Hopper

The hopper is VICIdial’s internal lead queue — a pre-loaded buffer of phone numbers ready to be dialed by the outbound campaign. The hopper process continuously pulls leads from active list IDs based on configured rules and loads them into a fast-access queue, ensuring the dialer always has numbers ready to call without needing to query the main lead database in real time.

How It Works in VICIdial

The VICIdial hopper process (VD_hopper.pl) runs as a background service, typically refreshing every 30 seconds. It queries the vicidial_list table for leads matching the campaign’s criteria — active lists, valid dial statuses, lead filters, timezone filtering, and DNC checks — and loads them into the vicidial_hopper table in the order specified by the lead order setting.

The hopper_level setting controls how many leads are pre-loaded. A higher hopper level ensures the dialer never runs out of numbers, while a lower level reduces the time between lead loading and dialing (important for time-sensitive data). The hopper also handles lead recycling — re-loading previously dialed leads that are eligible for retry based on their dial status and configured recycle rules.

When the auto dial level is above 0, the dialer pulls numbers from the hopper and places calls. An empty hopper means the campaign has exhausted its callable leads for the current criteria.

Why It Matters

The hopper is the critical link between lead data and the dialer. If the hopper cannot keep pace with the dialing rate, the campaign stalls — agents sit idle while the system loads new numbers. This is especially problematic for high-volume predictive dialing campaigns with hundreds of agents.

Monitoring hopper levels is essential for campaign management. A rapidly depleting hopper may indicate that lists are running out of callable leads, filters are too restrictive, or timezone filtering is blocking large portions of the data. See the list management guide for hopper optimization strategies.