Sending SMS in PHP: API Libraries and Code Examples |…

Sending SMS in PHP: API Libraries for Quick Integration

Sending SMS messages remains one of the most reliable ways to notify users: order confirmation, two-factor authentication, event reminders. For PHP, there are many ready-made libraries that simplify working with SMS providers through their API. In this article, we will look at popular solutions, how to install them, and code examples for sending messages.

Why use a library for sending SMS?

Manual work with HTTP requests to the SMS gateway API requires writing a large amount of boilerplate code: forming headers, error handling, working with JSON/XML, checking statuses. A ready-made library takes these tasks upon itself, providing a clean object-oriented interface. This speeds up development and reduces the likelihood of errors.

Popular Libraries for Sending SMS in PHP

The choice of library depends on the SMS provider used. Let's look at two popular options:

Twilio PHP SDK – official library for working with Twilio. Supports sending SMS, voice calls, phone number verification.
SMS Aero PHP SDK – library for the Russian service SMS Aero. Allows sending messages, checking balance, getting statistics.

Installation via Composer

Most modern PHP libraries are installed via Composer. Run in the terminal:

composer require twilio/sdk

For SMS Aero:

composer require sms-aero/sms-aero-php

After installation, include the autoloader in your script:

require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

Example of sending SMS via Twilio

To work with Twilio, you will need Account SID and Auth Token (located in the Twilio console). Code example:

<?phprequire_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

use Twilio\\Rest\\Client;

$sid    = "your_account_sid";$token  = "your_auth_token";$twilio = new Client($sid, $token);

$message = $twilio->messages    ->create(        "+71234567890", // recipient number        [            "from" => "+12345678901", // sender number (purchased from Twilio)            "body" => "Hello! This is a test SMS from PHP."        ]    );

echo "Message sent. ID: " . $message->sid;?>

On success, the create() method returns an object with message information. On error, a TwilioException is thrown.

Example of sending SMS via SMS Aero

For the Russian service SMS Aero, you will need an email and an API key. Example:

<?phprequire_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

use SmsAero\\SmsAeroClient;

$client = new SmsAeroClient('your_email@example.com', 'your_api_key');

try {    $response = $client->sendSms(        '71234567890',        'Message text',        'SENDER_NAME' // sender name registered in the service    );    echo "SMS sent. ID: " . $response->id;} catch (Exception $e) {    echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage();}?>

The sendSms() method returns a response object containing the delivery status, message ID, and balance.

Main Features of the Libraries

Sending single and bulk SMS – you can send one message or a list of numbers.
Delivery status check – request status by message ID.
Sender management – registration and selection of the sender name.
Working with templates – for some providers, you can use predefined message templates.
Balance and statistics – obtaining current balance and reports