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Getting started

Quick start

The Aureus Desk SMS API sends transactional SMS (sign-in codes, confirmations, reminders, alerts) to mobiles in open countries (Cameroon today: MTN and Orange), immediately or on a scheduled date. You pay with credits: 1 credit = 1 FCFA, and each SMS costs the price of its destination country (25 credits in Cameroon, listed by GET /sms/coverage).

1. Open an account and have it verified

Sign in to the Aureus Desk account area (https://dashboard.getaureusdesk.com) with your Aureus Prime account. To send to other people, your identity (individual) or your business (organisation) must be verified in your Aureus Prime account. Before that, you can send yourself a test SMS on your own verified number (see Create an account).

2. Create an API key

In the account area, under API keys, create a key. It starts with adk_sms_ and is shown only once: copy it into your server configuration. You can have 2 active keys at most.

3. Send your first SMS

curl -X POST https://api.getaureusdesk.com/v1/sms/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer adk_sms_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: first-test-1" \
  -d '{"to": "699123456", "text": "Your code is 482913", "sensitive": true}'

202 response: the SMS is queued and its credits are reserved.

{
  "id": "5b0f2c1e-8a4d-4f7e-9c3a-1d2b3c4d5e6f",
  "status": "QUEUED",
  "to": "+237*******56",
  "operator": "ORANGE",
  "countryIso": "CM",
  "priceCredits": 25,
  "senderId": "Aureus Desk",
  "errorCode": null,
  "groupId": null,
  "part": null,
  "scheduledAt": null,
  "createdAt": "2026-11-02T10:00:00.000Z",
  "sentAt": null,
  "deliveredAt": null,
  "likelyUndelivered": false,
  "normalized": false,
  "smsCount": 1,
  "totalCredits": 25
}

Then track its delivery with GET /sms/messages/:id (see Track an SMS).

Key points

  • API base URL: https://api.getaureusdesk.com/v1
  • Format: JSON in and out, UTF-8.
  • Text: 160 characters per SMS, in the SMS alphabet (current rule, for all destinations). The text is always converted: ê becomes e, ç becomes Ç, the curly apostrophe becomes straight; é, è, à, ù stay as they are; emoji and non-Latin scripts are removed. A longer message is sent as 2 SMS if you ask for it (allowTwoParts); otherwise it is rejected, never cut without your knowledge.
  • Numbers: mobiles in open countries (Cameroon today); numbers are always masked in responses.
  • Errors: always the same shape, {"error": {"code", "message"}} (see Errors).