Key Takeaways
- cURL against an Android SMS gateway API is HTTPS/JSON to a paired phone — not an SDK and not a fake CLI product.
- Live path, headers, and JSON live in Developer Center. This page is how not to lie to yourself with a 200.
- A successful HTTP status is not a DLR. The SIM still has to be awake.
- Shell history is where API keys go to leak. Use env files, not pasted secrets.
- Retrying the same body without an idempotency key double-texts.
- You bring the Android and operator credit. We meter devices and send volume.
cURL is a probe, not a product
Sending SMS with cURL against an Android SMS gateway API is how you prove the control plane, the pairing, and the SIM in one shot. It is REST HTTPS/JSON. It is not a C SDK, not a NuGet, and not a substitute for a worker that handles idempotency.
Live request shape: Developer Center— this spoke does not mirror paths. Hub: Android SMS gateway API. Samples in other languages stay samples: PHP, C#.
“If the only success test is HTTP 200, you tested the laptop, not the radio.”
$ curl --json … █
Accepted ≠ delivered.
What a smoke send must prove
| Check | Pass | Fail tells you |
|---|---|---|
| TLS to the API | Cert valid | Corporate proxy / wrong host |
| Auth | 401 gone after env key | Stale key in history |
E.164 to | Staff canary rings | Leading 0 / Excel damage |
| Device online | PDU leaves | Offline KB |
| DLR / webhook | Status later | Accepted-only lie |
USA smoke tests belong on a US SIM you own, not a rented foreign CLI. SMS gateway for USA. E.164: E.164 guide.
Keys out of history
--header with a bearer in the shell is how keys land in .bash_history. Export from a file that is gitignored. Rotate after a demo laptop leaves the building.
Retries duplicate SMS
curl --retry without an idempotency field is two OTP texts. Production belongs in a worker. DLR.
Cost
Every smoke send spends operator credit and platform volume. Free is 300 SMS lifetime on 1 device. Pricing.
Checklist
- URL/fields from Developer Center, not a blog gist.
- Key from env.
- Canary on a cold handset.
- No retry loop in the demo script.
- OTP vs promo SIM named.
Next steps
Developer Center, setup, Android app.
Related product pages
Jump to the live product docs for this topic—not another long-form article.
- SMS API documentationLive endpoint reference
- device and SMS volume pricingPlans and allowances
- Android SMS gateway product guideDefinition, product, and how to buy
- download the Android gateway appGet the APK
