Sending SMS via REST API in Nigeria requires understanding Nigerian phone number formats, sender ID requirements, and delivery optimisation. Here are practical code examples for the three most common backend languages used by Nigerian developers.
Node.js Example
Using the axios library for HTTP requests, sending SMS in Node.js involves creating a POST request to the NigeriaSMS API endpoint with your API key in the headers and the message payload in the request body. The response includes a message ID for tracking. Error handling should cover network failures, invalid phone numbers, and insufficient balance.
Python Example
Python's requests library makes API integration straightforward. A send_sms function that accepts to, from_sender, and body parameters, builds the request, handles authentication, and processes the response with appropriate error handling can be implemented in under 30 lines. Include phone number normalisation to handle the various formats Nigerian numbers come in.
PHP Example
PHP's cURL or file_get_contents functions handle REST API calls. A NigeriaSMS class with a sendSMS method provides clean integration for PHP applications and popular frameworks like Laravel and CodeIgniter. Laravel developers can create a dedicated SMS service provider for clean application architecture.
Handling Special Characters in Nigerian SMS
Nigerian SMS messages sometimes include special characters for names or places. Standard GSM encoding supports 160 characters, but Unicode encoding (for non-standard characters) reduces the limit to 70 characters per segment. Always test character encoding when your messages include special characters.
Implementing Delivery Webhook Handler
A webhook endpoint that receives delivery status callbacks should: validate the webhook signature to prevent spoofing, extract the message ID and status, update your database record, trigger any required application logic (show delivery tick in UI, alert on failure), and return a 200 response quickly to acknowledge receipt.
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