Set up two-way SMS by integrating Auth.js for user authentication, MessageBird for SMS communication, and Prisma for database management. This involves configuring API keys, setting up webhooks, and implementing server-side logic to handle incoming and outgoing messages within your Next.js application.

MessageBird is the SMS API provider, enabling sending and receiving text messages. It provides a virtual mobile number to receive inbound messages and an API to send outbound replies from your Next.js application.

Auth.js (v5 or later - next-auth) provides secure user authentication, linking SMS conversations with specific user accounts. This is crucial for personalized notifications, in-app support, and other scenarios requiring user-specific SMS interactions.

Ngrok is primarily for local development to expose your webhook endpoint during testing. For production deployments, use a stable, publicly accessible URL for your webhook.

Yes, Prisma supports various SQL databases like PostgreSQL, SQLite, MySQL, and SQL Server. Configure the provider and DATABASE_URL in your prisma/schema.prisma file accordingly.

Create a dedicated API route (/api/webhooks/messagebird) to receive webhook requests from MessageBird. Verify the webhook secret, parse the message content, identify the user based on the sender's number, and store the message in the database using Prisma.

The webhook secret is crucial for security. It verifies that incoming webhook requests genuinely originate from MessageBird, preventing unauthorized access to your application's data and functionality.

Use the MessageBird API via their Node.js SDK. Within your application, retrieve the recipient's number and the message content, and then use the MessageBird client to send the SMS message. Remember to store the outbound message in your database as well for record-keeping.

The tutorial requires Next.js v14 or later with the App Router enabled. The App Router is chosen for its hybrid rendering capabilities, improved routing, and overall developer experience.

Use the sender's phone number (originator in the webhook payload) to look up the corresponding user in your database. This assumes the user's phone number is stored in the phoneNumber field (unique) in the User model in your Prisma schema.

Prisma is a next-generation ORM (Object-Relational Mapper) that simplifies database interactions. It provides type safety, schema management, and increased developer productivity when working with databases like PostgreSQL or SQLite.

Implement a separate registration process to collect user credentials, hash passwords using bcryptjs, and store only the hash in the passwordHash field of the User model. Never store plain-text passwords. In your Auth.js configuration, always use bcryptjs.compare to verify submitted passwords against the stored hash.

The AUTH_SECRET is essential for session encryption in Auth.js. Generate a strong, random secret using openssl rand -hex 32 and store it securely in your .env file. Never expose this secret publicly.