ClickSend SMS API Essential Guide

What type of API does ClickSend SMS provide?

The ClickSend SMS service uses a REST API. Key points about the ClickSend REST API:

1. The API is described as simple, lightweight, and built on established standards.
2. It supports a wide range of programming languages.
3. The API uses standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to interact with defined resources.
4. The API allows for sending SMS, receiving SMS, and retrieving SMS history.
5. It supports both XML and JSON formats for requests and responses.
6. Example API endpoints include sending an SMS, receiving an SMS, and retrieving SMS history.

Does the ClickSend SMS API have webhooks?

Webhook Support

Yes, the ClickSend SMS API does support webhooks. This allows you to receive real-time notifications for certain events.

Types of Events

The search results mention a few specific webhook events that can be subscribed to:

1. New Incoming SMS (Instant) - Emits a new event for each new incoming SMS message received.
2. Watch Voice Messages (Instant) - Emits a new event when a new voice message is received or sent.
3. URL Content Changes - Emits a new event when the content of a specified URL changes.

Key Considerations

• Webhooks allow for automatic notifications to be sent when certain events occur, which is generally faster and more efficient than polling for updates.
• The webhooks can be integrated with other platforms and services like Pipedream, allowing you to build automated workflows triggered by ClickSend events.
• While not explicitly stated in the results, webhook integrations typically require setting up an endpoint URL on your server to receive the webhook notifications.

Best Practices

• When implementing webhooks, ensure your endpoint can handle the expected volume of notifications securely and efficiently.
• Consider using a service like Pipedream or n8n to easily manage and process webhook events without having to set up your own infrastructure.
• Always refer to the official ClickSend API documentation for the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on webhook capabilities and implementation details.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Based on the search results provided, here are the key points regarding the API rate limits for the ClickSend SMS API:

API Rate Limits

1. The ClickSend API does not specify explicit rate limits in terms of requests per second or minute.

2. There are limits on the number of recipients you can send to in a single API call:

   • For the /sms/send endpoint, you can send to up to 1,000 recipients or contact lists per API call [2].

   • For the /sms-campaigns/send endpoint, you can send to a single contact list with up to 20,000 recipients per API call [2].

3. The API has a pagination system for methods that return large amounts of data:

   • By default, 1 page of 15 items will be returned [1].
   • You can customize pagination using ?page={page}&limit={limit} in the URL [1].
   • The minimum limit is 15 and the maximum is 100 items per page [1].

Other Relevant Limits

While not strictly API rate limits, there are some other relevant limits to be aware of:

1. For 10 Digit Long Codes (10DLC) in the US, there's a limit of up to 200,000 messages per day, but this depends on your individual trust score [3].

2. For Toll Free Numbers (TFN) in the US and Canada:

   • Unregistered: Cannot be used
   • Registered: 50,000 per day, 500,000 per month [3]

3. Shortcodes in the US and Canada have no specified limit [3].

Best Practices

1. Use pagination parameters when retrieving large amounts of data to avoid overwhelming the API.

2. Be aware of the recipient limits for different endpoints and plan your API usage accordingly.

3. For high-volume sending, consider using the SMS campaign endpoint which allows for more recipients in a single call.

4. Monitor your usage, especially if using 10DLC or TFN, to ensure you stay within the daily and monthly limits.

It's important to note that while these limits are mentioned in the documentation, ClickSend may have additional safeguards or rate limiting in place that are not explicitly stated. If you're planning to send very high volumes of messages, it would be advisable to contact ClickSend directly for more specific guidance on rate limits and best practices for your use case.

Latest API Version

Based on the search results provided, the most recent version of the ClickSend SMS API is version 2 (v2). Here are the key points:

1. The current version of the ClickSend SMS API is REST API v2 [2].

2. The API documentation refers to "rest/v2" and "http/v2" endpoints, indicating that version 2 is the latest [2][3].

3. Key features of the ClickSend SMS API v2 include:

   • REST-based architecture [2]
   • Support for HTTP and HTTPS protocols [3]
   • JSON and XML response formats [2]
   • Endpoints for sending SMS, receiving SMS, and viewing SMS history [2][3]

4. The API offers various integration options:

   • REST API [2]
   • HTTP API [3]
   • FTP and SMPP APIs (mentioned, but not detailed in the search results) [4]

5. The API supports multiple programming languages and provides sample codes for easy integration [4].

6. It offers global coverage with direct routes and uses Tier 1 networks for reliable message delivery [4].

It's important to note that while the search results consistently refer to version 2 of the API, they do not explicitly state that this is the absolute latest version. However, based on the information provided, v2 appears to be the most recent version of the ClickSend SMS API available.

How to get a ClickSend SMS developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for ClickSend SMS and create an API integration, follow these steps:

Sign up for a ClickSend account

1. Visit the ClickSend website and create a free account.
2. You'll receive $2 AUD free credit when you sign up.

Obtain API credentials

1. Log in to your ClickSend dashboard.
2. Click on 'API Credentials' in the top right corner of the dashboard.
3. You will find your API username and API key there.

Set up your development environment

1. Choose your preferred programming language.
2. Install the ClickSend client library for your chosen language.

Configure API authentication

Use your API username and API key to configure authentication in your code. For example, in Ruby:

ClickSendClient.configure do |config|
  config.username = 'YOUR_USERNAME'
  config.password = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
end

Create an API instance

Create an instance of the API class to interact with ClickSend's services. For example, to use the SMS API in Ruby:

api_instance = ClickSendClient::SMSApi.new

Implement SMS functionality

Use the API instance to send SMS messages, check account balance, or perform other SMS-related operations as needed for your integration.

What can you do with the ClickSend SMS API?

Based on the search results provided, here is a list of data models that can be interacted with using the ClickSend SMS API, along with what is possible for each:

SMS Message

• Send SMS messages to one or multiple recipients
• Customize message body, recipient number, and source
• Schedule SMS messages for future delivery
• Create and manage SMS message collections

MMS Message

• Send MMS (multimedia) messages to one or multiple recipients
• Include multimedia content in messages

Contact

• Create new contacts in specific lists
• Manage contact information for SMS recipients

Account

• Retrieve account information
• Manage account settings and credentials

Voice Message

• Send text-to-speech voice calls
• Monitor incoming and outgoing voice messages

Rich Messaging

• Create and send rich multimedia experiences
• Engage in real-time conversations via RCS (Rich Communication Services)
• Interact with messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp Business

Inbound SMS

• Receive and process incoming SMS messages
• Set up webhooks to handle incoming SMS events

List

• Create and manage contact lists
• Add contacts to specific lists

Delivery Report

• Retrieve delivery status of sent messages
• Monitor message delivery performance

API Key

• Manage API authentication credentials
• Generate and revoke API keys

Pricing

• Retrieve pricing information for SMS services

Coverage

• Check global coverage and direct routes for SMS delivery

It's important to note that while these data models and interactions are possible with the ClickSend SMS API, the exact implementation details and available methods may vary. For the most up-to-date and comprehensive information, it's recommended to consult the official ClickSend API documentation.