Getting Started with Zend

Welcome to Zend! This guide will help you get started with sending SMS, WhatsApp, and bulk messages.

Quick Start

Base URL: https://api.tryzend.com

1. Authentication

All API requests require authentication using your API key:

x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY

2. Your First Message

Send a simple SMS message:

POST /messages

{
  "to": "+233593152134",
  "body": "Hello from Zend!",
  "preferred_channels": ["sms"],
  "sender_id": "MyCompany"
}

Request fields

Field	Required	Description
to	Yes	Recipient phone number in E.164 format, e.g. +233593152134.
body	Yes*	Message text. *Not required when you send a template (template_id).
preferred_channels	No	Channels to attempt, in order. One or more of sms, whatsapp.
sender_id	No	The name your recipients see the SMS from. Must be pre-approved. Omit it to use your account's default approved sender ID.

What's sender_id? It's the SMS sender name shown to recipients. Custom sender IDs must be approved for your account before use — sending an unapproved one will be rejected. If you leave it out, Zend automatically uses your default approved sender ID, so your first message works even without it.

Response:

{
  "id": "6884da240f0e633b7b979bff",
  "status": "pending",
  "estimated_cost": 0.02,
  "message": "Message queued for processing"
}

Supported Channels

Channel	Template Required	Cost	Best For
SMS	No	0.035	Simple notifications
WhatsApp	Yes	0.065	Rich media, buttons

Message Types

Simple Messages

• Direct text messages
• No template required
• Works with SMS

Template Messages

• Pre-approved content
• Required for WhatsApp
• Support buttons and media

Bulk Messages

• Multiple recipients
• Personalized content
• Cost-effective