What’s Nexmo?

Nexmo offers a global SMS API allowing you to send messages to all but four countries and receive inbound messages via virtual numbers in twenty eight countries.

We’re also rolling out Voice support, allowing your applications to make and receive calls. And with even more inbound numbers (seventy three different countries).

Getting Started

Sending is simple. Just make an HTTP request to the Nexmo API with the message, what number it should be sent to, and a few other parameters.

Receiving a message is even simpler. When a message is sent to your virtual number, the Nexmo API makes a web request to the callback URL you specify. It looks just like a regular HTML form post, so it’s easy for any server side language to process.

Need to send a message to a landline? Just change ‘sms’ to ‘tts’ in the URL, and use Nexmo’s text-to-speech API as easily as sending an SMS. You can even prompt the called party to enter a few digits before the call ends.

Want a bit more Voice related power? Use the Nexmo Call API, or an inbound virtual number to route an inbound or outbound call to VoiceXML.

You can manage your virtual numbers, troubleshoot message delivery and view message logs, and get your API credentials all from the Nexmo dashboard.

Want to add SMS to another service? Our OAuth support makes it easy for users to allow 3rd party access to their Nexmo account. It’s a great way to provide tools and services around SMS, without having to manage the usage billing – here’s how to get started with OAuth and Nexmo.

What to Build

There are a ton of Voice and SMS app that could be built. Here are a few examples:

• Automate a wake up call service, where a user sends in a request via SMS, and receives a phone call in the morning. Add a little math problem and the TTS Prompt API to make sure they’re really awake.
• Take this example proxy service, and this ridiculous pirate translator, and make a service that allows not just affordable international SMS conversations (proxying SMS through numbers local to each party), but also translates those messages on the fly. Sure, a pirate speak translator is only useful one day a year, but it’s only one API away from a real translation service.
• Add two factor authentication to your application, and allow users to SMS commands – or even votes – from their phone (smart or not). Why stop at software? Use Nexmo’s SMS and Voice APIs as the control for an embedded hardware project.

Nexmo at TADHack

Want to use Nexmo for your TADHack? We certainly want you to. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email: tim@nexmo.com. And even if you don’t have a question, send me a note on what you’re building, and your Nexmo API key, so I can make sure you have enough Nexmo credits to get things done.