SIP: BYE versus CANCEL

Andrew Prokop and Thanh Loi

BYE or CANCEL? Which is used when? Yes, we're talking about the BYE and CANCEL messages in the context of SIP protocol. Both methods are used to tear down a call session but BYE is used when the session is already established (as in the call has been answered), if not it will be a CANCEL to shut down an unestablished session.