SMS Messaging
SMS, or Short Message Service, stands as one of the most widely accessible messaging service that allows for the exchange of short text messages between mobile devices, including cellular phones and smartphones, anywhere in the world, without requiring a data connection.
Messages sent via SMS can include UTF8 strings containing both English and Unicode characters, and must comply with specific rules:
- For messages in English, a single part can contain up to 160 characters. Certain characters:
|,^,{,},€,[,~,],\are counted as two characters each. - For Unicode messages, a single part can contain up to 70 characters.
- If a message exceeds these character limits, it will be sent in multiple parts. The first part will have 160 characters for English messages, and each subsequent part will contain up to 153 characters. For Unicode messages, the first part will contain 70 characters, and each subsequent part will contain up to 67 characters.
Outbound SMS
An outbound SMS, also known as Mobile Terminated (MT) SMS, refers to a message you sent to an end-user phone number. It is a fundamental aspect of SMS communication, enabling you to reach customers and users directly.
In an Outbound SMS you can set the From or Sender field with whatever sender name you have registered on Javna CPaaS. With our SMS API, you can effortlessly send outbound SMS messages to any mobile number globally whether it's transactional alerts or promotional offers.
Bulk SMS
Mass texting, or bulk messaging, is a method of sending single or multiple messages to multiple recipients simultaneously. It is often used for marketing campaigns, event announcements, and other scenarios where a large audience needs to receive the same information at once. This approach allows businesses and organizations to reach many people quickly and efficiently, ensuring consistent messaging across their target audience.
Promotional SMS
Promotional messages, also known as marketing messages, are sent to promote, up-sell, or advertise a business. Examples include informing recipients about flash sales, new products, or special offers, such as trying a new flavor of ice cream. These messages are usually unsolicited and aim to encourage purchases or engagement.
Promotional messages are generally sent within specific hours. For example, in Jordan, they are typically sent from 9 AM to 9 PM, Sunday through Thursday.
Transactional SMS
Transactional SMS is a direct way for businesses to communicate specific, important information to customers via text messages. These messages are typically triggered by customer actions or when an update is necessary, and can be automated through CRM or other software systems.
Unlike promotional SMS, which is geared toward marketing and sales, transactional SMS focuses on delivering timely and critical updates. Examples include:
- Sending a one-time password (OTP) to authenticate a user’s identity during login.
- Alerting customers to actions required for their credit card, such as a potential unauthorized transaction.
- Informing online store customers when their orders have shipped, including tracking numbers and expected delivery dates.
- Providing airline passengers with updates on changes to a flight’s schedule or gate number.
- Reminding patients of upcoming appointments, with options to confirm or reschedule.
By providing timely, relevant information, transactional SMS enhances customer satisfaction, ensuring customers have immediate access to critical updates about their transactions or services. This makes it a valuable tool for businesses in maintaining customer trust and engagement.
SMS OTP
SMS OTP (Short Message Service One-Time Password) is a security protocol that sends a single-use password via text message to a user's mobile phone, which is required to complete a login or transaction process. This method ensures that access or authorization is granted only to users possessing the registered mobile device.
As a form of two-factor authentication (2FA), SMS OTP plays a vital role in protecting against fraud, particularly for online transactions. It verifies that the transaction is initiated by the account's rightful owner, especially for high-risk or large financial transactions. SMS OTPs are also essential for secure login processes for sensitive accounts in sectors like banking, healthcare, and public services, helping to mitigate risks such as phishing attacks and credential stuffing.
OTPs usually include 4-7 alphanumeric characters.
Application Programming Interface (API)
An Application Programming Interface (API) specifies how some software components should interact with each other. It extends beyond just facilitating access to databases or computer hardware like hard disk drives and video cards but also streamlines the development of graphical user interface components. In practice, most often an API is a library that includes specifications for routines, data structures, object classes, and variables.
When used in the context of web development, an API is typically defined as a set of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request messages, along with a definition of the structure of response messages, which is usually in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format.
HTTP
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the core protocol of the World Wide Web. It’s designed to support communication between a browser or an application and servers; HTTP protocol is used to send information in a format that both the client and the server can understand, HTTP works as a stateless request-response protocol between the client and the web server.
HTTP protocol is based on several request methods, or "verbs", including the HTTP GET and HTTP POST request methods, among others.
HTTP Get request Method
Get is one of many request methods supported by the HTTP protocol used by the World Wide Web as it’s used to request a resource from the server and receive data (no change on the server state).
HTTP Post request Method
POST is an HTTP method designed to send data to the server from an HTTP client. The HTTP POST method requests the web server accept the data enclosed in the body of the POST message, it is used to create or add a resource on the server but not replace it.