Getting Started with the Qlara Platform API

The Qlara Platform is a unified REST API that lets you send messages over SMS, RCS, and WhatsApp, manage contacts and lists, run bulk messaging campaigns, and track delivery in real time.

Get your API key in 2 minutes

Sign in to Qlara, generate a key, and you’re ready to send your first message.

1. Sign in to your Qlara workspace
2. Open Settings → API keys → New key
3. Store it as QLARA_API_KEY in your environment

Open Qlara dashboard

Who is this documentation for?

• Developers and technical teams integrating messaging into their applications
• Project managers and account managers who need to understand available features
• Support teams helping clients with API integration

Base URL

All API endpoints are served under:

https://api.qlara.ai/api

Authentication

Every request must include authentication via one of these methods:

• API Key (recommended): X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY header
• Basic Auth: Authorization: Basic base64(username:password) header

See the Authentication guide for details.

Verify your API key works by listing your SMS sender IDs with GET /partner-gateway/v1/sms/senders, a call that takes no parameters — pick your favorite language:

cURL

curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
https://api.qlara.ai/api/partner-gateway/v1/sms/senders

Node.js

const res = await fetch(
'https://api.qlara.ai/api/partner-gateway/v1/sms/senders',
{ headers: { 'X-Api-Key': process.env.QLARA_API_KEY } }
);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(res.status, data);

Python

import os, requests

res = requests.get(
  "https://api.qlara.ai/api/partner-gateway/v1/sms/senders",
  headers={"X-Api-Key": os.environ["QLARA_API_KEY"]},
)
print(res.status_code, res.json())

A 200 with the list of your sender IDs means the key works. A 401 with {"error": "Invalid API Key"} means the key is missing or wrong, or it is not enabled for SMS.

Tip

Keep your API key secret. Do not expose it in client-side code or public repositories. For production, rotate keys regularly and store them in a secrets manager.

Available channels

SMS

The most widespread and universal channel. Works on any mobile phone, including non-smartphones. Ideal for transactional notifications, OTP, and urgent communications.

• Universal: modern, recommended format — one message per request with placeholder support
• Legacy: backward-compatible format — supports multi-recipient in a single request

RCS (Rich Communication Services)

The evolution of SMS. Send rich messages with images, videos, interactive buttons, and carousels. Requires the recipient to have an RCS-compatible device.

• Message types: text, card (with media and buttons), carousel (scrollable cards)
• Interactive suggestions (reply, open URL, call, location, calendar)
• Automatic fallback to WhatsApp and/or SMS if the recipient doesn't support RCS

WhatsApp Business

The most widely used messaging channel in the world. Send messages via Meta-approved templates or free-form content (within the 24h window).

• Content types: text, image, video, audio, document, location, sticker, reaction
• Templates with buttons, media headers, and tracked links
• Automatic fallback to RCS and/or SMS

Send your first message

Once authenticated, sending a message is one POST away. Here's the simplest case — sending an SMS:

cURL

curl -X POST https://api.qlara.ai/api/partner-gateway/v1/sms/messages \
-H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
  "destination": "+393334445566",
  "sender": "Qlara",
  "body": "Hi from the Qlara Platform!",
  "messageId": "msg-sms-001"
}'

Node.js

const res = await fetch(
'https://api.qlara.ai/api/partner-gateway/v1/sms/messages',
{
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'X-Api-Key': process.env.QLARA_API_KEY,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    destination: '+393334445566',
    sender: 'Qlara',
    body: 'Hi from the Qlara Platform!',
    messageId: 'msg-sms-001',
  }),
}
);
const { messageId } = await res.json();
console.log('Sent:', messageId);

Python

import os, requests

res = requests.post(
  "https://api.qlara.ai/api/partner-gateway/v1/sms/messages",
  headers={"X-Api-Key": os.environ["QLARA_API_KEY"]},
  json={
      "destination": "+393334445566",
      "sender": "Qlara",
      "body": "Hi from the Qlara Platform!",
      "messageId": "msg-sms-001",
  },
)
print("Sent:", res.json()["messageId"])

sender must be one of the sender IDs the check above returned, otherwise the API answers 403. messageId is your own identifier for the message: keep it, it is the customerMessageId you track the delivery with.

The API answers 202 Accepted:

{
  "messageId": "msg-sms-001",
  "simulation": false,
  "results": {
    "sms": {
      "accepted": true,
      "unicode": false,
      "parts": 1,
      "reasons": []
    }
  }
}

If the messaging platform refuses the message, the answer is 422 with the reasons instead.

Fallback chain

The system supports automatic fallback. If the primary channel cannot deliver, the system tries the next one:

How it works

Core concepts

Concept	Description
Channels	SMS, RCS, and WhatsApp. Each channel has its own send endpoint and template management.
Contacts & Lists	Your address book. Organize contacts into named lists for campaign targeting.
Campaigns	Bulk messaging jobs that send a message to a contact list on a schedule.
Webhooks	HTTPS callbacks for real-time delivery, read, and inbound message notifications.
Templates	Pre-approved message templates for RCS and WhatsApp with placeholders and interactive elements.
Exports	Async data exports (contacts, delivery reports) with download links.
Subscription	Your plan and credit balance.
Social Profiles	Connected social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google, TikTok) linked to your account.

What's next?

• Authentication — Learn about API Key, Basic Auth, and IP Whitelist.
• Quick Start — Send your first message in 3 minutes.
• Channel Guides — Compare SMS, RCS, and WhatsApp.
• Campaign Management — Create and schedule bulk campaigns.
• Contacts and Lists — Organize your audience.
• Webhooks — Set up real-time delivery notifications.
• FAQ — Common questions and answers.
• API Reference — Explore all endpoints.
• Postman Collections — Download ready-to-use collections for testing.