# Twilio

You can use the Twilio connector to deploy an assistant that is available over text message.

## Getting Credentials

You first have to create a Twilio app to get credentials. Once you have them you can add these to your `credentials.yml`.

**How to get the Twilio credentials:**  
You need to set up a Twilio account.

> 1. Once you have created a Twilio account, you need to create a new project. The basic important product to select here is `Programmable SMS`.
> 2. Once you have created the project, navigate to the Dashboard of `Programmable SMS` and click on `Get Started`. Follow the steps to connect a phone number to the project.
> 3. Now you can use the `Account SID`, `Auth Token`, and the phone number you purchased in your `credentials.yml`.

For more information, see the [Twilio REST API](https://www.twilio.com/docs/iam/api).

### Connecting to WhatsApp

You can deploy a Rasa Open Source assistant to WhatsApp through Twilio. However, to do so, you have to have a [WhatsApp Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/business/) profile. Associate your Whatsapp Business profile with the phone number you purchased through Twilio to access the [Twilio API for WhatsApp](https://www.twilio.com/docs/whatsapp/api).

According to the [Twilio API documentation](https://www.twilio.com/docs/whatsapp/api#using-phone-numbers-with-whatsapp), the phone number you use should be prefixed with whatsapp: in the `credentials.yml` described below.

## Applying the Credentials

Add the Twilio credentials to your `credentials.yml`:

```
twilio:
  account_sid: "ACbc2dxxxxxxxxxxxx19d54bdcd6e41186"
  auth_token: "e231c197493a7122d475b4xxxxxxxxxx"
  twilio_number: "+440123456789"  # if using WhatsApp: "whatsapp:+440123456789"
```

Make sure to restart your Rasa Open Source server or container to make changes to which connectors are available.