Verify API - Get started with SMS

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NOTE:

To add this product to your account, contact a Telesign expert. This product is available for full-service accounts only.

This page walks you step-by-step through how to use the Telesign Verify API to send an SMS to an end user with a one-time passcode (OTP). It also explains how to complete the verification process, either to test the end user's asserted OTP or so you don't get charged for any unnecessary messages.

Keep the reference pages Create a verification process and Update a verification process open in another window while you work on these steps.

Steps

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NOTE:

Updating a verification process using the procedure explained in Complete verification and get delivery status is a mandatory step when using Verify API. This step allows Telesign to know the real state of your verification as well as control all the features related to a verification process such as fallback, callback, and pricing. If your end user has verified themselves but the verification process is not updated, these features might not work as intended which can lead to extra costs or incorrect billing.

Send the message

1. Send a Create a verification process request to the Verify API. Include the following param values:

   Parameter	Value	Description	Required?
   recipient.phone_number	Digits without spaces or special characters, beginning with the country dialing code.	The recipient's phone number	Yes
   verification_policy[0].method	sms	One of the verification methods included in a verification policy.	Required only if SMS is not already defined as the primary verification method for this account's default verification policy.
   security_factor	A numeric code, formatted as a string.	The OTP to include in the message to the end user.	No. Can be used if you wish to define your own OTP instead of allowing Telesign to generate an OTP.

   Request

   HTTP

   POST /verification HTTP/1.1
   Authorization: Basic 12345678-9ABC-DEF0-1234-56789ABCDEF0:Uak4fcLTTH/Tv8c/Q6QMwl5t4ck=
   Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
   Host: verify.telesign.com
   {
     "recipient": {
       "phone_number": "11234567890"
     },
     "verification_policy": [
       {
         "method": "sms",
         "fallback_time": 30
       }
     ]
   }
   

2. The service then sends an SMS message to your end user, inserting a randomly generated OTP in the message.

   

3. Save the value of the property reference_id from the response. You will need it to complete the verification flow.

4. The status.code and status.description properties in the response indicate the preliminary delivery status of the SMS.

   Response

   HTTP

   HTTP/1.1 200 OK
   Content-Type: application/json
   {
     "reference_id": "0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF",
     "recipient": {
       "phone_number": "11234567890"
     },
     "state": "ONGOING",
     "verification_policy": [
       {
         "method": "sms",
         "fallback_time": 30
       }
     ],
     "status": {
       "code": 3901,
       "description": "Request in progress"
     }
   }
   

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   NOTE:

   The status.code property gives you status of delivery to the destination carrier, not necessarily all the way to the end user.

Complete verification and get delivery status

Once your end user has submitted a potential code through your application, complete the verification flow with a second API call.

1. Send an Update a verification process request to the Verify API. This is to provide Telesign with the asserted OTP from the end user.

   Parameter	Value	Description	Required?
   action	finalize	Specifies how you want to change the verification state for this verification process.	yes
   security_factor	A string consisting of a series of numeric digits.	The end user's asserted one-time passcode (OTP).	yes

   Request

   HTTP

   PATCH /verification/0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF/state HTTP/1.1
   Authorization: Basic 12345678-9ABC-DEF0-1234-56789ABCDEF0:Uak4fcLTTH/Tv8c/Q6QMwl5t4ck=
   Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
   Host: verify.telesign.com
   {
     "action": "finalize",
     "security_factor": "5724433"
   }
   

   Response

   HTTP

   HTTP/1.1 200 OK
   Content-Type: application/json
   {
     "status": {
       "code": 3900,
       "description": "Verified"
     }
   }
   

2. If Telesign generated the OTP, and the value of the status.description property is Verified, the verification process completed successfully.