Connect Twilio to your MonstarX app
In shortTwilio sends text messages from a phone number you rent from it. Paste your Account SID, auth token and Twilio number into Backend → Cloud, then ask MonstarX for the messages you want, like "text members a reminder the day before their class".
Send text messages and verification codes, or make calls.
- Type
- For your app
- Category
- Messages, email and calls
- Connect with
- API key
Twilio is a service for phone messages and calls. You rent a phone number from Twilio, and your app sends text messages (SMS) from it — the kind people actually read, often within minutes.
What can you build with it?
Section titled “What can you build with it?”- Reminders: “Your class starts tomorrow at 7am.”
- Order and delivery updates: “Your order is ready to collect.”
- Sign-in or confirmation codes texted to a phone number.
- Alerts for your team, like a text to the manager when a big order comes in.
- A “text me the link” button that sends a page to someone’s phone.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- A Twilio account. Twilio charges per message and a monthly fee for the number; prices depend on the country (see Twilio’s pricing).
- A Twilio phone number that can send SMS.
- Trial accounts can only text phone numbers you have verified in Twilio, and only in your sign-up country. Upgrade the account before real customers need your messages.
- Some countries ask you to register your number or business before texts are delivered (in the United States, for example). Twilio’s console walks you through it.
Get your keys
Section titled “Get your keys”-
Sign in to the Twilio Console.
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On the console’s home page, copy the Account SID (it starts with
AC) and the Auth Token. -
Get a phone number if you do not have one yet (Phone Numbers → Buy a number, or the trial number Twilio offers). Copy it in international format: a plus sign, the country code and the number, with no spaces — like
+61412345678.
Connect it in MonstarX
Section titled “Connect it in MonstarX”-
Open your project and click Backend in the top bar, then Cloud.
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Under Connectors, click Connect beside Twilio.
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Paste the Account SID, the Auth token and your Twilio number into From number.
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Click Connect Twilio. The row shows Connected, and your preview restarts with the keys.
When you ask for a text-message feature first, MonstarX shows the same fields on a card in the chat. Click Later if you have no Twilio account yet: MonstarX builds everything, and the feature says Twilio is not connected until you add the keys.
Ask MonstarX to use it
Section titled “Ask MonstarX to use it”| You type | What happens |
|---|---|
| “Text members a reminder the day before each class they booked.” | A phone number field on the profile and a reminder sent by text. |
| “When an order is marked ready, text the customer.” | A text goes out as soon as you change the order’s status. |
| “Ask for a phone number at sign-up and text a 6-digit code to confirm it.” | A code is texted and checked before the number is saved. |
| “Text me at +61412345678 whenever someone books a private session.” | A text to your own phone for each new booking. |
Security and privacy
Section titled “Security and privacy”- The auth token is secret: it is stored encrypted and only your app’s server uses it. The Account SID and From number are not secret but stay on the server too.
- Phone numbers your app collects are kept in your app’s database, in the same international format.
- Only the project’s owner can connect, update or disconnect Twilio. Disconnect removes the keys from this app.
- To change the token, create a new one in the Twilio Console, then click Update keys on the Twilio row, paste it and click Save keys. Publish again so the live app uses it.
Good to know
Section titled “Good to know”- MonstarX builds text messages (SMS) by default. Twilio can also send WhatsApp messages and make voice calls; ask for them by name, and set them up on Twilio’s side first (WhatsApp needs an approved sender).
- Replies from customers go to your Twilio number. To do something with them, ask MonstarX to handle incoming texts and set the address it gives you in your number’s settings in Twilio.
- Every message costs money on your Twilio account, including the ones your preview sends while you test.
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”Why did my test text never arrive?
On a Twilio trial account, you can only text numbers you have verified in Twilio. Verify your phone in the Twilio Console, or upgrade the account.
What format should phone numbers be in?
International format with a plus sign and no spaces, like +61412345678. MonstarX stores the numbers your app collects the same way.
Can my app send WhatsApp messages?
Yes, through Twilio, once your WhatsApp sender is set up in Twilio. Ask MonstarX for WhatsApp by name.
Does MonstarX charge for text messages?
No. Twilio bills your own account for each message; MonstarX adds nothing.