twilio-python

The default branch name for this repository has been changed to main as of 07/27/2020.

Documentation

The documentation for the Twilio API can be found here.

The Python library documentation can be found here.

Versions

twilio-python uses a modified version of Semantic Versioning for all changes. See this document for details.

Migrating from 5.x

Please consult the official migration guide for information on upgrading your application using twilio-python 5.x to 6.x

Supported Python Versions

This library supports the following Python implementations:

Python 2.7
Python 3.4
Python 3.5
Python 3.6
Python 3.7
Python 3.8

Installation

Install from PyPi using pip, a package manager for Python.

pip install twilio

If pip install fails on Windows, check the path length of the directory. If it is greater 260 characters then enable Long Paths or choose other shorter location.

Don't have pip installed? Try installing it, by running this from the command line:

$ curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py | python

Or, you can download the source code (ZIP) for twilio-python, and then run:

python setup.py install

You may need to run the above commands with sudo.

Getting Started

Getting started with the Twilio API couldn't be easier. Create a Client and you're ready to go.

API Credentials

The Twilio needs your Twilio credentials. You can either pass these directly to the constructor (see the code below) or via environment variables.

from twilio.rest import Client

account = "ACXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
token = "YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"
client = Client(account, token)

Alternatively, a Client constructor without these parameters will look for TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID and TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN variables inside the current environment.

We suggest storing your credentials as environment variables. Why? You'll never have to worry about committing your credentials and accidentally posting them somewhere public.

from twilio.rest import Client
client = Client()

Specify Region and/or Edge

To take advantage of Twilio's Global Infrastructure, specify the target Region and/or Edge for the client:

from twilio.rest import Client

client = Client(region='au1', edge='sydney')

A Client constructor without these parameters will also look for TWILIO_REGION and TWILIO_EDGE variables inside the current environment.

Alternatively, you may specify the edge and/or region after constructing the Twilio client:

from twilio.rest import Client

client = Client()
client.region = 'au1'
client.edge = 'sydney'

This will result in the hostname transforming from api.twilio.com to api.sydney.au1.twilio.com.

Make a Call

from twilio.rest import Client

account = "ACXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
token = "YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"
client = Client(account, token)

call = client.calls.create(to="9991231234",
                           from_="9991231234",
                           url="http://twimlets.com/holdmusic?Bucket=com.twilio.music.ambient")
print(call.sid)

Send an SMS

from twilio.rest import Client

account = "ACXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
token = "YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"
client = Client(account, token)

message = client.messages.create(to="+12316851234", from_="+15555555555",
                                 body="Hello there!")

Enable Debug Logging

Log the API request and response data to the console:

import logging

client = Client(account, token)
logging.basicConfig()
client.http_client.logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)

Log the API request and response data to a file:

import logging

client = Client(account, token)
logging.basicConfig(filename='./log.txt')
client.http_client.logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)

Handling Exceptions

from twilio.rest import Client
from twilio.base.exceptions import TwilioRestException

account = "ACXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
token = "YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"
client = Client(account, token)

try:
  message = client.messages.create(to="+12316851234", from_="+15555555555",
                                   body="Hello there!")
except TwilioRestException as e:
  print(e)

For more descriptive exception types, please see the Twilio documentation.

Generating TwiML

To control phone calls, your application needs to output TwiML.

Use twilio.twiml.Response to easily create such responses.

from twilio.twiml.voice_response import VoiceResponse

r = VoiceResponse()
r.say("Welcome to twilio!")
print(str(r))

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Response><Say>Welcome to twilio!</Say></Response>

Using a Custom HTTP Client

To use a custom HTTP client with this helper library, please see the Twilio documentation.

Docker Image

The Dockerfile present in this repository and its respective twilio/twilio-python Docker image are currently used by Twilio for testing purposes only.

Getting help

If you need help installing or using the library, please check the Twilio Support Help Center first, and file a support ticket if you don't find an answer to your question.

If you've instead found a bug in the library or would like new features added, go ahead and open issues or pull requests against this repo!