Twilio API requests

Learn how to authenticate your requests, what content type to use for API requests, and how the Twilio APIs handle webhooks. You'll also see examples of how to make requests to the Twilio APIs.

Ways to make requests to the Twilio APIs

You can make an HTTP request to the Twilio API in the following ways:

Make a raw HTTP request either in your code (for example, by using a module like got in NodeJS) or with a tool like Postman.
Use a Twilio SDK for your preferred programming language.
Use the Twilio CLI if you prefer working in the terminal.

Authentication

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Environment variables

Always store your credentials in environment variables before sharing any code or deploying to production. Learn more about setting environment variables.

To authenticate requests to the Twilio APIs, use HTTP Basic authentication. Use your API key SID as the username and your API key secret as the password.

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Regional API credentials

Twilio API credentials are region-specific resources. If your account uses Twilio Regions, see Manage Regional API credentials.

Use API keys

An API key is a unique identifier that allows a client to access your Twilio account and create, read, update, or delete resources through the Twilio APIs. You can create multiple API keys for different purposes, such as for different developers or subsystems within your application. If a key is compromised or no longer used, you can revoke it to prevent unauthorized access.

Use API keys for all applications. If a key is compromised or no longer used, revoke it to prevent unauthorized access without affecting your other applications.

You can create an API key either in the Twilio Console or using the API.

The API key types are Main, Standard, and Restricted (Key resource v1 only). The following table describes each type:

Key type	Access permissions	Create in Console	Create with REST API
Main	Full access to all Twilio API resources. Equivalent to using your Account SID and Auth Token for API requests.	Yes	No
Standard	Access to all Twilio API resources, except for Accounts (`/Accounts`) or Keys (`/Accounts/{SID}/Keys`, `/v1/Keys`) resources.	Yes	Yes
Restricted	Customized, fine-grained access to specific Twilio API resources. Learn more about Restricted API keys.	Yes	Yes (v1 only)

When making an API request, use your API key as the username and your API key secret as the password.

Note: In the following example, you must use a Main API key.

List accounts

1curl -X GET "https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts.json?PageSize=20" \
2-u $TWILIO_API_KEY:$TWILIO_API_SECRET

The user remains logged in for the duration of the request. Learn more about how Twilio handles authentication.

Using your Account SID and Auth Token

For local testing, you can use your Account SID as the username and your Auth token as the password. You can find your Account SID and Auth Token in the Twilio Console, under the Account Dashboard.

List accounts

1curl -X GET "https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts.json?PageSize=20" \
2-u $TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID:$TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN

Twilio SDKs

A Twilio SDK is a server-side SDK that helps you use Twilio's REST APIs, generate TwiML, and perform other common server-side programming tasks.

Twilio SDKs can handle credential management and simplify the authentication process. All Twilio SDKs come with a Utilities class that validates requests by passing your credentials to the library.

HTTP methods for API interactions

Twilio APIs use standard RESTful HTTP methods to perform actions on resources. The following examples demonstrate the most common methods:

POST: Create or update a resource.
GET: Retrieve a resource.
DELETE: Delete a resource.

POSTGET: List messagesGET: Retrieve a messageDELETE

POST a new SMS message

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 at twilio.com/console
5// Provision API Keys at twilio.com/console/runtime/api-keys
6// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
7// For local testing, you can use your Account SID and Auth token
8const accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;
9const apiKey = process.env.TWILIO_API_KEY;
10const apiSecret = process.env.TWILIO_API_SECRET;
11const client = twilio(apiKey, apiSecret, { accountSid: accountSid });
12
13async function createMessage() {
14  const message = await client.messages.create({
15    body: "Hello",
16    from: "+14155552344",
17    to: "+15558675310",
18  });
19
20  console.log(message.body);
21}
22
23createMessage();

Response

1{
2  "account_sid": "ACXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
3  "api_version": "2010-04-01",
4  "body": "Hello",
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": "+14155552344",
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  "to": "+15558675310",
23  "uri": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.json"
24}

GET a list of messages

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 at twilio.com/console
5// Provision API Keys at twilio.com/console/runtime/api-keys
6// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
7// For local testing, you can use your Account SID and Auth token
8const accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;
9const apiKey = process.env.TWILIO_API_KEY;
10const apiSecret = process.env.TWILIO_API_SECRET;
11const client = twilio(apiKey, apiSecret, { accountSid: accountSid });
12
13async function listMessage() {
14  const messages = await client.messages.list({ limit: 20 });
15
16  messages.forEach((m) => console.log(m.end));
17}
18
19listMessage();

Response

1{
2  "end": 1,
3  "first_page_uri": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages.json?To=%2B123456789&From=%2B987654321&DateSent%3E=2008-01-02&PageSize=2&Page=0",
4  "next_page_uri": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages.json?To=%2B123456789&From=%2B987654321&DateSent%3E=2008-01-02&PageSize=2&Page=1&PageToken=PAMMc26223853f8c46b4ab7dfaa6abba0a26",
5  "page": 0,
6  "page_size": 2,
7  "previous_page_uri": null,
8  "messages": [
9    {
10      "account_sid": "ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
11      "api_version": "2010-04-01",
12      "body": "testing",
13      "date_created": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:44:46 +0000",
14      "date_sent": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:44:50 +0000",
15      "date_updated": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:44:50 +0000",
16      "direction": "outbound-api",
17      "error_code": null,
18      "error_message": null,
19      "from": "+12019235161",
20      "messaging_service_sid": "MGaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
21      "num_media": "0",
22      "num_segments": "1",
23      "price": "-0.00750",
24      "price_unit": "USD",
25      "sid": "SMded05904ccb347238880ca9264e8fe1c",
26      "status": "sent",
27      "subresource_uris": {
28        "media": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMded05904ccb347238880ca9264e8fe1c/Media.json",
29        "feedback": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMded05904ccb347238880ca9264e8fe1c/Feedback.json"
30      },
31      "to": "+18182008801",
32      "uri": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMded05904ccb347238880ca9264e8fe1c.json"
33    },
34    {
35      "account_sid": "ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
36      "api_version": "2010-04-01",
37      "body": "look mom I have media!",
38      "date_created": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:44:46 +0000",
39      "date_sent": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:44:49 +0000",
40      "date_updated": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:44:49 +0000",
41      "direction": "inbound",
42      "error_code": 30004,
43      "error_message": "Message blocked",
44      "from": "+12019235161",
45      "messaging_service_sid": "MGaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
46      "num_media": "3",
47      "num_segments": "1",
48      "price": "-0.00750",
49      "price_unit": "USD",
50      "sid": "MMc26223853f8c46b4ab7dfaa6abba0a26",
51      "status": "received",
52      "subresource_uris": {
53        "media": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/MMc26223853f8c46b4ab7dfaa6abba0a26/Media.json",
54        "feedback": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/MMc26223853f8c46b4ab7dfaa6abba0a26/Feedback.json"
55      },
56      "to": "+18182008801",
57      "uri": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/MMc26223853f8c46b4ab7dfaa6abba0a26.json"
58    }
59  ],
60  "start": 0,
61  "uri": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages.json?To=%2B123456789&From=%2B987654321&DateSent%3E=2008-01-02&PageSize=2&Page=0"
62}

GET a specific message

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 at twilio.com/console
5// Provision API Keys at twilio.com/console/runtime/api-keys
6// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
7// For local testing, you can use your Account SID and Auth token
8const accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;
9const apiKey = process.env.TWILIO_API_KEY;
10const apiSecret = process.env.TWILIO_API_SECRET;
11const client = twilio(apiKey, apiSecret, { accountSid: accountSid });
12
13async function fetchMessage() {
14  const message = await client
15    .messages("SMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa")
16    .fetch();
17
18  console.log(message.body);
19}
20
21fetchMessage();

Response

1{
2  "account_sid": "ACXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
3  "api_version": "2010-04-01",
4  "body": "testing",
5  "date_created": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:18:27 +0000",
6  "date_sent": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:18:28 +0000",
7  "date_updated": "Fri, 24 May 2019 17:18:28 +0000",
8  "direction": "outbound-api",
9  "error_code": 30007,
10  "error_message": "Carrier violation",
11  "from": "+12019235161",
12  "messaging_service_sid": "MGaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
13  "num_media": "0",
14  "num_segments": "1",
15  "price": "-0.00750",
16  "price_unit": "USD",
17  "sid": "SMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
18  "status": "sent",
19  "subresource_uris": {
20    "media": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMb7c0a2ce80504485a6f653a7110836f5/Media.json",
21    "feedback": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMb7c0a2ce80504485a6f653a7110836f5/Feedback.json"
22  },
23  "to": "+18182008801",
24  "uri": "/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/Messages/SMb7c0a2ce80504485a6f653a7110836f5.json"
25}

DELETE a message

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 at twilio.com/console
5// Provision API Keys at twilio.com/console/runtime/api-keys
6// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
7// For local testing, you can use your Account SID and Auth token
8const accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;
9const apiKey = process.env.TWILIO_API_KEY;
10const apiSecret = process.env.TWILIO_API_SECRET;
11const client = twilio(apiKey, apiSecret, { accountSid: accountSid });
12
13async function deleteMessage() {
14  await client.messages("SMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa").remove();
15}
16
17deleteMessage();

Content type requirements

Twilio APIs expect the API request content type to be application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data. Using an unsupported content type might cause unexpected behavior or errors.

Global Edge Locations and network entry

Twilio global infrastructure allows you to optimize request routing for better performance. You can specify which Twilio network edge your API request uses to ingress Twilio network, and the processing region for your request. Learn more about Edge Locations.

Vanity URLs and security requirements

Twilio has specific security requirements for accessing voice recording media files. Twilio doesn't support unauthenticated access to HTTP Voice recording media URLs using Canonical Name (CNAME) records. Use HTTPS endpoints and Transport-Layer-Security (TLS) protocols when accessing voice recordings media files from your account. For more information, see the Changelog.

How the Twilio APIs handle webhooks

Webhooks are user-defined HTTP callbacks triggered by an event in a web application. Twilio uses webhooks to let your application know when events happen, like getting an incoming call or receiving an SMS message. Webhooks are triggered asynchronously.

When a webhook event occurs, Twilio makes an HTTP request, such as POST or GET, to the URL you configured for your webhook. Twilio's request to your application includes details of the event like the body of an incoming message or an incoming phone number. Your application can then process the event and reply to Twilio with a response containing the instructions you'd like Twilio to perform.

To handle a webhook when you use Twilio, you need to build a web application that can accept HTTP requests. Check out the Twilio SDKs to get up and running quickly.

Next steps

Explore these resources to keep building with the Twilio APIs:

Twilio SDKs: Get started with server-side libraries.
API Key Management: Learn about creating and managing API keys.
Twilio CLI: Work with Twilio from your terminal.
Webhook Security: Secure your webhook endpoints.
Global Infrastructure: Optimize performance with Edge Locations.