RapidSMS Overview

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RapidSMS is a free and open-source framework for dynamic data collection, logistics coordination and communication, leveraging basic short message service (SMS) mobile phone technology. It can be used by anyone and because one size does not fit all and no two projects are exactly the same, RapidSMS is easily customized to meet the specific needs of the project and is scalable at an enterprise level. It is currently being utilized by large multilateral organizations (such as the United Nations), development professionals (such as the Earth Institute at Columbia University), and small NGOs and CBOs (such as Tostan).

RapidSMS is written in Python and Django and is a framework for building highly customized applications. While there are increasingly more and more pre-configured applications being created for RapidSMS, most projects will continue to benefit from applications designed specifically to meet the need and demands of their stakeholders.

RapidSMS at a glance

The goal of this section is to give you enough technical specifics to understand how RapidSMS works, but this isn’t intended to be a tutorial or reference. When you’re ready to start a project, you can install RapidSMS and begin writing your own custom applications.

As a quick example, here’s how we might create a simple application, written in Python, that replies ‘pong’ after receiving the message ‘ping’:

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from rapidsms.apps.base import AppBase

class PingPong(AppBase):

    def handle(self, msg):
        if msg.text == 'ping':
            msg.respond('pong')
            return True
        return False

This is just the surface

This has been only a quick overview of RapidSMS’s functionality. The next obvious steps are for you to install RapidSMS, read the tutorial, and join the community. Thanks for your interest!