WebSocket Connector

A connector bridges live call audio into a Zero Runtime room over a media WebSocket, without a SIP trunk. You create a connector, point your telephony provider’s webhook at it, and the provider streams the call audio straight into a room. Audio flows both ways, so the caller hears the room and the room hears the caller. Use a connector when you want to keep your phone numbers and call control in your provider account, and bridge only the audio into Zero Runtime.

Connectors vs SIP Connect

Connectors and SIP Connect are two different ways to bring the same providers into Zero Runtime. A connector streams audio over a WebSocket and leaves your number in the provider’s account. SIP Connect imports the number into Zero Runtime and carries audio over SIP.

	Connector	SIP Connect
Setup	Create a connector, point a provider webhook at it	Import a phone number into Zero Runtime
Transport	Media WebSocket	SIP / RTP to `sip:$YOUR_ORG_ID.sip.videosdk.live`
Phone number	Stays in your provider account	Imported and managed by Zero Runtime
Best for	Bridging only the audio into a room	A managed SIP setup with inbound and outbound gateways

Key Concepts

Three things make up a connector. Knowing how they relate makes the rest of the flow easy to follow.

Term	What it is
Connector	The per-provider configuration you create with `connectors.create` in the Server SDK. It generates a webhook URL that you set as the voice webhook in your provider console. The URL embeds a secret webhook key (`whk_...`), so treat it like a credential.
Socket URL	The WebSocket endpoint the provider streams audio to, for example `wss://ingest.videosdk.live/twilio`. It carries a single-use reference (`ref`) that Zero Runtime uses to claim the waiting call. The reference expires 90 seconds after the webhook response.
Lifecycle webhook	Server-to-server events such as `call-started` and `call-hangup` that Zero Runtime posts to your registered URLs, signed with `videosdk-signature`.

Supported Providers

Pick a provider to jump to its setup guide. The connector flow is the same across providers; only the console steps and the audio markup differ. Support for more providers is added over time.

Provider	Guide	Connect markup	Codec
Twilio	Twilio	TwiML `<Connect><Stream>`	μ-law (PCMU), 8 kHz
Plivo	Plivo	Plivo XML `<Stream bidirectional>`	μ-law, 8 kHz
Telnyx	Telnyx	TeXML `<Start><Stream>`	PCMU, 8 kHz

Create a Connector

Connectors are created with the VideoSDK Server SDK, available for Node.js, Go, and Rust. The provider-specific guides below walk through the full setup; this is the call at the center of it.

const connector = await client.connectors.create({ provider: "twilio", roomId });

connector.webhookUrl; // set this at the provider

connector, err := client.Connectors.Create(ctx, videosdk.CreateConnectorParams{
	Provider: videosdk.ConnectorTwilio,
	RoomID:   roomID,
})

fmt.Println(connector.WebhookURL) // set this at the provider

let connector = client.connectors().create(videosdk::CreateConnectorParams {
    provider: Some(videosdk::ConnectorProvider::TWILIO),
    room_id: Some(room_id),
    ..Default::default()
}).await?;

println!("{:?}", connector.webhook_url); // set this at the provider

Options: provider (required, one of twilio, plivo, or telnyx), name, roomId (fallback room), defaultRuleId, region.

How It Works

A call passes between three parties: your provider, Zero Runtime, and the room. The flow is the same for inbound and outbound calls, and each step below hands off to the next.

A call is placed. The provider handles the call (an inbound call to your number, or an outbound call you initiate) and sends a voice webhook to the connector’s webhook URL.
Zero Runtime resolves routing. It decides which room the call joins, and optionally which agent, from the connector’s defaultRoomId or defaultRuleId, a matching phone-number routing rule, or a roomId query parameter.
Zero Runtime returns connect markup. The response (TwiML, Plivo XML, or TeXML) tells the provider to open a media WebSocket to the socket URL, carrying a single-use ref that identifies the call.
The provider opens the WebSocket. Zero Runtime claims the call using the ref, joins the room, and bridges audio in both directions.
Zero Runtime emits lifecycle events. As the call progresses, Zero Runtime posts signed webhooks (call-started, call-answered, call-hangup) to your server.

Single-use claim window. The ref is valid for 90 seconds after Zero Runtime returns the markup. The provider must open the WebSocket within that window, or the claim expires and the call fails. Providers normally connect within a second, so this only matters when a webhook is misconfigured.

Lifecycle Webhooks

Connectors use the same webhook system as SIP Connect. Zero Runtime posts call events such as call-started, call-answered, and call-hangup to your registered URLs, each signed with a videosdk-signature header so you can verify it. For the full event list, payloads, signature verification, and registration, see SIP Webhooks.

Next Steps

Twilio Connector

Stream Twilio Media Streams audio into a room.

Plivo Connector

Stream Plivo Audio Streaming into a room.

Telnyx Connector

Stream TeXML media into a room.

Get started

SIP Connect