TWILIO_TESTING.md

Twilio SMS Testing Guide

This guide walks you through how to safely test SMS functionality using Twilio, without committing scripts that send real messages.

📦 Prerequisites

• A Twilio account with a verified phone number
• Your Twilio credentials:
  • Account SID
  • Auth Token
  • Phone number (from Twilio)

Add these to your .env file like this:

TWILIO_SID=your_account_sid
TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your_auth_token
TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER=+1234567890

✅ Safe Local Testing

Create a temporary Node.js script outside your repo directory to test SMS functionality.

⚠️ Critical: Create this file in a separate folder (not in your project repo) to prevent accidental commits.

Example (../test-twilio.js):

import twilio from 'twilio';
import 'dotenv/config';

const client = twilio(process.env.TWILIO_SID, process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN);

client.messages
  .create({
    body: 'Hello from Twilio!',
    from: process.env.TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER,
    to: '+11234567890', // Replace with your own number
  })
  .then(message => console.log(`SMS sent! SID: ${message.sid}`))
  .catch(console.error);

To run the script:

node test-twilio.js

🔐 Important Notes

• Never commit executable SMS scripts to the repository - they pose security and cost risks
• Create test scripts in a separate directory outside your project repo
• Add test-twilio.js to .gitignore if you must keep it in the project folder
• Avoid sending unnecessary messages during testing — Twilio charges per SMS
• For structured testing, consider using Twilio's test credentials: https://www.twilio.com/docs/iam/test-credentials
• Delete test scripts after verification to prevent accidental execution by other developers