How do you integrate Spring Boot with Twilio API for SMS services?

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Setting Up Twilio in Spring Boot
  • Step 1: Create a Twilio Account
  • Step 2: Add Twilio Dependency in pom.xml
  • Step 3: Configure Twilio in application.properties
• Sending SMS with Twilio API
  • Step 4: Create Twilio Service Class
• Sending an SMS from a Controller
  • Step 5: Create Controller to Trigger SMS
• Testing SMS Sending
• Handling SMS Delivery Reports
  • Step 6: Create Webhook Endpoint for Delivery Updates
• Conclusion

Introduction

Twilio is a cloud communications platform that allows developers to easily integrate messaging services like SMS, voice, and video into their applications. By integrating Twilio with a Spring Boot application, you can send and receive SMS messages with just a few lines of code. In this guide, we’ll cover the steps to integrate Twilio with Spring Boot and how to send SMS messages.

Setting Up Twilio in Spring Boot

Before integrating Twilio with Spring Boot, you need to set up a Twilio account and obtain the necessary credentials.

Step 1: Create a Twilio Account

1. Visit Twilio’s website.
2. Sign up for an account and obtain the Account SID and Auth Token from the Twilio console.
3. Purchase a Twilio phone number to send SMS.

Step 2: Add Twilio Dependency in pom.xml

In your Spring Boot project, add the Twilio SDK dependency to your pom.xml:

This dependency will allow you to interact with Twilio's API from your Spring Boot application.

Step 3: Configure Twilio in application.properties

Store your Twilio credentials securely in the application.properties file:

Sending SMS with Twilio API

Now that you have configured Twilio, let’s create a service class to send SMS messages.

Step 4: Create Twilio Service Class

Create a TwilioService class that will handle the logic for sending SMS.

In the TwilioService class:

• The constructor initializes the Twilio API with the provided account SID and Auth Token.
• The sendSms() method sends an SMS to the recipient’s phone number using the Twilio API. The method returns the message SID, which is a unique identifier for the sent message.

Sending an SMS from a Controller

Now, let’s create a controller to expose an endpoint that triggers the sending of an SMS.

Step 5: Create Controller to Trigger SMS

In this controller:

• The send-sms endpoint accepts two query parameters: to (the recipient’s phone number) and message (the message body).
• The sendSms() method from the TwilioService is called to send the SMS, and the message SID is returned.

Testing SMS Sending

To test your integration:

1. Start your Spring Boot application.
2. Open a browser or API testing tool (like Postman).
3. Call the endpoint by navigating to:

Replace YOUR_PHONE_NUMBER with a valid phone number and check your phone for the SMS.

Handling SMS Delivery Reports

Twilio provides delivery reports for messages, which are sent to a specified webhook URL. To handle these delivery updates, you can configure a webhook endpoint in Spring Boot.

Step 6: Create Webhook Endpoint for Delivery Updates

In this controller:

• The /twilio-webhook endpoint listens for Twilio’s delivery status updates. When an SMS delivery report is received, you can log the status or update the message status in your database.

Conclusion

Integrating Twilio with Spring Boot allows you to send SMS messages effortlessly using the Twilio API. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can configure Twilio in your Spring Boot application, send SMS messages, and even handle delivery reports for better tracking of SMS status. This integration is ideal for applications that need SMS capabilities, such as user notifications, two-factor authentication, or marketing campaigns.