What is an SMS API?

A SMS API is well-defined software interface which enables code to send short messages via a SMS Gateway.

As the infrastructures for SMS communications and the internet are mostly divided, SMS APIs are often used to 'bridge the gap' between telecommunications carrier networks and the wider web. SMS APIs are used to allow web applications to send and receive text messages through logic written for standard web frameworks.

Quickly integrate an SMS API with your business

As the number of developers with web experience outnumbers developers with a telecommunications focus, there is a huge demand for SMS APIs and Communications APIs that allow productivity from both worlds. Twilio's Programmable Messaging product offers a stable RESTful API and powerful features that bring telecommunications programming to the web domain.

Twilio offers both API endpoints which you can hit with any language, as well as a selection of Helper Libraries which help to build complex communications services into products in little time. Here are some code snippets that demonstrate SMS sending with Twilio:

Send an SMS using the Programmable Messaging API

1// Download the helper library from https://www.twilio.com/docs/node/install
2const twilio = require("twilio"); // Or, for ESM: import twilio from "twilio";
3
4// Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
5// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
6const accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;
7const authToken = process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN;
8const client = twilio(accountSid, authToken);
9
10async function createMessage() {
11  const message = await client.messages.create({
12    body: "This is the ship that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs?",
13    from: "+15017122661",
14    to: "+15558675310",
15  });
16
17  console.log(message.body);
18}
19
20createMessage();

Output

1{
2  "account_sid": "ACXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
3  "api_version": "2010-04-01",
4  "body": "This is the ship that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs?",
5  "date_created": "Thu, 24 Aug 2023 05:01:45 +0000",
6  "date_sent": "Thu, 24 Aug 2023 05:01:45 +0000",
7  "date_updated": "Thu, 24 Aug 2023 05:01:45 +0000",
8  "direction": "outbound-api",
9  "error_code": null,
10  "error_message": null,
11  "from": "+15017122661",
12  "num_media": "0",
13  "num_segments": "1",
14  "price": null,
15  "price_unit": null,
16  "messaging_service_sid": "MGaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
17  "sid": "SMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
18  "status": "queued",
19  "subresource_uris": {
20    "media": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Media.json"
21  },
22  "tags": {
23    "campaign_name": "Spring Sale 2022",
24    "message_type": "cart_abandoned"
25  },
26  "to": "+15558675310",
27  "uri": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.json"
28}

Our goal, once you are signed up (Twilio offers a free trial), is to have you sending SMS messages in minutes - not weeks.

A reliable SMS API to empower quick development

For every step on your communications journey, Twilio is here to help.

Once you have the base 'sending SMS' case working, we've got a wide variety of sample applications, quickstarts, guides and tutorials on our Documentation site. We have snippets and samples for all of our core supported web languages (and sometimes other languages), example Curl commands, and a variety of best practices and troubleshooting tips for basic and advanced applications.

Twilio also offers a best in class SMS API, with low latency, high delivery, a very large number inventory, and downtime measured in just minutes annually. Twilio Sales is eager to talk through your business's unique challenges and requirements, and our Support team is ready to help you through any roadblocks.

Get started with Twilio's Programmable Messaging API today... we can't wait to see what you build.

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