SMS (Twilio)

Send SMS text message notifications for critical backup events via the Twilio API.

• Instant SMS delivery to any mobile phone worldwide
• Critical alerts — Perfect for high-priority failure notifications
• Concise formatting — Status emoji, title, and key fields optimized for SMS
• Reliable delivery — Enterprise-grade Twilio infrastructure
• No app required — Works on any phone that receives SMS

Configuration

Field	Required	Default	Description
Account SID	✅	—	Twilio Account SID (starts with AC)
Auth Token	✅	—	Twilio Auth Token
From	✅	—	Sender phone number in E.164 format (e.g., +1234567890)
To	✅	—	Recipient phone number in E.164 format

Setup Guide

1. Create a Twilio Account

1. Sign up at twilio.com
2. Verify your phone number
3. Note your Account SID and Auth Token from the Console Dashboard

2. Get a Phone Number

1. In the Twilio Console, go to Phone Numbers → Manage → Buy a number
2. Choose a number with SMS capability
3. This will be your From number

Trial Accounts

Twilio trial accounts can only send SMS to verified numbers. Add recipient numbers under Verified Caller IDs in the Twilio Console. Upgrade to a paid account for unrestricted sending.

3. Configure in DBackup

1. Go to Notifications → Add Notification
2. Select SMS (Twilio)
3. Enter your Account SID, Auth Token, From number, and To number
4. Click Test to send a test SMS
5. Save

Message Format

SMS messages are kept concise to fit within SMS segment limits:

Backup Failed
❌ Backup failed: connection timeout
Job: Daily MySQL
Duration: 0s
Error: Connection refused

SMS Length

Messages are optimized to stay within a single SMS segment (160 characters for GSM-7, 70 for Unicode). If the message exceeds one segment, Twilio will automatically split it into multiple segments (up to 1600 characters). Only the first 4 fields are included to keep messages short.

Cost Considerations

Twilio charges per SMS segment sent. Typical pricing:

• US: ~$0.0079 per segment
• EU: ~$0.04–0.10 per segment
• International: Varies by country

Cost Optimization

• Use SMS only for failure notifications (set job notification condition to "On Failure")
• Use free channels (Discord, Slack, ntfy) for success notifications
• Consider using Twilio's Messaging Service for better delivery rates

Troubleshooting

Error	Solution
401: Authentication Error	Account SID or Auth Token is incorrect
Invalid 'To' Phone Number	Number must be in E.164 format (+ followed by country code and number)
Unverified number	Trial accounts can only send to verified numbers — verify in Twilio Console
Queue overflow	Upgrade account or reduce notification frequency
No SMS received	Check Twilio Console → Messaging → Logs for delivery status