Key Takeaways
- Pre-launch checklist for open-source / GitHub SMS gateway experiments: prove secrets hygiene, canary send, and a funded Android before promising OTP.
- Hosted SMS Gateway is devices + volume — not a random GitHub zip’s license model.
- Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit.
- Free canary on our stack: 300 SMS lifetime · 300 contacts · 1 device max.
- Never commit live Bearer tokens to public repos.
- Developer Center owns live API fields for the hosted product.
A pre-launch checklist for teams mixing open-source GitHub SMS experiments with a production Android gateway path. Related: Secure API keys. Document runbooks. GitHub secret scanning.
Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit.
A polished README with
export API_KEY=sk_liveis not open-source culture — it is a prepaid SIM gift card for scrapers.
OSS gateway vs hosted API
DIY modem stacks need your uptime. Our path: pair Android, call REST — docs in Developer Center.
Pre-launch gates
| Gate | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|
| Secrets | .env gitignored + scanning on | Key in commit history |
| Canary | Staff SMS delivered | Only mocked tests |
| Retention | TTL for logs/OTP | Forever plaintext |
| On-call | Named phone owner | Orphan handset |
Keys and sample repos
Use .env.example empty values only — GDPR-minded handling.
Handset truth
300 Free lifetime SMS is a canary budget. Peak needs more devices.
Related reading
Checklist
- Secret scanning enabled.
- Staff canary passed.
- Runbook for offline phone.
- OTP not in long logs.
- License/vendor identity clear.
- Plan sized for peak.
Next steps
Ship the canary, then lock devices + volume.
Related product pages
Jump to the live product docs for this topic—not another long-form article.
- SMS API documentationLive endpoint reference
- device and SMS volume pricingPlans and allowances
- Android SMS gateway product guideDefinition, product, and how to buy
- download the Android gateway appGet the APK
