SMS API

What Is an SMS API?

An SMS API is an endpoint your application calls to send a text message, specifying the recipient number, message content and sender ID. The API accepts the request, queues the message for delivery through an SMS gateway, and returns a message ID you can use to track its status.

It replaces a manual process - logging into a panel and typing out a send - with something your order system, authentication flow or CRM can trigger automatically, at any volume, without a person in the loop for every message.

Sender ID, DLT & Templates for India

A sender ID is the short alphanumeric header (like TLPEDA) a recipient sees instead of a phone number. In India, both the sender ID (called a Header) and every message template need to be registered on TRAI's DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform before they can be used - an unregistered header or a message that doesn't match its approved template gets silently blocked by the operator, regardless of content.

• Principal Entity registration - your business registered as the sender of record.

• Header registration - your sender ID mapped to that entity.

• Content template registration - the exact message format, with variable placeholders, approved in advance.

Teleopedia handles entity, header and template registration as part of onboarding. The full process, and the mistakes that most often get a message blocked, are covered on DLT Compliant CPaaS and this DLT registration guide.

Authentication & API Integration

Every request carries a bearer token generated from your dashboard. A request to send an SMS includes the recipient, sender ID, DLT template reference and the message itself:

POST /v1/sms/messages
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "to": ["+919876543210", "+919812345678"],
  "sender_id": "TLPEDA",
  "dlt_template_id": "1707162XXXXXXXXX",
  "message": "Your order #BL123456 has shipped and will arrive in 3-5 days."
}

The response confirms acceptance and returns an ID for status tracking:

{
  "message_id": "sms_7a21f0",
  "status": "queued",
  "channel": "sms"
}

Scheduling & Bulk Sending

Beyond immediate sends, the API and dashboard both support scheduling a campaign for a future time - useful for promotional sends that need to land within TRAI's permitted hours - and submitting a list of recipients in a single bulk request rather than one call per message.

Developer Workflow

A typical SMS API integration follows the same REST conventions as the rest of the platform - JSON request and response bodies, bearer-token auth, and webhook callbacks instead of polling: