the customer accepts and it downloads
A file with no call at all	Send a file — no call needed on the ticket, both directions: Beam opens a data-only connection, the other side's tab sees the offer
Call history from events	CallEnded, CallDeclined, FileTransferred → ticket_events, with the server-measured duration
A real relay	coturn from docker-compose.yml, BEAM_TURN=coturn
beam:doctor	rendered on /doctor for agents

Beam stores nothing about a call. ticket_events is what Switchboard chose to keep.

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Prerequisites

• PHP 8.4+, Composer, Node 22+
• Docker (for Reverb and coturn) — or run php artisan reverb:start yourself and skip the relay

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Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/realrashid/switchboard.git
cd switchboard

2. Install dependencies

composer install
npm install && npm run build

3. Set up environment

cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate
php artisan migrate --seed
php artisan beam:install        # writes the Web Push (VAPID) keys into .env

4. Start the servers

docker compose up -d            # Reverb on :8080, coturn on :3478
php artisan serve
php artisan beam:doctor         # every line green, or told what to do

5. Place a call

Open http://localhost:8000 in two browsers (or one normal and one private window).

• Sign in as Ayesha (agent) in the first, open a ticket, press Call customer.
• Sign in as Bilal (customer) in the second and stay on My tickets — it rings. Answer.
• Mute, share a screen, send a file. Hang up. The ticket now has the call and the file in its history, with the duration.

For a closed tab: as the customer, press Ring me when I'm away, allow notifications, close the tab, and call again from the agent.

On a phone

Cameras need HTTPS away from localhost. Serve the app over TLS on your LAN address (Herd/Valet/lerd with secure, or mkcert + a Caddy proxy in front of php artisan serve), set APP_URL and REVERB_HOST to that address, and open it on a phone on the same Wi-Fi. BEAM_TURN=coturn is already set, so a phone on cellular connects through the relay too — that's the case no laptop demo ever shows.

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Made with ❤️ from Pakistan