SMS API

Nexmo's SMS API enables you to send and receive text messages to and from users worldwide, using simple REST APIs.

Programmatically send and receive high volumes of SMS globally.
Send SMS with low latency and high delivery rates.
Receive SMS using local numbers.
Scale your applications with familiar web technologies.
Pay only for what you use, nothing more.

Getting Started

Send an SMS

This example shows you how to send an SMS to your chosen number.

First, sign up for a Nexmo account if you don't already have one, and make a note of your API key and secret on the dashboard getting started page.

Replace the following placeholder values in the sample code:

Key	Description
`NEXMO_API_KEY`	Your Nexmo API key.
`NEXMO_API_SECRET`	Your Nexmo API secret.

Write the code

Add the following to send-sms.sh:

Copy to Clipboard

curl -X "POST" "https://rest.nexmo.com/sms/json" \
  -d "from=AcmeInc" \
  -d "text=A text message sent using the Nexmo SMS API" \
  -d "to=$TO_NUMBER" \
  -d "api_key=$NEXMO_API_KEY" \
  -d "api_secret=$NEXMO_API_SECRET"

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

sh send-sms.sh

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

npm install nexmo

Initialize your dependencies

Create a file named send.js and add the following code:

Copy to Clipboard

const Nexmo = require('nexmo')

const nexmo = new Nexmo({
  apiKey: NEXMO_API_KEY,
  apiSecret: NEXMO_API_SECRET
})

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to send.js:

Copy to Clipboard

const from = FROM_NUMBER
const to = TO_NUMBER
const text = 'A text message sent using the Nexmo SMS API'

nexmo.message.sendSms(from, to, text, (err, responseData) => {
    if (err) {
        console.log(err);
    } else {
        if(responseData.messages[0]['status'] === "0") {
            console.log("Message sent successfully.");
        } else {
            console.log(`Message failed with error: ${responseData.messages[0]['error-text']}`);
        }
    }
})

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

node send.js

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

Add the following to build.gradle:

compile 'com.nexmo:client:4.3.0'

Initialize your dependencies

Create a class named SendMessage and add the following code to the main method:

Copy to Clipboard

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to the main method of the SendMessage class:

Copy to Clipboard


TextMessage message = new TextMessage(NEXMO_BRAND_NAME,
        TO_NUMBER,
        "A text message sent using the Nexmo SMS API"
);

SmsSubmissionResponse response = client.getSmsClient().submitMessage(message);

View full source

Run your code

We can use the application plugin for Gradle to simplify the running of our application. Update your build.gradle with the following:

apply plugin: 'application'
mainClassName = project.hasProperty('main') ? project.getProperty('main') : ''

Run the following gradle command to execute your application, replacing com.nexmo.quickstart.sms with the package containing SendMessage:

gradle run -Pmain=com.nexmo.quickstart.sms.SendMessage

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

Install-Package Nexmo.Csharp.Client

Initialize your dependencies

Create a file named SMSController.cs and add the following code:

Copy to Clipboard

var client = new Client(creds: new Nexmo.Api.Request.Credentials
{
    ApiKey = "NEXMO_API_KEY",
    ApiSecret = "NEXMO_API_SECRET"
});

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to SMSController.cs:

Copy to Clipboard

var results = Client.SMS.Send(request: new SMS.SMSRequest
{
    from = "Acme Inc",
    to = TO_NUMBER,
    text = "A test SMS sent using the Nexmo SMS API"
});

if (results.messages.Count >= 1)
{
    if (results.messages[0].status == "0")
        Debug.WriteLine("Message sent successfully.");
    else 
        Debug.WriteLine($"Message failed with error: {results.messages[0].error_text}");
}

View full source

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

composer require nexmo/client

Initialize your dependencies

Create a file named send-sms.php and add the following code:

Copy to Clipboard

$basic  = new \Nexmo\Client\Credentials\Basic(NEXMO_API_KEY, NEXMO_API_SECRET);
$client = new \Nexmo\Client($basic);

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to send-sms.php:

Copy to Clipboard

try {
    $message = $client->message()->send([
        'to' => TO_NUMBER,
        'from' => 'Acme Inc',
        'text' => 'A text message sent using the Nexmo SMS API'
    ]);
    $response = $message->getResponseData();

    if($response['messages'][0]['status'] == 0) {
        echo "The message was sent successfully\n";
    } else {
        echo "The message failed with status: " . $response['messages'][0]['status'] . "\n";
    }
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "The message was not sent. Error: " . $e->getMessage() . "\n";
}

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

php send-sms.php

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

pip install nexmo

Initialize your dependencies

Create a file named send-an-sms.py and add the following code:

Copy to Clipboard

import nexmo

client = nexmo.Client(key=NEXMO_API_KEY, secret=NEXMO_API_SECRET)

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to send-an-sms.py:

Copy to Clipboard

responseData = client.send_message(
    {
        "from": "Acme Inc",
        "to": TO_NUMBER,
        "text": "A text message sent using the Nexmo SMS API",
    }
)

if responseData["messages"][0]["status"] == "0":
    print("Message sent successfully.")
else:
    print(f"Message failed with error: {responseData['messages'][0]['error-text']}")

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

python send-an-sms.py

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

gem install nexmo

Initialize your dependencies

Create a file named send.rb and add the following code:

Copy to Clipboard

require 'nexmo'

client = Nexmo::Client.new(
  api_key: NEXMO_API_KEY,
  api_secret: NEXMO_API_SECRET
)

View full source

Write the code

Add the following to send.rb:

Copy to Clipboard

client.sms.send(
  from: 'Acme Inc',
  to: RECIPIENT_NUMBER,
  text: 'A text message sent using the Nexmo SMS API'
)

View full source

Run your code

Save this file to your machine and run it:

ruby send.rb

The rest of this document contains the following information:

Nexmo SMS API Concepts - what you need to know
Guides - learn how to use the SMS API
Code Snippets - code snippets to help with specific tasks
Tutorials - detailed tutorials for some common use cases
Reference - complete API documentation

Concepts

Before using the Nexmo SMS API, familiarise yourself with the following:

Number format - The SMS API requires phone numbers in E.164 format.
Authentication - The SMS API authenticates using your account API key and secret.
Webhooks - The SMS API makes HTTP requests to your application web server so that you can act upon them. For example: inbound SMS and delivery receipts.

Guides

Sender identity: How to change where your SMS appears to come from.
Concatenation and encoding: Determining whether the byte length of a message results in it being sent as multiple SMS.
Country specific features: How different countries' SMS sending rules can affect your campaign.
Delivery receipts: How to request a delivery receipt (DLR) from the carrier.
Inbound SMS: How to receive SMS on your Nexmo virtual numbers.
Troubleshooting: What to do if your SMS delivery fails.
SMPP access: Using SMPP instead of REST to access the SMS API.

Code Snippets

Tutorials

Reference

SMS API Reference

SMS API

Getting Started

Send an SMS

Write the code

Run your code

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

Initialize your dependencies

Write the code

Run your code

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

Initialize your dependencies

Write the code

Run your code

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

Initialize your dependencies

Write the code

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

Initialize your dependencies

Write the code

Run your code

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

Initialize your dependencies

Write the code

Run your code

Prerequisites

Install dependencies

Initialize your dependencies

Write the code

Run your code

Contents

Concepts

Guides

Code Snippets

Tutorials

Reference