Setting up a bot for Twilio SMS is one of the easiest experiences for bot developers! Follow these steps carefully to configure your bot.
You will need to install Botkit and run it before your bot can be configured with Twilio SMS.
Login and click Get Started in Twilio SMS Developer Console. You will be taken through the process of obtaining a number to use with your bot.
At this point you can use the Twilio wizard to help you create an application, or build one directly by clicking Messanging Services. You can give it a friendly, and chose Mixed for use case.
Check the box Process Inbound Messages and under request URL, type the name of your request url.
By default in Botkit, this is: https://mybot.yoururl.com/api/messages
Next, visit your console Dashboard and copy your Account SID and Auth Token. You will use these in the next step along with your assignedmobile number to setup Botkit.
Follow these instructions to run your bot locally, or by using a third-party service such as Glitch or Heroku.
You will need the following environment variables when running your bot:
- TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID= Your account's SID collected in step 3 above.
- TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN= Your account's Auth Token collected in step 3 above.
- TWILIO_NUMBER= The number you were assigned in step 2 above.
You should now be able to text message your number the words Hello and receive a friendly reply back!
Read more about making bots for this platform in the Twilio Developer Portal.