How to Send and Receive SMS With Firebase Functions (Tutorial)

This tutorial outlines how to build an SMS messaging system using Firebase Cloud Functions and the Realtime Database alongside the Vonage SMS API. To start, developers need a Firebase account and a Vonage API account, as well as a virtual phone number from Vonage. They then set up a new Firebase project, install Firebase Tools, and create a function to receive incoming SMS messages via a webhook. The function logs the message into the Real-Time Database, and the vital piece is the Function URL, which is required to set up the webhook in Vonage. Next, developers use a virtual phone number to send a message, log the message into the database, and then create another function to send SMS messages back to the original sender. The new function watches for updates to the Real-Time Database, sends an echo of the original text, and deploys the Firebase Functions again to test the response. Overall, this tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on how to build an SMS messaging system using Firebase Cloud Functions and the Vonage SMS API.