Developer Guide: Node.js Express Inbound & Two-Way SMS with Sinch

This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough for building a production-ready Node.js application using the Express framework to handle inbound SMS messages via Sinch webhooks and enable two-way messaging by sending replies. You'll cover project setup, core implementation using the Sinch Node.js SDK, security considerations, deployment, and verification.

By the end of this guide, you'll have a functional Express server capable of:

1. Receiving incoming SMS messages sent to your Sinch virtual number via webhooks.
2. Parsing the message content.
3. Logging message details.
4. Automatically replying to the sender using the Sinch SMS API.

This setup enables applications to programmatically interact with users via SMS, enabling features like customer support bots, notification systems, appointment reminders with confirmations, and more.

Project Overview and Goals

Build a reliable service that listens for SMS messages sent to a specific phone number (managed by Sinch) and can automatically respond.

Technologies Used:

• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime environment for building server-side applications.
• Express.js: A minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework used to create the web server and API endpoints (specifically, the webhook listener).
• Sinch SMS API: The third-party service used for sending and receiving SMS messages.
• Sinch Node.js SDK (@sinch/sdk-core): The official SDK for interacting with Sinch APIs, simplifying authentication and API calls.
• dotenv: A module to load environment variables from a .env file for secure credential management.
• ngrok: A tool to expose local development servers to the internet for testing webhooks.

System Architecture:

+-------------+       +--------------+       +-----------------+       +------------------------+      +-------------+
| End User    | ----> | Mobile Phone | ----> | Sinch Platform  | ----> | Node.js/Express App  | ---> | Sinch Platform| ----> End User
| (Sends SMS) |       | (Carrier)    |       | (Receives SMS)  |       | (Webhook Listener)     |      | (Sends SMS)   | (Receives Reply)
+-------------+       +--------------+       +-----------------+       +------------------------+      +-------------+
                                                     |                        |         ^
                                                     | Webhook POST Request   |         | Sinch SDK Call
                                                     | (Contains message data)|         | (Send Reply)
                                                     +------------------------+         +

(Note: A graphical diagram (e.g., PNG/SVG) would be clearer but this ASCII diagram illustrates the basic flow.)

Prerequisites:

• A Sinch account (Sinch).
• A provisioned Sinch virtual phone number capable of sending/receiving SMS.
• Node.js and npm (or yarn) installed locally. Install Node.js
• ngrok installed or available via npx. Install ngrok
• Basic familiarity with Node.js, Express, and asynchronous JavaScript.
• Sinch API Access Keys (Project ID, Key ID, Key Secret). Find/create these in your Sinch Customer Dashboard under "Access Keys".

1. Setting up the project

Initialize your Node.js project and install the necessary dependencies.

1. Create Project Directory: Open your terminal and create a new directory for the project, then navigate into it.

   bash

   mkdir sinch-inbound-sms
   cd sinch-inbound-sms
   

2. Initialize Node.js Project: This creates a package.json file to manage dependencies and project metadata. The -y flag accepts default settings.

   bash

   npm init -y
   

3. Install Dependencies: Install Express for the server, the Sinch SDK to interact with the API, and dotenv to manage environment variables securely.

   bash

   npm install express @sinch/sdk-core dotenv
   

4. Install or Prepare ngrok: ngrok exposes your local server for Sinch webhooks during development. Choose one option:

   • Install as Dev Dependency: npm install --save-dev ngrok. Run via npx ngrok http 3000 or scripts in package.json.
   • Install Globally: npm install ngrok -g. Run directly as ngrok http 3000 from any directory.
   • Use npx Directly: Run npx ngrok http 3000 without permanent installation (npx downloads and runs it).

5. Create Project Structure: Create the main application file and a file for environment variables.

   bash

   touch index.js .env
   

   Your project structure should now look like this:

   sinch-inbound-sms/
   ├── node_modules/
   ├── .env
   ├── index.js
   ├── package-lock.json
   └── package.json
   

6. Configure Environment Variables: Open the .env file and add your Sinch credentials and your Sinch virtual number. Never commit this file to version control.

   bash

   # .env
   
   # Sinch API Credentials (Access Keys from Dashboard -> Access Keys)
   SINCH_PROJECT_ID=YOUR_PROJECT_ID
   SINCH_KEY_ID=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID
   SINCH_KEY_SECRET=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET
   
   # Your provisioned Sinch Virtual Number
   SINCH_NUMBER=YOUR_SINCH_VIRTUAL_NUMBER # e.g., +12015550100
   
   # Port for the local server
   PORT=3000
   
   • SINCH_PROJECT_ID: Your unique project identifier from the Sinch Dashboard.
   • SINCH_KEY_ID: The ID of the Access Key you generated in the Dashboard.
   • SINCH_KEY_SECRET: The Secret associated with the Access Key. Treat this like a password.
   • SINCH_NUMBER: The full phone number (including '+') assigned to your Sinch account/app that will receive the SMS.
   • PORT: The local port your Express server will listen on.

2. Implementing core functionality: Receiving and Replying

Now, let's write the code for our Express server to handle incoming webhooks and send replies.

Filename: index.js

// index.js
require('dotenv').config(); // Load environment variables from .env file
const express = require('express');
const { SinchClient } = require('@sinch/sdk-core');

// --- Configuration & Initialization ---

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
const SINCH_NUMBER = process.env.SINCH_NUMBER;

// Check for required environment variables
if (!process.env.SINCH_PROJECT_ID || !process.env.SINCH_KEY_ID || !process.env.SINCH_KEY_SECRET || !SINCH_NUMBER) {
    console.error('Error: Missing required Sinch credentials or number in .env file.');
    console.error('Please ensure SINCH_PROJECT_ID, SINCH_KEY_ID, SINCH_KEY_SECRET, and SINCH_NUMBER are set.');
    process.exit(1); // Exit if configuration is incomplete
}

// Initialize Sinch Client using Access Keys
const sinchClient = new SinchClient({
    projectId: process.env.SINCH_PROJECT_ID,
    keyId: process.env.SINCH_KEY_ID,
    keySecret: process.env.SINCH_KEY_SECRET,
});

// Note: This OAuth2 authentication method works for SMS API in US and EU regions.
// For other regions (Brazil, Canada, Australia) or legacy setups, you may need
// to use servicePlanId and apiToken authentication instead. See Sinch SDK documentation.

const app = express();

// --- Middleware ---

// TODO: Add Webhook Signature Verification Middleware HERE (before express.json())
// See Security section for details. This is crucial for production.

// Use Express's built-in JSON body parser for incoming webhooks
// Sinch sends webhook data as JSON
app.use(express.json());

// Basic logging middleware (optional but helpful)
app.use((req, res, next) => {
    console.log(`${new Date().toISOString()} - ${req.method} ${req.originalUrl}`);
    next();
});


// --- Webhook Endpoint ---

// Define the endpoint Sinch will POST to when an SMS is received
app.post('/webhooks/inbound-sms', async (req, res) => {
    console.log('Received Sinch Inbound SMS Webhook:');
    console.log(JSON.stringify(req.body, null, 2)); // Log the full payload

    // --- Basic Payload Validation (Example) ---
    // NOTE: Verify this payload structure against the current Sinch SMS API documentation.
    // TODO: Enhance with a validation library like Joi or Zod for production.
    if (!req.body || !req.body.type || req.body.type !== 'mo_text' || !req.body.from || !req.body.to || !Array.isArray(req.body.to) || req.body.to.length === 0 || !req.body.body || !req.body.id) {
        console.error('Invalid or incomplete webhook payload received.');
        // Respond to Sinch immediately to acknowledge receipt, even if invalid
        return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Invalid payload structure' });
    }

    const inboundMessage = req.body;
    const sender = inboundMessage.from;
    // Assuming 'to' is an array and we use the first element. Verify Sinch documentation for handling multiple 'to' numbers or empty arrays.
    const recipient = inboundMessage.to[0];
    const messageText = inboundMessage.body;
    const messageId = inboundMessage.id;

    console.log(`\n--- Parsed Message ---`);
    console.log(`From: ${sender}`);
    console.log(`To: ${recipient}`);
    console.log(`Message ID: ${messageId}`);
    console.log(`Text: "${messageText}"`);
    console.log(`---------------------\n`);

    // --- Acknowledge Receipt to Sinch ---
    // It's crucial to respond quickly to webhook requests to avoid timeouts.
    // We send a 200 OK immediately before processing the reply.
    res.status(200).json({ message: 'Webhook received successfully' });

    // --- Process and Send Reply (Asynchronously) ---
    // Handle the reply logic after acknowledging the webhook.
    try {
        // Basic auto-reply logic
        const replyText = `Thanks for your message: "${messageText}". We received it!`;

        console.log(`Attempting to send reply to ${sender}...`);

        // Use the Sinch SDK to send the reply
        // Using batches.send for a single reply. Check Sinch SDK docs if a more direct method like 'sms.send' exists for single messages.
        const sendBatchResponse = await sinchClient.sms.batches.send({
            sendSMSRequestBody: {
                to: [sender],          // Send reply back to the original sender
                from: SINCH_NUMBER,    // Send from our Sinch virtual number
                body: replyText,
            },
        });

        console.log('Successfully sent SMS reply:');
        console.log(JSON.stringify(sendBatchResponse, null, 2));

    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error sending SMS reply via Sinch SDK:');
        // Log detailed error information if available (e.g., from Sinch response)
        if (error.response && error.response.data) {
            console.error('Sinch API Error Response:', JSON.stringify(error.response.data, null, 2));
        } else {
            console.error(error);
        }
        // Implement retry logic or alerting here if needed for production
    }
});

// --- Health Check Endpoint ---
app.get('/health', (req, res) => {
    res.status(200).json({ status: 'UP', timestamp: new Date().toISOString() });
});


// --- Start Server ---
app.listen(PORT, () => {
    console.log(`Server listening on port ${PORT}`);
    console.log(`Sinch Number configured: ${SINCH_NUMBER}`);
    console.log(`Webhook endpoint available at: /webhooks/inbound-sms`);
    console.log(`\nNext steps:`);
    console.log(`1. Run 'ngrok http ${PORT}' (or 'npx ngrok http ${PORT}') in another terminal.`);
    console.log(`2. Copy the HTTPS forwarding URL from ngrok.`);
    console.log(`3. Configure this HTTPS URL (ending in /webhooks/inbound-sms) as the Callback URL in your Sinch Dashboard.`);
});

Code Explanation:

1. Dependencies & Config: Loads .env, requires express and the SinchClient. Reads credentials and the Sinch number, exiting if they're missing.
2. Sinch Client: Initializes the @sinch/sdk-core client with your Project ID and Access Key credentials. This handles authentication automatically.
3. Express App & Middleware: Creates an Express app instance. A comment marks where security middleware (like signature verification) must go. express.json() is essential for parsing the JSON payload Sinch sends. A simple logging middleware is added for visibility.
4. Webhook Endpoint (/webhooks/inbound-sms):
   • Listens for POST requests on this path.
   • Logs the entire incoming request body (req.body).
   • Performs basic validation on the payload structure (expecting type: 'mo_text', from, to as a non-empty array, body, id). Note: For production, enhance this significantly using libraries like joi or zod, and verify the structure against current Sinch documentation.
   • Extracts key information: sender number, recipient (assuming the first number in the to array is the target), message text, and Sinch message ID. Clarifies the assumption about the to array.
   • Crucially, it sends a 200 OK response back to Sinch immediately. This acknowledges receipt and prevents Sinch from retrying the webhook.
   • The reply logic is handled after sending the 200 OK.
5. Sending the Reply:
   • A simple reply message is constructed.
   • sinchClient.sms.batches.send() is called. Note: This method works for single messages, but check Sinch SDK documentation for a potentially simpler method like sms.send if available.
     • to: An array containing the original sender's number (sender).
     • from: Your SINCH_NUMBER.
     • body: The replyText.
   • The response from the Sinch API (confirming the send request) is logged.
6. Error Handling: A try...catch block wraps the send call. If the SDK call fails (e.g., invalid number, insufficient funds, API error), the error is logged. Detailed Sinch API error responses are logged if available. This should also catch errors if the Sinch SDK fails to send the reply, for instance, due to an invalid from number provided in the original inbound message.
7. Health Check (/health): A standard endpoint for monitoring systems to check if the service is running.
8. Server Start: Starts the Express server on the specified PORT. Logs helpful messages including the next steps involving ngrok.

3. API Layer (Implicit via Webhook)

In this specific implementation, the primary ""API"" interaction is receiving the webhook from Sinch. We don't expose a public API for triggering messages externally in this basic example, but the webhook handler acts as the inbound API endpoint.

• Authentication: Ideally handled through Sinch's webhook signing mechanism (see Security section). Without it, authentication relies on the obscurity of the webhook URL.

• Validation: Basic payload structure validation is included in the /webhooks/inbound-sms handler. More robust validation (using libraries like joi or zod) is recommended for production.

• Endpoint: POST /webhooks/inbound-sms

• Request Body (Expected from Sinch - Example - Verify against current docs):

  json

  {
    ""type"": ""mo_text"",
    ""id"": ""01ARXXXXXXTEST01EXAMPLE"",
    ""from"": ""+17775551212"",
    ""to"": [""+12015550100""],
    ""body"": ""Hello from my phone!"",
    ""operator_id"": ""310260"",
    ""sent_at"": ""2023-10-26T10:30:00.123Z"",
    ""received_at"": ""2023-10-26T10:30:01.456Z""
    // ... other potential fields like encoding, udh etc.
  }
  

• Response Body (Sent back to Sinch):

  json

  {
    ""message"": ""Webhook received successfully""
  }
  

  (Status Code: 200 OK)

• Testing with curl: You can simulate a Sinch webhook call to your local ngrok URL once it's running:

  bash

  curl -X POST https://<your-ngrok-subdomain&gt;.ngrok.io/webhooks/inbound-sms \
  -H ""Content-Type: application/json"" \
  -d '{
    ""type"": ""mo_text"",
    ""id"": ""CURLTEST001"",
    ""from"": ""+19998887777"",
    ""to"": [""YOUR_SINCH_NUMBER""],
    ""body"": ""Test message from curl"",
    ""operator_id"": ""SIMULATED"",
    ""sent_at"": ""2023-10-26T11:00:00.000Z"",
    ""received_at"": ""2023-10-26T11:00:01.000Z""
  }'
  

  (Replace <your-ngrok-subdomain&gt; with your actual ngrok forwarding subdomain and YOUR_SINCH_NUMBER with your Sinch virtual number.)

4. Integrating with Sinch

Integration involves credentials, the SDK, and configuring the callback URL.

1. Obtain Credentials (Access Keys):

   • Navigate to your Sinch Customer Dashboard.
   • Go to the ""Access Keys"" section in the left-hand menu.
   • If you don't have an Access Key pair, create one. Securely store the Key Secret immediately – it won't be shown again.
   • Copy the Project ID, Key ID, and Key Secret.
   • Paste these values into your .env file as SINCH_PROJECT_ID, SINCH_KEY_ID, and SINCH_KEY_SECRET.

2. Obtain Sinch Number:

   • In the Dashboard, go to ""Numbers"" -> ""Your Numbers"".
   • Ensure you have an active virtual number assigned to your account that is SMS-enabled. If not, you may need to rent one.
   • Copy the full number (e.g., +12015550100) and paste it into .env as SINCH_NUMBER.

3. Configure Callback URL: This tells Sinch where to send the webhook POST request when your number receives an SMS.

   • Start your local server: node index.js
   • Start ngrok: Open another terminal window and run (adjust command based on your installation method):
     bash

     # Example using npx
     npx ngrok http 3000
     
   • Copy the ngrok URL: ngrok will display forwarding URLs. Copy the https URL (e.g., https://randomstring.ngrok.io).
   • Construct the full Callback URL: Append your webhook path to the ngrok URL: https://randomstring.ngrok.io/webhooks/inbound-sms
   • Set the URL in Sinch Dashboard:
     • Go to your Sinch Customer Dashboard.
     • Navigate to ""SMS"" -> ""APIs"".
     • Find the Service Plan associated with your number (you might only have one, often named after your Project ID). Click on its ID link.
     • Navigate to the SMS API settings for your service plan or number. Look for a section related to ""Webhooks"" or ""Callback URLs"".
     • Add or edit the callback URL.
     • Paste your full ngrok HTTPS URL (including /webhooks/inbound-sms) into the appropriate field (often labeled ""Callback URL"" or similar).
     • Save the changes.

4. SDK Usage: The index.js code already demonstrates initializing and using the sinchClient.sms.batches.send method for sending replies.

5. Error Handling, Logging, and Retry Mechanisms

• Error Handling:
  • The index.js includes basic try...catch around the sinchClient.sms.batches.send call.
  • It checks for missing environment variables on startup.
  • It includes basic validation of the incoming webhook payload.
  • Production: Implement more specific error classes, central error handling middleware in Express, and potentially use an error tracking service like Sentry.
• Logging:
  • Uses console.log and console.error for basic logging of requests, payloads, actions, and errors.
  • Production: Use a structured logger like pino or winston for better log parsing, filtering, and routing (e.g., sending logs to Datadog, Logtail, CloudWatch). Log levels (info, warn, error, debug) should be configurable.
  • Log correlation IDs (e.g., the Sinch message ID inboundMessage.id) to trace requests across systems.
• Retry Mechanisms:
  • Receiving Webhooks: Sinch typically has its own retry mechanism if your endpoint doesn't respond with a 2xx status code quickly. Ensure your /webhooks/inbound-sms handler responds fast (as done in the example by sending 200 OK before processing).
  • Sending Replies: The current example doesn't implement retries for sending. For critical replies, you could implement a simple retry strategy with exponential backoff for transient network errors or specific Sinch API errors (e.g., 5xx status codes). Libraries like async-retry can help. However, be cautious about retrying errors like ""invalid recipient number"".

Testing Error Scenarios:

• Stop your local server and send an SMS; check Sinch logs/dashboard for webhook delivery failures.
• Send an invalid JSON payload using curl to /webhooks/inbound-sms and verify the 400 response.
• Temporarily use invalid Sinch credentials in .env and observe the SDK error when trying to send a reply.
• Modify the code temporarily to use an invalid recipient number format (in the batches.send call) and check the logged Sinch API error.

6. Database Schema and Data Layer (Optional Enhancement)

While not strictly necessary for a stateless auto-responder, storing messages is vital for stateful conversations, history, or analysis.

• Need: To track conversation history, analyze message volume, or build more complex interactions.

• Suggested Schema (Conceptual):

  sql

  CREATE TABLE messages (
      id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,                      -- Internal database ID
      sinch_message_id VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE,       -- Sinch's unique ID for the message
      direction VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL,             -- 'inbound' or 'outbound'
      sender_number VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,         -- End user number (inbound) or Sinch number (outbound)
      recipient_number VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,      -- Sinch number (inbound) or End user number (outbound)
      message_body TEXT,                          -- The content of the SMS
      status VARCHAR(20),                         -- e.g., 'received', 'sent', 'delivered', 'failed' (requires delivery reports)
      sinch_status VARCHAR(50),                   -- Status code from Sinch if available
      received_at TIMESTAMPTZ,                    -- Timestamp when inbound message was received by our app
      sent_at TIMESTAMPTZ,                        -- Timestamp when outbound message was sent by our app
      processed_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),     -- Timestamp when webhook was processed
      created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
  );
  
  CREATE INDEX idx_messages_sender ON messages(sender_number);
  CREATE INDEX idx_messages_recipient ON messages(recipient_number);
  CREATE INDEX idx_messages_received_at ON messages(received_at);
  

• Implementation:

  • Use an ORM like Prisma or Sequelize to manage the schema, migrations, and data access.
  • Implementation would involve installing an ORM, defining the model based on this schema, setting up database connection, and then adding await prisma.message.create(...) or await Message.create(...) calls within the webhook handler (for inbound) and before sending the reply (for outbound).
  • In the webhook handler, after parsing the message, create a record in the messages table for the inbound message.
  • Before sending the reply, create a record for the outbound message (initially with status 'sending'). Update the status based on the SDK response or delivery reports (if configured).
  • Note: Fully implementing this with migrations and data access logic is beyond the scope of this basic guide but is a common next step.

7. Security Features

Protecting your webhook endpoint and credentials is vital.

1. Secure Credential Management: Use environment variables (.env locally, secrets management in production) – as implemented. Never hardcode credentials.
2. Webhook Signature Verification (Essential for Production):
   • Verifying webhook signatures confirms that requests genuinely originate from Sinch and haven't been tampered with. This is a critical security measure.
   • Action Required: Consult the official Sinch SMS API documentation to determine if and how they support webhook signature verification. Look for details on:
     • The specific HTTP header containing the signature (e.g., X-Sinch-Signature, Authorization).
     • The algorithm used (e.g., HMAC-SHA256).
     • Where to find the shared secret key within your Sinch dashboard/settings.
   • Implementation (If Sinch provides verification):
     • Store the Sinch signing secret securely (e.g., in .env or a secrets manager).
     • Implement Express middleware that runs before the express.json() body parser (as verification often requires the raw request body).
     • Inside the middleware: read the raw request body, retrieve the signature from the header, compute the expected signature using the raw body, the secret, and the specified algorithm.
     • Compare the computed signature with the one received. If they don't match, reject the request immediately with a 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden status, logging the attempt.
     • The comment // TODO: Add Webhook Signature Verification Middleware HERE... in index.js indicates the correct location for this middleware.
   • If Sinch Does Not Provide Verification (Unlikely but possible): Clearly confirm this in the documentation. If signature verification is unavailable, rely on less secure methods like IP Address Allowlisting (configuring your firewall/server to only accept requests from known Sinch IP ranges - check Sinch docs for these ranges) combined with the obscurity of your webhook URL. Be aware that IP allowlisting is less robust than signature verification.
3. Input Validation/Sanitization:
   • Validate the incoming webhook payload structure rigorously (use joi, zod).
   • If storing message bodies in a database, ensure proper handling to prevent SQL injection (ORMs usually help significantly).
   • If displaying message content in a web UI later, sanitize it to prevent XSS attacks.
4. Rate Limiting:
   • Protect your webhook endpoint from abuse or accidental loops.
   • Use middleware like express-rate-limit.
     bash

     npm install express-rate-limit
     
     javascript

     // index.js (add near other middleware, typically after potential auth/signature middleware but before the main route handler)
     const rateLimit = require('express-rate-limit');
     
     const webhookLimiter = rateLimit({
         windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
         max: 100, // Limit each IP to 100 requests per windowMs
         message: 'Too many requests from this IP, please try again after 15 minutes',
         standardHeaders: true, // Return rate limit info in the `RateLimit-*` headers
         legacyHeaders: false, // Disable the `X-RateLimit-*` headers
         // Consider keyGenerator if behind a trusted proxy: (req, res) => req.ip
     });
     
     // Apply specifically to the webhook endpoint
     app.use('/webhooks/inbound-sms', webhookLimiter);
     
5. Use HTTPS: ngrok provides HTTPS locally. Ensure your production deployment uses HTTPS for the webhook endpoint (usually handled by the hosting platform or a load balancer).
6. Principle of Least Privilege: Ensure the API keys used (SINCH_KEY_ID/SECRET) have only the necessary permissions (e.g., sending SMS, managing the specific service plan) if Sinch allows fine-grained control.

8. Handling Special Cases

• Message Encoding: Sinch handles standard GSM-7 and UCS-2 (Unicode) encoding. If you receive unusual characters, check the encoding field in the webhook payload (if present) or consult Sinch docs. When sending, the SDK usually handles encoding based on the characters used.
• Concatenated Messages (Long SMS): Sinch automatically handles splitting long messages into multiple segments and delivering them. The webhook payload might contain User Data Headers (udh) indicating segmentation. Your code generally receives the reassembled body. Verify how Sinch presents concatenated messages in the webhook payload if this is critical.
• MMS/Non-Text Messages: This guide focuses on SMS (mo_text). Receiving MMS (mo_binary) requires MMS to be enabled on your Sinch number/account and will likely have a different payload structure (e.g., including a media URL). Your handler would need specific logic to process mo_binary types.
• Delivery Reports (DLRs): To confirm if an outbound message was actually delivered to the handset, you need to configure Delivery Report callbacks in Sinch and create another webhook endpoint to receive them. The SDK call batches.send might allow requesting DLRs.
• Opt-Outs (STOP/HELP): Carrier regulations often require handling STOP keywords. Sinch might handle standard STOP messages automatically (check your account settings), but you may need custom logic for other opt-out keywords.
• Invalid from Numbers: The sender number might occasionally be malformed or invalid (e.g., from spam or spoofing). Your reply logic's catch block should handle potential errors from the Sinch SDK when trying to send back to such numbers (the SDK call will likely fail). Log these errors appropriately.

9. Performance Optimizations

• Fast Webhook Acknowledgement: Acknowledge the webhook (res.status(200).json(...)) before performing potentially slow operations like database writes or external API calls (like sending the reply). This is already implemented.
• Asynchronous Processing: The reply sending (sinchClient.sms.batches.send) is already asynchronous (async/await). For more complex processing (database lookups, multiple API calls), ensure it doesn't block the Node.js event loop.
• Defer Heavy Work: If webhook processing becomes complex (> few hundred ms), consider using a job queue (e.g., BullMQ with Redis, RabbitMQ). The webhook handler would simply validate the payload, acknowledge receipt, potentially do a quick DB write, and add a job to the queue. A separate worker process would pick up jobs and handle the reply sending and other intensive tasks.
• Database Optimization: Use indexing (as shown in the example schema), connection pooling, and efficient queries if storing messages.
• Caching: Cache frequently accessed data (e.g., user preferences, templates) if applicable, using tools like Redis or Memcached.
• Load Testing: Use tools like k6, artillery, or autocannon to simulate high webhook traffic and identify bottlenecks in your server or downstream dependencies (like the database or Sinch API responsiveness).

10. Monitoring, Observability, and Analytics

• Health Checks: The /health endpoint is essential for load balancers and uptime monitoring (e.g., Pingdom, UptimeRobot).
• Performance Metrics: Monitor event loop lag, CPU/Memory usage, request latency (especially for the webhook endpoint), and error rates. Tools like Prometheus with prom-client or APM solutions (Datadog APM, New Relic, Dynatrace) can track these.
• Structured Logging: Crucial for analysis. Send logs to a centralized platform (Datadog, Logtail, ELK stack, Splunk, Grafana Loki) for searching, filtering, and alerting. Use a library like pino.
• Error Tracking: Integrate an error tracking service (Sentry, Bugsnag, Rollbar) to capture, aggregate, and get notified about runtime errors in detail.
  bash

  npm install @sentry/node @sentry/tracing
  
  To initialize Sentry, you would typically add the following near the top of your index.js, before other requires/middleware:
  javascript

  const Sentry = require('@sentry/node');
  Sentry.init({
      dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN,
      tracesSampleRate: 1.0,
      /* other options */
  });
  
  Remember to add SENTRY_DSN to your environment variables and consult Sentry documentation for Express integration.
• Sinch Dashboard: Monitor your Sinch API usage, message logs, potential delivery errors, and costs directly within the Sinch platform.
• Custom Metrics/Dashboards: Track business-specific metrics (e.g., number of inbound messages per hour, reply success rate, average reply latency). Create dashboards in your monitoring tool (Grafana, Datadog Dashboards) to visualize these KPIs.
• Alerting: Set up alerts in your monitoring/logging system for critical conditions:
  • High webhook error rate (e.g., > 5% 4xx or 5xx responses).
  • High error rate sending replies via Sinch SDK.
  • Health check failures.
  • High resource utilization (CPU, Memory).
  • Significant drop in message volume (potential upstream issue).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I receive inbound SMS messages with Sinch and Node.js?

Configure a webhook endpoint in your Express application (e.g., POST /webhooks/inbound-sms) and register this URL in your Sinch Dashboard under SMS → APIs → Callback URLs. When someone sends an SMS to your Sinch virtual number, Sinch sends a POST request to your webhook URL with the message details in JSON format. Parse the request body to extract sender number, message text, and other metadata.

What is the Sinch webhook payload structure for inbound SMS?

Sinch sends inbound SMS webhooks with type: "mo_text" containing fields like from (sender number), to (array of recipient numbers), body (message text), id (Sinch message ID), operator_id, sent_at, and received_at. Always validate the payload structure and verify against current Sinch documentation, as the schema may include additional fields like encoding or udh for special message types.

How do I send an automatic reply to inbound SMS using Sinch SDK?

Use the Sinch Node.js SDK (@sinch/sdk-core) to send replies. Initialize the SDK with your projectId, keyId, and keySecret, then call sinchClient.sms.batches.send() with the original sender's number in the to array, your Sinch number in the from field, and your reply text in the body field. Always respond to the webhook with 200 OK before sending the reply to avoid timeout issues.

What authentication methods does Sinch SMS API support for Node.js?

Sinch SMS API supports two authentication methods: OAuth2 authentication using projectId, keyId, and keySecret (for US and EU regions), and Service Plan authentication using servicePlanId and apiToken (for Brazil, Canada, Australia regions or legacy setups). Choose the appropriate method based on your region and account configuration. Both methods work with the @sinch/sdk-core package.

How do I secure my Sinch webhook endpoint in production?

Implement webhook signature verification by validating the signature in the request header against your Sinch signing secret. Add this verification middleware before the body parser in Express. Additionally, use HTTPS for all endpoints, implement rate limiting with express-rate-limit, validate and sanitize all incoming data, store credentials in environment variables or secrets managers, and configure IP allowlisting if Sinch provides static IP ranges.

How do I handle webhook delivery failures and retries with Sinch?

Always respond to Sinch webhooks with a 200 OK status within the timeout window (typically 10 seconds). Sinch automatically retries failed webhook deliveries according to their retry policy. For your outbound replies, implement exponential backoff retry logic for transient errors (network issues, 5xx responses) but avoid retrying for permanent errors like invalid numbers (4xx responses). Use job queues like BullMQ for reliable retry handling.

What's the difference between mo_text and mo_binary webhook types?

mo_text webhooks indicate standard SMS text messages, while mo_binary webhooks indicate MMS or binary messages containing media. MMS support requires enabling MMS on your Sinch number and configuring a separate webhook handler. The mo_binary payload includes media URLs instead of plain text in the body field. Verify your account supports MMS before implementing binary message handling.

How do I test Sinch webhooks locally during development?

Use ngrok to expose your local Express server to the internet. Run ngrok http 3000 to create a public HTTPS URL, then configure this URL (with your webhook path like /webhooks/inbound-sms) in your Sinch Dashboard. Send test SMS messages to your Sinch number to trigger webhooks. You can also use curl to simulate webhook requests with test JSON payloads for quick testing without sending actual SMS messages.

Related Resources

Sinch Integration Guides:

• Sinch Node.js Basic SMS Sending Tutorial
• Sinch Bulk SMS Broadcasting with Node.js
• Sinch Delivery Status Callbacks Setup
• Sinch OTP and 2FA Implementation

Two-Way Messaging Guides:

• Twilio Inbound SMS with Node.js
• Plivo Two-Way Messaging Setup
• MessageBird Inbound SMS Handler
• Infobip Webhook Integration

Webhook & Express Best Practices:

• Express Webhook Security Guide
• Node.js Webhook Rate Limiting
• Express Error Handling Patterns
• Webhook Testing and Debugging

Production Deployment:

• Node.js Production Deployment Checklist
• Express Performance Optimization
• SMS Application Monitoring Setup
• Webhook Infrastructure Best Practices