> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://guides.curiousmints.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Twilio SMS Hello World

> Send a Text Message Using the Twilio API

<Info>
  **Prerequisite** You should have an API key from Twilio and have it stored in a .env file.
</Info>

## Introduction

This guide demonstrates how to send a basic text message using the Twilio API. You'll learn how to set up your environment, configure your API credentials, and send a text message.

<Accordion title="Show me the code" icon="code">
  ```python twilio-sms-example.py theme={null}
  import os
  from dotenv import load_dotenv
  from twilio.rest import Client

  # Load environment variables from .env file
  load_dotenv()

  # Get Twilio credentials and phone numbers from environment variables
  account_sid = os.getenv('TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID')
  auth_token = os.getenv('TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN')
  phone_from = os.getenv('TWILIO_PHONE_FROM')
  phone_to = os.getenv('TWILIO_PHONE_TO')

  # Initialize Twilio client with account SID and auth token
  client = Client(account_sid, auth_token)

  try:
      # Send a text message using Twilio API
      message = client.messages.create(
          body="Hello, World!",
          from_=phone_from,
          to=phone_to
      )
      # Print success response
      print(f"Message sent to {phone_to}. SID: {message.sid}")
  except Exception as e:
      # Print error response
      print(f"Failed to send message. Error: {e}")
  ```
</Accordion>

## Setup

### Step 1: Install Required Packages

First, install the necessary packages using pip:

```sh theme={null}
pip install python-dotenv twilio
```

### Step 2: Create a .env File

Create a `.env` file in the project root with your Twilio credentials and phone numbers:

```plaintext theme={null}
TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID=your_twilio_account_sid
TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your_twilio_auth_token
TWILIO_PHONE_FROM=your_twilio_phone_number
TWILIO_PHONE_TO=recipient_phone_number
```

## Sending a Text Message

### Step 3: Create the Python Script

Create a Python script named `twilio-sms-example.py` with the following content:

```python twilio-sms-example.py theme={null}
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from twilio.rest import Client

# Load environment variables from .env file
load_dotenv()

# Get Twilio credentials and phone numbers from environment variables
account_sid = os.getenv('TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID')
auth_token = os.getenv('TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN')
phone_from = os.getenv('TWILIO_PHONE_FROM')
phone_to = os.getenv('TWILIO_PHONE_TO')

# Initialize Twilio client with account SID and auth token
client = Client(account_sid, auth_token)

try:
    # Send a text message using Twilio API
    message = client.messages.create(
        body="Hello, World!",
        from_=phone_from,
        to=phone_to
    )
    # Print success response
    print(f"Message sent to {phone_to}. SID: {message.sid}")
except Exception as e:
    # Print error response
    print(f"Failed to send message. Error: {e}")
```

### Step 4: Run the Script

Ensure you have the `.env` file in the same directory as the script. Then, execute the script:

```sh theme={null}
python twilio-sms-example.py
```

## Conclusion

You have successfully sent a text message using the Twilio API! This guide provided a basic example to get you started. You can now expand on this by customizing the message content and handling different phone numbers.