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Plivo

plivo

Because Twilio has high name recognition, many organizations consider it first when investigating communications platforms as a service (CPaaS). After trying Twilio, though, they may find themselves less than completely satisfied, maybe because of high pricing or unsatisfactory support or some other factor. Fortunately, highly regarded Twilio alternatives can help ease the pain. We suggest Plivo, which earns the among cloud communications platforms on G2. highest marks for customer satisfaction If you’re not satisfied with Twilio, you don’t have to rip it out and replace it with a Twilio alternative. You can put Plivo in place for a pilot program for a single use case and see how it performs. If you’re satisfied, you can switch over, or you can use Plivo in parallel with Twilio, or as a backup alternative in case your primary provider experiences downtime. Migrating from Twilio to Plivo is simple. The two companies’ API structures, implementation mechanisms, XML structure, SMS message processing, and voice call processing are similar. Twilio and Plivo enjoy feature parity in virtually every aspect, including Voice API SMS/MMS API Programmatically managing call flows Geo permissions Number lookup API Phone number management Validating requests Subaccounts Speech recognition SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) Browser and mobile SDKs Transcription Custom SIP headers HTTP callbacks You can migrate your existing application from Twilio to Plivo by refactoring the code, or you can try Plivo High-Level Objects (PHLO), an intuitive visual workflow builder. Follow one of Plivo’s quickstart guides for your preferred language and web framework. Plivo offers server SDKs in seven languages: PHP, Node.js, .NET, Java, Python, Ruby, and Go. How to Make an Outbound Call Let’s take a look at the code for a Ruby application that makes an outbound call in both Twilio to Plivo. Whether you use Ruby or one of the other supported languages, you can migrate from one platform to the other by refactoring just a few lines of code. Twilio require 'rubygems'
require 'twilio-ruby'

account_sid = ENV['<TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID>']
auth_token = ENV['<TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN>']
@client = Twilio::REST::Client.new(account_sid, auth_token)

call = @client.calls.create(
            url: 'http://demo.twilio.com/docs/classic.mp3',
            to: '+1415555222',
            from: '+14155551111'
)
puts call.sid Plivo require 'rubygems'
require 'plivo'

include Plivo
include Plivo::Exceptions

auth_id = ENV['<PLIVO_AUTH_ID>']
auth_token = ENV['<PLIVO_AUTH_TOKEN>']

api = RestClient.new(auth_id,auth_token)

begin
  response = api.calls.create(
    '+14155551111',
    ['+14155552222'],
    'https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.plivo.com/answer.xml'
  )

  puts response
rescue PlivoRESTError => e
  puts 'Exception: ' + e.message
end How to Receive an Incoming Call You can migrate an application for receiving and handling an incoming call just as easily. Twilio require 'sinatra'
require 'twilio-ruby'

post '/twiml' do
  # Start our TwiML response
  Twilio::TwiML::VoiceResponse.new do |r|
    r.say(message: 'Hello, world!', voice: 'alice')
  end.to_s
end Plivo include Plivo
include Plivo::XML
include Plivo::Exceptions

class PlivoController < ApplicationController
 def inbound
    response = Response.new
    speak_body = 'Hello, world!'
    response.addSpeak(speak_body)

    xml = Plivo::PlivoXML.new(response)
    render xml: xml.to_xml
 end
end How to Forward an Incoming Call The same goes for an application that automatically forwards an incoming call. Twilio require 'sinatra'
require 'twilio-ruby'

post '/twiml' do

   response = Twilio::TwiML::VoiceResponse.new
   response.dial(number: '415-234-5678')
   response.say(message: 'Goodbye')
   puts response
   end.to_s
end Plivo def forward
   response = Response.new
   dial = response.addDial()
   dest_number = "415-234-5678"
   dial.addNumber(dest_number)

   xml = PlivoXML.new(response)
   puts xml.to_xml
   render xml: xml.to_xml
 end We don’t want to overload you with code here (especially if you use a language other than Ruby). You can get more information about how to implement voice applications in Plivo from the , available for all seven programming languages and PHLO. use case guide documentation One of Plivo’s key principles is to keep things simple for developers while we allow them to build complex applications. See for yourself how simple it is for a Twilio developer to pick up Plivo. Simple and Reliable Plivo’s simple APIs work in tandem with a comprehensive global network to let you build robust voice applications with low latency and high call quality. See for yourself by signing up for a free Plivo trial account that you can experiment with, which comes with free credits.

Migrating a Voice-Enabled Application 
from Twilio to Plivo

You can send your first SMS message using Node.js SDK within 5 minutes. This article guides you through how to use to send SMS from your application with . First, let’s make sure you meet the prerequisites before we dive into the code. Plivo Plivo SMS API Node.js Prerequisites for a Plivo account if you haven't already! Sign-up : You will find your Plivo Auth ID and Auth Token on the home screen of your . Plivo Auth ID and Auth Token Plivo console : You must have an SMS-enabled Plivo phone number to send messages to the US and Canada. Purchase numbers from the Numbers section of your . You can also purchase numbers using the . Plivo Phone Number Plivo console Numbers API Install if you haven't already! Node.js Install : Plivo Node.js SDK npm install -g plivo Send an SMS message In this section, we'll send an SMS message with GSM characters, Unicode characters, and emojis, and a multipart message in the text body. Send an SMS message with GSM characters Now you’re ready to start. Create a file called sendSms.js and paste in this code: plivo = ( ); client = plivo.Client( , );

client.messages.create( , , ).then( { .log(message_created)
}); const require 'plivo' const new '<auth_id>' '<auth_token>' '+14156667777' '+14156667778' 'Hello, world!' ( ) function message_created console Send an SMS message with emojis You can use this code to send an SMS with emojis in the message body: plivo = ( ); client = plivo.Client( , );

client.messages.create( , , ).then( { .log(message_created)
}); const require 'plivo' const new '<auth_id>' '<auth_token>' '+14156667777' '+14156667778' '👋 Hello from Plivo!' ( ) function message_created console Send an SMS message with Unicode characters You can use this code to send an SMS with Unicode characters in the message body: plivo = ( ); client = plivo.Client( , );

client.messages.create( , , ).then( { .log(message_created)
}); const require 'plivo' const new '<auth_id>' '<auth_token>' '+14156667777' '+14156667778' '你好，世界！' ( ) function message_created console Send a multipart SMS message You can use this code to send an SMS message with a multipart message body. The message will be sent to the destination number in parts and will be concatenated at the recipient's end. plivo = ( ); client = plivo.Client( , );

client.messages.create( , , ).then( { .log(message_created)
}); const require 'plivo' const new '<auth_id>' '<auth_token>' '+14156667777' '+14156667778' 'This randomly generated text can be used in your layout (webdesign , websites, books, posters ... ) for free. This text is entirely free of law. Feel free to link to this site by using the image below or by making a simple text link' ( ) function message_created console Replace the placeholders auth_id and auth_token with actual values from your . Save the file and run it with the command: Plivo Console node sendSms.js An SMS message will be sent to the destination number specified in the code. To receive incoming SMS messages on your Plivo number, follow our . Quickstart guide You can check our to learn how Plivo manages GSM/Unicode characters in the message body. Note: Encoding and Concatenation guide Conclusion And that’s all there is to sending SMS messages using Plivo’s Node.js SDK. Don’t use Node.js? Don’t worry — we have SDKs for , , , , , , and . Java Python PHP Ruby .NET Core .NET Framework Go Haven’t tried Plivo yet? Getting started is easy and only takes five minutes! today. Sign up Previously published at https://www.plivo.com/blog/send-sms-in-node-express/

Using Plivo APIs For Sending SMS messages With Node.js

At Plivo, we’ve been brainstorming about how ChatGPT, OpenAI’s AI-adjacent natural language processing tool, might help our customers. Our cloud communications platform provides APIs that let businesses automate sending and receiving text messages, as well as voice calls. The first step toward figuring out how ChatGPT could elevate those tasks has been to try it ourselves. We wrote this post to help other organizations get started more quickly. Your application and can interact in two ways — think of them as “to” and “from.” An application action (in Plivo’s case an incoming call or text message, for instance) could be a trigger invoke ChatGPT. For instance, someone might text a question to a given phone number designated to communicate with ChatGPT, or tagged with an #askChatGPT hashtag. We could then use OpenAI APIs to pass that query to ChatGPT and return the answer to the person who initiated the query. ChatGPT to Another use case, for data going in the other direction, would have someone invoke something ChatGPT that triggers an action in a third-party application. For instance, you could go to the OpenAI’s page and ask ChatGPT to text everyone in a list a weather report for their area. from Playground Unfortunately, that second use case isn’t ready yet. Any application that wants to allow ChatGPT to use its APIs has to write an — and “plugins are a limited alpha,” according to the company. If your company wants to join the program, get on the waitlist now. OpenAI plugin Still, calling ChatGPT from your service’s APIs can accomplish some pretty useful tasks. From Plivo to ChatGPT To see how a Plivo action could trigger ChatGPT, Plivo CTO Mike Ricordeau wrote a short proof-of-concept program in Python, using the Flask framework. His code is , so you can clone it and play with it. sms_bot.py publicly available on GitHub To test the application, you’ll need a few bits of information, starting with an OpenAI API key. If you don’t have one already, sign up for an OpenAI account, then click , and create a new secret key. Make sure you save the key somewhere secure because OpenAI will never display it for you again. Crisis? Not really — if you lose your key you can create a new one. View API Keys If you want to use Plivo as your test application, you’ll also need Plivo credentials. , and note the Auth Key and Auth Token on the front page of the Plivo console. You’ll also need to that’s capable of sending SMS messages; we give you plenty of credits so you don’t have to spend anything to get one. Sign up for a free account rent a Plivo phone number The last variable you’ll need is the name of an OpenAI model or engine. We used -turbo. GPT-3.5 Now, turn to the instructions in the GitHub project’s README file. Follow the instructions to install, configure, and run the application on a local machine. Before you deploy the application, you must expose it as a public URL. To do that, we recommend using a secure tunneling application such as . Make sure to specify to ngrok the same port on which the sms_bot.py application is running (8080 by default). Ngrok will return a forwarding IP address you can use. ngrok Copy the forwarding address from ngrok, visit the Plivo console, and add a Plivo application. Specify the address, postpended with “/sms,” in the Message URL. Next, click the phone number you rented and associate it with the application you just created. In the Application Type drop-down, choose XML Application, and under Plivo Application choose the name of the Plivo application you added. Now the application should be live and available. You can try it by texting a question in the form of a message to the phone number you used. What happens when you do that? The Plivo platform receives the message and POSTs it to the Message URL. Ngrok forwards it to the Python application running locally, which connects to OpenAI by using the APIs in the program and asks the question. OpenAI gives the answer. The Python application then returns a Message XML element that contains the response, which Plivo sends to the user’s phone number. In our test setup the entire “transaction” took about four seconds from when we tapped Send to when we received a response. Try It Yourself This simple use case helped us understand how to use OpenAI APIs with Plivo. You can adapt what we did to your own use case. Let us know what you learn — we’re on Twitter @Plivo.

How to Call ChatGPT with OpenAI's APIs

Every business has to pay to connect to the internet, so it makes sense to use that connection for as many communication services as possible. Voice is an obvious choice. Given the maturity of voice over IP protocol (VoIP), there’s not much reason to use a separate copper or fiber connection when network bandwidth is available. With VoIP, voice communication becomes just another application on the network. SIP — Session Initiation Protocol — is perhaps the most popular VoIP protocol. SIP trunking can turn any number of devices within a network into SIP endpoints that businesses can use, like phones. SIP endpoints can be independent physical hardware devices (phones, in other words) or software applications that run on desktop or mobile devices (sometimes called softphones). Of course, a phone’s no good without connectivity, but that’s simple. SIP endpoints can connect to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) either through a local device such as an IP PBX or border gateway. Increasingly though, businesses choose to connect their SIP endpoints to the PSTN via a communications platform as a service (CPaaS). Connectivity as a service beats acquiring, managing, and maintaining hardware for the same reasons businesses use cloud services in other areas. , Plivo’s SIP trunking service, is one of the most cost-effective business SIP trunking providers. Zentrunk Benefits of SIP SIP trunking is cost-effective — there’s no need to pay a separate bill to a phone company, and though you may pay a CPaaS provider, their bill will be lower than what the phone company would charge. With SIP, calls are just network connections, so you don’t have to pay expensive long-distance rates. One difference between a SIP endpoint and a traditional phone line is that you can associate multiple numbers with a single SIP endpoint. Multiple local and toll-free numbers can all come into the same endpoint, and local numbers can have any area code or even country, not just the one associated with your physical place of business. And SIP isn’t just about voice calls. SIP supports video calls, real-time presence information, instant messaging, and file transfers, as well as if the endpoint device can provide that support. SIP endpoints are cost-effective because you don’t need new hardware for them — they can run on existing devices. That yields an instant return on investment — businesses get more capability and lower communication costs, and employees get increased productivity. Another benefit for employees is increased mobility. With a traditional office phone, you could receive calls only in the office. With a SIP endpoint, you can be anywhere — working at home, at the local coffee shop, or on vacation in the Hamptons. Increasing employees’ availability is a benefit for their employers too. Hard and Soft Options Which SIP endpoints are right for your business? If you want hardware phones and you already have hardware from a networking vendor such as Cisco, Avaya, or Mitel, it would be worth getting a quote from your current vendor. The SIP protocol itself is standard, but some vendors may support proprietary features to give their devices more functionality. If you’re fine with softphones, you can choose among many names, including some open source options, for just about every desktop and mobile device. Any way you slice it, SIP endpoints and SIP trunking services are where business telephony is heading.

SIP Endpoints are the New Business Telephone System

Businesses send out text messages for many reasons: customer notifications, marketing, security alerts. As businesses grow, messaging volumes tend to grow too. A solution that was cost-effective for a smaller business might not be the best fit for one that’s grown. Most businesses send their first text messages via regular phone numbers. These long codes are inexpensive to lease. How inexpensive? To compare cost options, we used pricing from cloud communications provider Plivo’s . SMS API platform With Plivo, each long code number costs only 50 cents a month. Per-message costs are also low — half a penny for each SMS message sent, and no charge for SMS messages received. (You can also use long codes for MMS messaging, which have different per-message charges.) In the US, any long code number used to be fine for texting, but starting in 2021 mobile network operators (MNO) began requiring businesses to register their brands and campaigns (use cases) before they associate their 10-digit long codes ( ) with them. Fortunately, one-time 10DLC registration charges are inexpensive, as are the monthly fees for campaigns. 10DLC 10DLC users can also spend $40 to have their brands vetted for higher throughput — up to 4,500 transactions per minute (TPM). That works out to 75 messages per second, which sounds like a high rate at which to send texts, but some businesses send out millions of messages a day — think of a company that sends one-time passcodes for two-factor authentication — and long code throughput rates may be too low. The Case for Short Codes That’s where show their worth. These five- or six-digit numbers were designed for text messaging, and they offer the highest possible throughput for messaging — 33% higher than 10DLC. Each individual message is also less expensive to send than long code texts — $0.0045 vs. $0.0050 for US customers — and carrier surcharges are lower. short codes Short codes have more advantages than price. Businesses can use a single short code number for a whole country — no need to get numbers with familiar area codes. They can also obtain a vanity short code that maps to their business or product name. For example, 7-Eleven uses 711711, while the San Jose Sharks hockey team uses 742757, which is SHARKS on the phone keypad. A vanity short code makes it easy for people to remember how to contact your business. That’s the good news. The bad news is that obtaining and leasing short codes costs a lot more than long codes. There’s a high one-time setup fee, plus monthly leasing costs of $500 or more. And where long codes can be provisioned immediately, short codes can take weeks to go through an approval process. Calculating Cost-Effectiveness When does it make economic sense to migrate from long codes to short codes? To see which number type makes the most sense for your business, go over a past bill and see how many SMS and you sent and received. Price out the total costs for each kind of message, then see what they’d be if you switched number types. MMS messages For example, suppose your business sends out 1.25 million SMS messages every month and receives 50,000. Here’s a table that adds up per-message and monthly line rental costs for a single number of each type. This is just a back-of-the-envelope calculation. It’s not an accurate reflection of real-world costs because it leaves carrier surcharges out of the cost equation. When a message comes from or goes to an end user, the user’s carrier takes a little money for sending or delivering the message. by number type, carrier, and the type of message: SMS or MMS, sending or receiving. Carrier surcharges vary You can get a more accurate estimate in your calculations by factoring in not only the messaging volume but also the carrier surcharges from a recent bill. As a general rule, if most of your texting involves sending SMS messages and you send more than a million messages a month, you should consider acquiring a short code number from which to send them. Actually, you might not need to do this calculation. If long code or 10DLC throughput capacities can’t meet your needs, short codes are probably a better alternative. Cost Isn’t Everything If you decide that a short code would be a good fit for your business’s texting needs, your next decision is what communications provider you should lease it from. Nowadays, most businesses use cloud communications platforms that provide APIs that let businesses integrate texting and voice calling capabilities into their applications. Even though we just looked at how to cost outnumber type alternatives, price isn’t the only consideration you should use when you choose a communication platform as a service (CPaaS). Factors such as reliability, coverage of all the geographic areas in which you do business, a robust API, and top-notch documentation and support are worth paying for. Ask a peer what platform they’re satisfied with, or visit an independent peer-review site like G2, which shows how satisfied other businesses are with their choices. If you can find a reliable CPaaS that’s highly rated by its customers and less expensive than its competitors, you’ve found your new short code provider.

Should You Use a Short Code to Send Text Messages?

You can automate sending out SMS messages with any language. Python perennially tops the list of popular languages, so let’s look at how to . send text messages using Python The trick isn’t so much the language you use to send text messages, but rather the API you employ. Sure, theoretically you could write code from scratch that accepted text, formatted it for SMS, and forwarded it to a telecom provider. Fifteen years ago, maybe you would have done just that, but thanks to cloud service providers, nobody needs to do that anymore. Today we have dozens of cloud communications platforms that offer application programming interfaces (API) that anyone can use to add text messaging to applications quickly. An SMS API lets developers integrate sending and receiving text messages with their existing applications. On the back end, it communicates with a communications platform that interfaces with the telecommunications networks and does the actual processing of messages. To see how it works, we looked at Plivo’s . Plivo has the top rating for satisfaction among cloud communications platforms on the independent peer-to-peer reviews site G2. Plivo provides software development kits (SDK) in seven languages, including Python. SMS API To get started, sign up for a free Plivo account and use the free credits provided to lease a phone number with which to send and receive messages. Plivo’s documentation provides instructions on , including installing the Plivo , setting up a Flask server, and installing ngrok, which exposes local servers running behind NATs and firewalls to the public internet over secure tunnels. how to set up a Python development environment Python SDK You don’t need Flask or ngrok to send SMS messages, but if you plan to receive them, you’ll need to use tools like these. Create the Send SMS Application Now you can dive right into coding. Create a file called send_sms.py and paste into it this code. Replace the auth placeholders with the authentication credentials for your account, which you can find on the front page of the Plivo console. Replace the phone number placeholders with actual phone numbers in E.164 format (for example, +12025551234). Pick your own mobile number as the destination so you can see the code in action. Then save the file. import plivo
client = plivo.RestClient('<auth_id>','<auth_token>')
response = client.messages.create(
	src='<sender_number>',
	dst='<destination_number>',
	text='Hello, world!',)
print(response) Test Your Application Now run the program. $ python send_sms.py You should receive a “Hello, world!” message on your phone. Of course this example is about as simple as they come. You can imagine more complex scenarios — looking up a customer’s phone number and sending them an appointment reminder, for example, or sending someone a security code they can use for two-factor authentication. However you use it, integrating SMS with your Python applications is simpler than you might have imagined. Text messaging opens up all kinds of opportunities for businesses. There’s no time like the present to use SMS to give your business a competitive advantage.

How to Send SMS Text Messages Using Python

Cómo enviar mensajes de texto SMS usando Python

Comment envoyer des messages texte SMS à l'aide de Python

पायथन का उपयोग करके एसएमएस टेक्स्ट संदेश कैसे भेजें

Python を使用して SMS テキスト メッセージを送信する方法

Como enviar mensagens de texto SMS usando Python

Cách gửi tin nhắn văn bản SMS bằng Python

如何使用 Python 发送 SMS 文本消息

is a fairly new service implemented by US telecom carriers that provides cost-effective text messaging for businesses of all sizes. 10DLC A 10DLC (10-digit long code) is a regular phone number that a business can register with a carrier. In return for businesses registering their corporate brand and their use cases (called campaigns in 10DLC parlance), carriers forgo most spam filtering on their messaging. They also offer greatly increased messaging throughput — up to 4,500 transactions per minute (TPM) for vetted brands and campaigns, versus 75 for unvetted numbers. 10DLC is an economical alternative to short codes, which, unlike the long codes used for 10DLC, were specifically designed for text messaging. Short codes have potentially higher throughput, but they’re much more expensive — $500 or more a month, depending on the provider and whether it’s a regular number or a vanity short code. By contrast, 10DLC campaigns cost $10 a month. Businesses can associate as many as 49 numbers with each campaign, and each number incurs a monthly rental charge of less than a dollar. One-time charges for 10DLC are better too — $44 to register a brand and have it vetted to get the highest available throughput, versus $1,500 to acquire a short code. Nowadays most businesses use a communications platform as a service (CPaaS) for their application-to-person (A2P) texting, and they can sign up for 10DLC numbers through their CPaaS. CPaaS providers make telecom tasks easier for users thanks to their direct relationships with the carriers. Texting for Small Businesses While 10DLC costs might not break the bank of a popular restaurant or retailer, it’s not ideal for mom-and-pop businesses. Consider individual Etsy sellers who want to provide order acknowledgments and shipping notifications to their buyers, or a nonprofit social services agency that wants to provide texting support to clients in need, or a lone developer who wants to build texting into a new application. Every dollar counts for these organizations and individuals, and they don’t need the ability to send thousands of messages per minute. Cloud communications platforms have begun catering to small businesses and sole proprietors with a special messaging tier. Plivo, for instance, offers a for businesses that don’t have and don’t need an IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN). Starter brand Starter brands are more affordable than the alternative standard brands. There’s no cost for brand registration, and a campaign costs only 75 cents per month. Of course there’s a tradeoff for those cost savings. Starter brands can register only a single campaign, and can associate no more than five numbers with it. And messaging throughput is limited to 75 TPM — but that’s plenty for businesses at this level. So the price is right — but why should small businesses even be interested in texting? If they want to be in touch with customers (and prospective customers) they should choose the communication channel the recipients prefer, and for many people these days, that’s texting. It all comes down to providing better communication and giving people what they want.

How to Set Up Affordable Text Messaging for Small Businesses

Cómo configurar mensajes de texto asequibles para pequeñas empresas

It’s easier than you might think to add ( ) to your applications. two-factor authentication 2FA The secret is to use APIs provided by a cloud communications platform like Plivo. Sometimes the best way to learn how to code something is by looking at an example, so we’ve created a on GitHub. sample application To use it, you need a Plivo account; you can and get enough free credits to lease a phone number with which to send or receive messages and build some starter applications. sign up for free If this is your first time using Plivo APIs, Plivo’s provides instructions on how to set up a Python development environment, including installing the Plivo Python SDK, setting up a Flask server, and installing ngrok, which exposes local servers running behind NATs and firewalls to the public internet over secure tunnels. documentation The sample application uses Redis, an in-memory key–value database, cache, and message broker. If it’s not already running (or ), type in a terminal window to start it. installed redis-server Once you have the prerequisites out of the way, use git to clone the repository for the sample application into its own directory, or you can just . view it on GitHub Install the sample application’s dependencies using the included file by running in the application directory. requirements.txt pip install -r requirements.txt Edit and change a few items. config.py Replace the auth placeholders with your authentication credentials from the Plivo console. Replace the phone number placeholder with an actual phone number in (for example, +12025551234). Use your own Plivo number so you can test the code easily. E.164 format Replace the PHLO ID with an empty string, since we’re doing our 2FA solely using code. A Look at the Code The application runs under the Flask framework. The file twofactor.py defines a function that uses the Time-Based OTP algorithm to generate a random six-digit one-time password (OTP), and other functions that send the OTP to the specified destination number. The file routes.py uses the functions to generate an OTP, send it out, and verify the user’s entry. When you’re ready to see it in action, can help you test your code. Plivo’s Postman collection Simple and Reliable Our simple APIs work in tandem with our comprehensive global network. Plivo’s premium direct routes guarantee highest possible delivery rates and the shortest possible delivery times for your 2FA SMS and voice messages. See for yourself — sign up for a free trial account.

How to Build a 2FA Application in Python 

Cómo construir una aplicación 2FA en Python

You say you have a great idea for an application and all you need is a toolkit to help you add texting capabilities to it? Maybe you’re sending out delivery notifications, or using text messages for two-factor authentication, or you just want to use texting in your marketing campaigns. You’re in luck, because you can add the ability to send and receive text messages easily with the help of a cloud communications platform. A communications platform as a service (CPaaS) provides APIs that you can call from your programs. On the back end, these APIs connect to the telecommunications network to exchange SMS messages and make and receive voice calls. By using a CPaaS, developers are insulated from the complexities of the telecom infrastructure; they can concentrate on making their applications better. A Real-World Example To see how this works, let’s walk through the exact process you might use as a developer. CPaaS platforms provide software development kits (SDK) to make it easy to use their services in various languages — Python, PHP, Java, and more. We’ll use JavaScript and Node.js. For our CPaaS, we picked , the service that tops the peer review site CPaaS list for customer satisfaction. To use Plivo (or any CPaaS) you have to have an account. Plivo lets you for free and provides usage credits so you can write test applications. Plivo G2 sign up You also have to reserve a phone number from which to send messages, which you can do with a few clicks on the Plivo management console. Since you’re reading this article I’m going to assume you’re already familiar with JavaScript and Node.js. Plivo provides a Node.js SDK, which is . Once you’ve done that, adding text notifications to your program is just a matter of a few lines of code. simple to install <pre>
var plivo = require('plivo');
(function main() {
	'use strict';
	var client = new plivo.Client("<auth_id>", "<auth_token>");
	client.messages.create(
  	{
      	src: "<sender_id>",
      	dst: "<destination_number>",
      	text: "Appointment reminder: 12:00 noon tomorrow"
  	}
  	).then(function (response) {
    	console.log(response);
	});
})();
</pre> It should be obvious what this code snippet does. The tokens in <angle brackets> are placeholders. You have to replace the auth placeholders with authentication credentials that you can copy from the home page of the Plivo console. Replace the source and destination phone number placeholders with actual phone numbers in (for example, +12025551234). Boom — you’re done. E.164 format In a production environment, you would never hard-code authentication credentials into the code. You can store your credentials in environment variables instead. If you set the variables `auth_id` and `auth_token`, you can initialize the client with no arguments and Plivo will automatically fetch the values from the environment variables. You can use to store environment variables and fetch them when initializing the client. process.env What About Receiving Texts? Many organizations are concerned more with sending text messages than receiving them, but chances are some of the people you send messages to are going to text you back. Fortunately, once you’ve got a CPaaS account, receiving texts is almost as simple as sending them. If you’re using Plivo, you can visit their “ ” doc page for another code sample and instructions on how to tie the code to your web application server. how to receive SMS messages Before you roll your newly text-enabled application out to the masses, be sure to educate yourself about . You need to be aware of things like opt-in/opt-out rules and the kinds of message content that carriers prohibit. best practices for using SMS If you’re in the US, you should also learn about (10-digit long codes), a recent innovation by US carriers that promises high throughput and lowers the risk of spam messaging. 10DLC

How to Send SMS Notifications and Alerts Using JavaScript and Node.js

Cómo enviar notificaciones y alertas por SMS usando JavaScript y Node.js

Comment envoyer des notifications et des alertes par SMS à l'aide de JavaScript et de Node.js

जावास्क्रिप्ट और Node.js का उपयोग करके एसएमएस सूचनाएं और अलर्ट कैसे भेजें

JavaScript と Node.js を使用して SMS 通知とアラートを送信する方法

Como enviar notificações e alertas por SMS usando JavaScript e Node.js

Cách gửi thông báo và cảnh báo qua SMS bằng JavaScript và Node.js

如何使用 JavaScript 和 Node.js 发送 SMS 通知和警报

Businesses are always looking for ways to perform tasks efficiently and cost-effectively. Nowadays, that often means using cloud resources instead of purchasing and maintaining on-premises equipment. You can even move your telephone lines to the cloud, thanks to and a technology called SIP trunking. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) VoIP lets you use your data network to carry voice traffic. is one of the protocols that enable VoIP. SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) It lets any endpoint such as a computer or a handset set up real-time audio and video sessions with any device that has a phone number or a SIP address. In other words, SIP trunks act as virtual phone lines that enable users to make and receive calls over the internet and connect with anyone in the world who has a phone or connects to the internet. SIP trunking works with an organization’s existing communications infrastructure, whether it’s on-premises or cloud-based. It can help businesses increase the capacity of their telecom stack, increase coverage and phone number inventory, and extend their on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, all while saving money compared to the cost of hardware-based telecom. SIP Trunking Advantages SIP trunking provides several advantages over physical infrastructure: With traditional phone service, organizations are subject to charges for local, long-distance, and international calling. Cost savings: Moving from traditional telecom systems to SIP trunking helps you save on recurring costs, as you can build your entire telecom system in the cloud and be billed on a simple per-usage basis. You can also save by forgoing the physical infrastructure and hardware investments that typically come with scaling phone lines. Adding phone lines or services is as simple as scaling your monthly service agreement. By combining voice and data in a single network, SIP trunking lets your organization open new sites or set up remote workers quickly. Scalability: You can scale as you grow by self-provisioning local, international, mobile, and toll-free numbers, configuring them in your trunk, and terminating calls from your IP PBX. You can easily add capacity to your existing VoIP system without investing in additional infrastructure. SIP trunk providers offer flexibility in areas such as the ability to change phone numbers, adjust services, add IP access control lists, and configure softphone compatibility. Agility: Traditional phone systems are prone to interruptions from factors such as weather events and networking issues. SIP trunking is more reliable, since you can add failover routing if a primary IP address is not responsive. Reliability: SIP trunk providers enable companies to expand their VoIP infrastructure without having to negotiate with new local carriers. They offer easy-to-use administrative portals for on-site management, including actions like adjusting call routing, changing extensions, and adding phone lines on demand. Easy management for IT teams: Things to Look For in a SIP Trunk Provider When you’re ready to consider adding SIP trunks to your telecom infrastructure, start thinking about what you want in what’s effectively an all-digital phone line. You may have site-specific criteria, but just about all businesses will want to consider some common factors. Your calls should sound as clear as (or clearer than) calls made using traditional phone company trunks. Voice Quality: In theater, the show must go on; in telephony, the call must go through. Look for providers with redundant infrastructure and multiple carrier connections across geographies to ensure reliability. Reliability: : Look for a provider that can facilitate outbound calls globally, and that provides local numbers in the countries where you do business. Local numbers keep customers from having to make international or long-distance calls. Coverage One of the main is cost savings. Long-distance and international calling should be less expensive over SIP trunks. SIP trunking pay-as-you-go pricing models let businesses pay only for actual usage, versus paying up front for bundles of service you may not need. Some providers offer flexible contracts, allowing you to adjust services as needed. Cost: benefits of SIP trunking SIP trunking is straightforward in concept and execution, and that should be reflected in their management interface. A SIP trunk provider should offer an intuitive way to manage and configure trunks and to view call detail records (CDR). Ease of management: No matter how simple a technology is, you’re likely to have implementation questions or need to troubleshoot. Look for a provider that offers free tech support 24/7. Support: Other criteria to consider include interoperability with your existing infrastructure (which is all but a given today), authentication options, and network security. You should also look for a provider with a depth of knowledge of the technology and ecosystem behind SIP trunking, to provide advice and support during installation, troubleshooting, and scaling. Getting Started With SIP Trunking How do you get started with SIP trunking? One good way is with , a SIP trunking service from Plivo. Plivo’s uses Tier 1 voice carriers around the world rather than relying on least-cost routing (LCR), which compromises quality and optimizes for cost. Zentrunk Premium Communications Network Zentrunk provides global coverage for outbound and inbound voice calls, and offers unlimited concurrent calls, low post-dial delay, and guaranteed calling line identity (CLI), also known as caller ID. Whether you’re looking to increase the capacity of your current telecom stack, increase coverage and phone number inventory, or extend your on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, Zentrunk can get you started. Plivo has network points of presence (PoP) located in six regions across five continents to ensure that customers experience low latency and high voice quality, and a redundant infrastructure with at least three local carrier connections across countries for high reliability. Zentrunk lets you provision SIP trunks instantly using a dashboard interface. And Plivo’s beats that of telecom providers. SIP trunk pricing Enjoying the Benefits Nowadays, many organizations are discussing whether employees should return to offices and how often they should work there. SIP trunks can provide the flexibility businesses need to adjust to changing telecom needs. Regardless of how you use it, SIP trunking can simplify your telecom landscape.

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