Sending SMS

Being able to send SMS text messages to our users is another way for us to connect with them

It is possible to connect our computer to a GSM modem, interact with specialized libraries (such as Asterisk, asterisk.org, combined with ngSMS, ozekisms.com), and interface with the libraries and the telephony equipment to send SMS messages.

There are easier ways though. Services like Twilio provide gateway SMS services, where we contact them via an HTTP REST API and they handle the SMS sending for us.

In this recipe, we'll convert our newsletter mail out app into a blanket SMS service using the twilio module.

Getting ready

This requires a Twilio account (https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio). Once signed up and logged in we should take note of our Account SID, Auth Token, and Sandbox phone number (we may have to select our country of residence to obtain the appropriate Sandbox number).

We'll need some phone numbers to send texts to for testing purposes. In the sandbox mode (which is what...