Glossary

A

API Key

Secret authentication token sent in the x-api-key header, together with the x-sender-id header, on every v2 API request. See Authentication.

Authentication Message

WhatsApp message category for OTP codes, verification messages, and login confirmations. Usually has the lowest cost per message.

Available Channels

Comma-separated list of messaging channels (for example, sms,whatsapp) that can reach a specific contact based on their phone number validation.

B

Balance

Customer account credit amount used for message payments, with detailed transaction history.

Business Account

WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) identifier required for WhatsApp messaging integration.

C

Channel

Communication method used to deliver messages:

• SMS: Traditional text messaging
• WhatsApp: Business messaging via Meta's WhatsApp Business API

Contact

A phone number recipient in your messaging system, including validation data, available channels, and formatting information.

Contact ID

Unique UUID identifier for a contact within a customer's account.

Customer

Primary entity representing a business account in the Sent platform. Contains messaging configuration, API keys, and channel settings.

Customer ID

Unique UUID identifier for a customer account.

D

Default Channel

Preferred messaging channel for a contact, determined by phone number validation and regional settings.

Delivery Status

Message state indicating current status, such as QUEUED, SENT, DELIVERED, READ, or FAILED. The full set of statuses is listed in Data Models.

E

E.164 Format

International phone number standard (for example, +1234567890) used as the canonical format throughout the platform.

Endpoint

API route handling specific operations (for example, /v2/contacts/id or /v2/messages/phone).

F

Formatting

Phone number representations in various formats:

• E.164: +1234567890 (canonical)
• International: +1 234-567-890 (human-readable)
• National: (234) 567-890 (country-specific)
• RFC 3966: tel:+1-234-567-890 (URI format)

K

KYC (Know Your Customer)

Compliance data including business information, contact details, and use case descriptions required for messaging services.

M

Marketing Message

WhatsApp message category for promotional content and campaigns. Typically has higher cost per message and requires opt-in.

Message Activity

Event tracking for message processing including channel selection, sending status, and delivery confirmation.

Message Body

Final rendered content of a message after template variable substitution.

Message Template

Pre-approved message format for WhatsApp or reusable content for SMS, supporting variable substitution.

Messaging Profile

SMS provider configuration for messaging, containing webhook URLs and delivery settings.

P

Pagination

Result set structure with items, totalCount, page, pageSize, and totalPages for handling large data sets.

Phone Number Validation

Process determining if a phone number is valid, possible, and identifying its type (mobile, fixed-line, etc.).

Pricing

Cost structure for messages varying by channel, region, and message category (especially for WhatsApp).

R

Region Code

ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (for example, US or CA) used for pricing and channel availability.

S

Sender ID

Customer identifier used in conjunction with API keys for request authentication and data scoping.

SMS

Short Message Service - traditional text messaging.

System User Access Token

Long-lived WhatsApp API authentication token for business messaging operations.

T

Template

Pre-defined message format supporting variable substitution:

• WhatsApp Template: Must be approved by Meta before use
• SMS Template: Can be used immediately without approval

Template Category

Classification for WhatsApp templates:

• AUTHENTICATION: OTP and verification messages
• MARKETING: Promotional content requiring opt-in
• UTILITY: Transactional messages and confirmations

Template Status

Template approval state, such as DRAFT, PENDING, APPROVED, or REJECTED. The full set of statuses is listed in Data Models.

Transaction

Financial record tracking balance changes from message costs, payments, or refunds.

U

Unified Messaging Intelligence

Sent's system for automatically selecting the optimal messaging channel based on contact validation, availability, and cost.

UUID (Universally Unique Identifier)

128-bit identifier format used for all entity IDs throughout the platform.

Utility Message

WhatsApp message category for transactional content like order confirmations and delivery notifications.

V

Validation

Process of verifying phone number format, reachability, and available messaging channels.

Variable Substitution

Process of replacing placeholder values (for example, {{1}} or {{name}}) in message templates with actual content.

W

Webhook

HTTP callback URL for receiving real-time message status updates and delivery confirmations.

WhatsApp Business API

Meta's business messaging platform integrated for professional messaging capabilities.

WhatsApp Template

Pre-approved message format required by Meta for business messaging, supporting rich media and interactive elements.