# SMS.Red API for virtual numbers

Automate OTP and rental purchases with the SMS.Red API. Create a key in Developers and send activations from your own code.

Author: SMS.Red
Published: 2026-09-18
Updated: 2026-09-18
Canonical: https://textverified.org/en/blog/sms-red-api-for-virtual-numbers

The SMS.Red API purchases the same virtual numbers as the dashboard. Use it when your software needs an inbound SMS — QA for OTP screens, provisioning a work profile, or issuing a rental without a person in the UI.

## Where to start

1. Sign in and open Developers.
2. Create an API key. Store it like a password.
3. Top up the wallet the key bills against.
4. Create a verification or a rental with the service code and country you need.
5. Poll messages or use a webhook if you configured one.

Service codes match the catalog (for example Telegram is `tg`, WhatsApp is `wa`, Google is `go`). Rentals need a duration the catalog actually sells. Do not hard-code a price — read it from the durations endpoint the same way the New rental page does.

Rate-limit your buyers. A loop that hammers “buy” will drain the wallet and still fail on apps that reject the prefix. Handle empty stock as an empty result, not a retry storm.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the API a different inventory than the website?

No. Same catalog, same wallet, same numbers.

### Can I use the API for outbound SMS?

SMS.Red is inbound verification and rentals. Do not treat the API as a marketing SMS gateway.