How to Integrate Twilio SMS API in Laravel: A Step-by-Step Guide

Posted On: 25, June 2025

How to Integrate Twilio SMS API in Laravel: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you looking to add SMS capabilities to your Laravel application? Integrating Twilio's messaging API with Laravel provides a powerful way to send text messages to your users. Whether you need to implement verification codes, notifications, or marketing messages, this guide will walk you through the entire process.

Why Use Twilio with Laravel?

Twilio's API is one of the most reliable messaging services available, and Laravel offers elegant ways to implement it. Together, they provide:

Easy setup and configuration
Reliable message delivery
Comprehensive delivery reports
Global reach for messaging
Secure API communications

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you'll need:

A Laravel project (5.5 or newer)
A Twilio account (you can start with a free trial)
Composer installed on your system
Basic knowledge of Laravel

Step 1: Sign Up for Twilio

First, register at Twilio.com to get your account credentials:

Create a Twilio account
Navigate to the dashboard
Note your Account SID and Auth Token
Get a Twilio phone number for sending messages

Step 2: Install the Twilio SDK Package

Let's install the Twilio SDK via Composer. Open your terminal and run:

composer require twilio/sdk

Step 3: Create Environment Variables

Add your Twilio credentials to your .env file:

TWILIO_SID=your_account_sid

TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your_auth_token

TWILIO_NUMBER=your_twilio_phone_number

Step 4: Create a Service Provider (Optional)

For cleaner code organization, let's create a service provider:

php artisan make:provider TwilioServiceProvider

Now edit the created provider file:

namespace App\Providers;

use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;

use Twilio\Rest\Client;

class TwilioServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider

{

public function register()

{

$this->app->singleton('twilio', function ($app) {

$sid = config('services.twilio.sid');

$token = config('services.twilio.token');

return new Client($sid, $token);

});

}

public function boot()

{

}

Step 5: Update Config Files

Add Twilio to your config/services.php file:

'twilio' => [

'sid' => env('TWILIO_SID'),

'token' => env('TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN'),

'number' => env('TWILIO_NUMBER'),

'providers' => [

// Other providers...

App\Providers\TwilioServiceProvider::class,

Step 6: Create SMS Service Class

Let's create a dedicated service class for handling SMS:

mkdir -p app/Services

touch app/Services/SmsService.php

Now edit this file:

namespace App\Services;

use Twilio\Rest\Client;

use Exception;

use Log;

class SmsService

{

protected $twilio;

public function __construct(Client $twilio)

{

$this->twilio = $twilio;

}

public function sendMessage($to, $message)

{

try {

$message = $this->twilio->messages->create(

$to,

[

'from' => config('services.twilio.number'),

'body' => $message

]

);

return [

'success' => true,

'message' => 'SMS sent successfully',

'data' => $message->sid,

];

} catch (Exception $e) {

Log::error('Twilio SMS error: ' . $e->getMessage());

return [

'success' => false,

'message' => $e->getMessage()

];

}

Step 7: Create a Controller

Create a controller to handle SMS requests:

php artisan make:controller SmsController

Edit the controller:

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use App\Services\SmsService;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class SmsController extends Controller

{

protected $smsService;

public function __construct(SmsService $smsService)

{

$this->smsService = $smsService;

}

public function send(Request $request)

{

$request->validate([

'phone' => 'required|string',

'message' => 'required|string|max:160'

]);

$result = $this->smsService->sendMessage(

$request->phone,

$request->message

);

return response()->json($result);

}

Step 8: Define Routes

Add the route in your routes/api.php file:

Route::post('/send-sms', 'SmsController@send');

For Laravel 8+ syntax:

Route::post('/send-sms', [App\Http\Controllers\SmsController::class, 'send']);

Step 9: Create a Simple Form (Optional)

For testing purposes, you can create a simple form:

html

@csrf

<label for="phone">Phone Number (with country code):</label>

</div>

<label for="message">Message:</label>

</div>

</form>

Step 10: Error Handling and Logging

To improve reliability, add comprehensive error handling:

try {

// Your Twilio code here

} catch (\Twilio\Exceptions\RestException $e) {

Log::error('Twilio REST exception: ' . $e->getMessage());

// Handle specific Twilio exceptions

} catch (\Exception $e) {

Log::error('SMS sending failed: ' . $e->getMessage());

// Handle general exceptions

}

Best Practices for Twilio SMS Integration

Phone Number Validation: Always validate phone numbers with proper country codes
Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse
Queueing: For high-volume applications, use Laravel's queue system
Testing: Use Twilio's test credentials in development
Notifications: Consider using Laravel's notification system for more complex scenarios

Laravel Notifications with Twilio

For a more Laravel-integrated approach, create a notification class:

php artisan make:notification SmsNotification

Then customize it for Twilio:

namespace App\Notifications;

use Illuminate\Notifications\Notification;

use App\Services\SmsService;

class SmsNotification extends Notification

{

protected $message;

public function __construct($message)

{

$this->message = $message;

}

public function via($notifiable)

{

return ['twilio'];

}

public function toTwilio($notifiable)

{

return [

'to' => $notifiable->phone_number,

'message' => $this->message

];

}

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Twilio's SMS API with your Laravel application! This implementation allows you to send text messages to your users globally with just a few lines of code. The service class approach provides flexibility while maintaining clean code practices.

For more advanced features like receiving messages, handling responses, or implementing WhatsApp messaging, check out Twilio's comprehensive documentation.

Remember to handle phone numbers securely and be mindful of international formatting requirements when expanding your application globally.