Install Kamailio SIP Server on Ubuntu 24.04

Install MariaDB

MariaDB must be installed first, as Kamailio requires this database server to store its content. MariaDB version 10.11 is a suitable open-source option for Kamailio on Ubuntu 24.04. Run the following command to install MariaDB: `sudo apt install mariadb-server`.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mariadb-server

Once MariaDB is installed, we’ll move on to adding the Kamailio repository.

Add Kamailio repository

The Kamailio SIP Server installation on Ubuntu 24.04 requires adding a special software source because Kamailio packages aren’t in Ubuntu’s standard list. Before adding this source, you should get the Kamailio GPG key. This GPG key verifies that the Kamailio packages you download are official and safe to use.

Kamailio packages aren’t included in Ubuntu’s default software repositories, so you’ll need to add Kamailio’s own software source before you can install it. This ensures you can get the latest version, which is currently 5.3.7.

First, though, add the repository GPG key.

wget -O- http://deb.kamailio.org/kamailiodebkey.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

Then, add the repository for Ubuntu 24.04. Right now, the latest version is 6.0.

If Kamailio releases a newer version, you can find the update at the official repository located at https://deb.kamailio.org for installation on your Ubuntu 24.04 system.

https://deb.kamailio.org

After adding the Kamailio repository key and file, run the `sudo apt update && sudo apt install kamailio` command to install Kamailio and its related modules, ensuring you have the latest software version.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install kamailio kamailio-mysql-modules kamailio-websocket-modules kamailio-tls-modules

After the installation, check if the Kamailio application is available by running the command [kamailio -V].

kamailio -V

The Kamailio bin file is installed by default at [/usr/sbin/kamailio].

Configure Kamailio

After Kamailio installation on your Ubuntu system, you will configure Kamailio’s database connection. Edit the kamctlrc file to specify the database Kamailio uses. Set the DBENGINE parameter to MySQL and uncomment the line for this setting to activate the MySQL database connection.

First, make sure the database connection is created. Edit the file [/etc/kamailio/kamctlrc] and make sure the [DBENGINE] variable is set to MySQL. Uncomment the line to turn it on.

sudo nano /etc/kamailio/kamctlrc

Change the highlighted line.

## the SIP domain
 SIP_DOMAIN=srv1.example.com

## chrooted directory
# CHROOT_DIR="/path/to/chrooted/directory"

## database type: MYSQL, PGSQL, ORACLE, DB_BERKELEY, DBTEXT, or SQLITE
## by default none is loaded
##
## If you want to setup a database with kamdbctl, you must at least specify
## this parameter.
 DBENGINE=MYSQL

## database host
 DBHOST=localhost

Save the file and exit.

This command creates a PostgreSQL database specifically for Kamailio. This database includes the necessary users and tables to support Kamailio’s schema, which is essential for storing call routing information and user data.

sudo kamdbctl create

You’ll be prompted for your MySQL root password. If you haven’t set one up yet, just press Enter.

Use the highlighted value to complete the prompts.

Enter character set name: 
latin1
INFO: creating database kamailio ...
INFO: granting privileges to database kamailio ...
INFO: creating standard tables into kamailio ...
INFO: Core Kamailio tables successfully created.
Create the presence related tables? (y/n): y
INFO: creating presence tables into kamailio ...
INFO: Presence tables successfully created.
Create the tables for imc cpl siptrace domainpolicy carrierroute drouting userblocklist htable purple uac pipelimit mtree sca mohqueue rtpproxy rtpengine secfilter ims_icscf? (y/n): y
INFO: creating extra tables into kamailio ...
INFO: Extra tables successfully created.
Create the tables for uid_auth_db uid_avp_db uid_domain uid_gflags uid_uri_db? (y/n): y
INFO: creating uid tables into kamailio ...
INFO: UID tables successfully created.

A MySQL user named “kamailio” will be created with the password “kamailiorw.” This user has read and write permission to access the Kamailio database.

The `kamailioro` user, with the password `kamailioro`, is created for database access. This user has read-only permissions, meaning it can view data in the Kamailio database but cannot make any changes, ensuring data integrity.

Next, edit the [/etc/kamailio/kamailio.cfg] file.

sudo nano /etc/kamailio/kamailio.cfg

Add the highlighted lines just below #!KAMAILIO.

#!KAMAILIO
#!define WITH_MYSQL
#!define WITH_AUTH
#!define WITH_USRLOCDB
#!define WITH_ACCDB
#

Save and exit.

After making all the changes above, restart Kamailio.

sudo systemctl restart kamailio

To check and verify if Kamailio is running, run the command below.

systemctl status kamailio

The command should output lines similar to the one below.

 Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/kamailio.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Thu 2025-03-20 10:40:23 CDT; 38s ago
    Process: 6194 ExecStart=/usr/sbin/kamailio -P /run/kamailio/kamailio.pid -f $CFGFILE >
   Main PID: 6196 (kamailio)
      Tasks: 33 (limit: 4551)
     Memory: 23.8M (peak: 24.1M)
        CPU: 113ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/kamailio.service

Kamailio is installed and ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

You’ve successfully installed Kamailio SIP Server on Ubuntu 24.04, setting up a robust solution for managing VoIP communications. Let’s recap the main points:

• Open-Source Flexibility: Kamailio is a highly scalable and flexible SIP server suitable for real-time communication applications.
• Database Integration: The installation requires configuring MariaDB as a database server to store Kamailio’s data.
• Repository Addition: Adding the Kamailio repository and its GPG key is essential to 💿 install the latest packages.
• Configuration Steps: Configuration includes setting up the database connection kamctlrc and modifying kamailio.cfg the required modules.
• Service Management: After installation, Kamailio can be managed using systemd, ensuring it runs consistently in the background.

Kamailio installation is fully operational after completing these steps, providing a powerful platform for Voice over IP (VoIP) and related services, supporting up to 500,000 concurrent connections.