# Build your first agent in just a few minutes with [Rasa Copilot](https://hello.rasa.com/?utm_source=docs&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=docs_cta).

## Installation Requirements

To use most channel connectors, you need to install the `channels` dependency group:

```bash
pip install 'rasa-pro[channels]'
```

For more information about dependency groups, see our [Python Versions and Dependencies](/content/docs/reference/python-versions-and-dependencies/index.html) reference page.

## Connecting to A Channel

### Text & Chat

Learn how to make your assistant available on:

- [Your Own Website](/content/docs/reference/channels/your-own-website/index.html)
- [Facebook Messenger](/content/docs/reference/channels/facebook-messenger/index.html)
- [Slack](/content/docs/reference/channels/slack/index.html)
- [Telegram](/content/docs/reference/channels/telegram/index.html)
- [Twilio](/content/docs/reference/channels/twilio/index.html)
- [Microsoft Bot Framework](/content/docs/reference/channels/microsoft-bot-framework/index.html)
- [Cisco Webex Teams](/content/docs/reference/channels/cisco-webex-teams/index.html)
- [RocketChat](/content/docs/reference/channels/rocketchat/index.html)
- [Mattermost](/content/docs/reference/channels/mattermost/index.html)
- [Google Hangouts Chat](/content/docs/reference/channels/hangouts/index.html)
- [Custom Connectors](/content/docs/reference/channels/custom-connectors/index.html)

### Voice

Learn how to build voice assistants with:

- [Audiocodes VoiceAI Connect](/content/docs/reference/channels/audiocodes-voiceai-connect/index.html)
- [Jambonz](/content/docs/reference/channels/jambonz/index.html)
- [Twilio Voice](/content/docs/reference/channels/twilio-voice/index.html)
- [Twilio Media Streams](/content/docs/reference/channels/twilio-media-streams/index.html)
- [CHIRP](/content/docs/reference/channels/chirp/index.html)
- [Signalwire](/content/docs/reference/channels/signalwire/index.html)
- [Vonage](/content/docs/reference/channels/vonage/index.html)

To learn more about integration ASR and TTS engines, head over to [Speech Integrations](/content/docs/reference/integrations/speech-integrations/index.html).

For how Rasa spaces consecutive bot audio on voice stream channels (minimum gaps and silence between messages), see [Minimum pacing between bot messages (voice streams)](/content/docs/reference/config/overview/#minimum-pacing-between-bot-messages-voice-streams/index.html).

Only some channels deliver assistant text incrementally. Voice stream connectors and the REST channel (with `?stream=true`) support real-time streaming when paired with a streaming-capable action executor; most messaging channels do not. See [Built-in output channels with streaming support](/content/docs/reference/channels/custom-connectors/#built-in-output-channels-with-streaming-support/index.html).

## Testing Channels on Your Local Machine

If you're running a Rasa server on `localhost`, most external channels won't be able to find your server URL, since `localhost` is not open to the internet.

To make a port on your local machine publicly available on the internet, you can use [ngrok](https://ngrok.com/). Alternatively, see this [list](https://github.com/anderspitman/awesome-tunneling) tracking and comparing other tunneling solutions.

After installing ngrok, run:

```bash
grok http 5005; rasa run
```

When you follow the instructions to make your assistant available on a channel, use the ngrok URL. Specifically, wherever the instructions say to use `https://<host>:<port>/webhooks/<CHANNEL>/webhook`, use `<ngrok_url>/webhooks/<CHANNEL>/webhook`, replacing `<ngrok_url>` with the randomly generated URL displayed in your ngrok terminal window. For example, if connecting your bot to Slack, your URL should resemble `https://26e7e7744191.ngrok.io/webhooks/slack/webhook`.

> **Caution**: With the free-tier of ngrok, you can run into limits on how many connections you can make per minute. As of writing this, it is set to 40 connections / minute.

Alternatively you can make your assistant listen on a specific address using the `-i` command line option:

```bash
rasa run -p 5005 -i 192.168.69.150
```

This is particularly useful when your internet-facing machines connect to backend servers using a VPN interface.