Building an Infobip SMS Service with Node.js and NestJS - code-examples -

Frequently Asked Questions

Create a NestJS service that uses the Infobip Node.js SDK. This service will interact with the Infobip API to send SMS messages. You'll need an Infobip account and API key for authentication. The service should handle sending the SMS and any necessary error conditions, such as invalid numbers or network issues. Expose the service's send functionality through a NestJS controller using an appropriate DTO and API endpoint.
The Infobip Node.js SDK (@infobip-api/sdk) is a library that simplifies interaction with Infobip's communication platform APIs. It handles authentication and provides methods to send SMS messages. Using the SDK makes it easier to integrate SMS sending capability into your Node.js and NestJS applications. The setup usually involves initializing an Infobip client instance with your API key and base URL.
NestJS provides structure, modularity, and dependency injection. Its modular architecture organizes the project, making it easier to maintain and test SMS logic in its own module. Dependency injection simplifies testing and swapping implementations.
Consider a message queue like RabbitMQ or AWS SQS for high-volume SMS or increased resilience. This decouples request handling from sending, allowing your application to accept requests quickly and handle failures/retries separately. A worker process can consume messages from the queue and send them via the Infobip API. A queue is ideal for handling occasional network disruptions or delays by providing retry mechanisms for better reliability and prevents slowing down your main application under load.
Yes, you can often use a custom alphanumeric sender ID (up to 11 characters), but this depends on regulations and pre-registration requirements. The `from` parameter in the SMS sending method allows setting the sender ID. If not provided, Infobip might use a shared number or a default configured for your account. Note that sender ID regulations vary significantly by country, so check Infobip's documentation for specific rules related to the countries you are targeting. A trial account is unlikely to allow arbitrary sender IDs.
Use a try-catch block around the Infobip SDK calls to handle potential errors. The Infobip API often returns a structured error object in its responses, especially in case of network errors or request issues. Use NestJS's built-in HttpException class and its subclasses (BadRequestException, InternalServerErrorException, etc.) to return appropriate error codes to the client. Log details about the error, including stack traces and any Infobip-specific error codes, to help in debugging. Use a structured logger like Pino for more detailed error logging if required. A robust service must handle rate limiting (429 errors), authentication issues (401 errors) and internal Infobip errors (5xx errors), as well as invalid user input.
You need an Infobip account (free or paid), Node.js v14 or higher, npm or yarn, the NestJS CLI, basic understanding of TypeScript, Node.js, and REST APIs, access to a terminal, and optionally Git and Docker.
Use your package manager (npm or yarn): `npm install @infobip-api/sdk @nestjs/config class-validator class-transformer` or `yarn add @infobip-api/sdk @nestjs/config class-validator class-transformer`. These install the Infobip SDK, configuration, and validation libraries.
You need `INFOBIP_API_KEY` and `INFOBIP_BASE_URL` from your Infobip account dashboard. Store them securely in a `.env` file and load them using `@nestjs/config`. Never commit `.env` to Git.
Use the NestJS CLI: `nest new infobip-sms-service`. Then, navigate to the created project directory: `cd infobip-sms-service`.
Create an Infobip module, service, and controller: `nest generate module infobip`, `nest generate service infobip`, and `nest generate controller infobip`. The module encapsulates related components. The service handles the Infobip logic, and the controller exposes the API endpoint.
Create a Data Transfer Object (DTO) with class-validator decorators. Use the ValidationPipe in the controller or globally to automatically validate requests. Validate `to`, `text`, and optional `from` fields, and implement a basic check on the number format. Consider using an external library like libphonenumber-js for production-ready validation.
Use a POST request to an endpoint like `/infobip/sms/send`. The request body should contain the `to` (recipient), `text` (message), and optionally `from` (sender ID) fields in JSON format.
Use NestJS's built-in Logger or integrate a dedicated logging library for structured JSON logging. Log key events like successful sends, failures, and API responses. Include relevant data (message ID, recipient, status) for easier debugging and tracking. For production, consider structured logging with a logging library (like `pino` or `winston`) and log aggregation tools (Datadog, Splunk).
Use an exponential backoff retry mechanism with a library like `async-retry` or `p-retry`. Retry on transient errors like network issues or 5xx errors from Infobip. Don't retry on validation errors or permanent failures. Be sure to log retry attempts and stop retrying after a reasonable number of attempts. Be mindful of idempotency requirements if retries are implemented.