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Hellio Messaging - Official Ruby SDK

tests Gem Version Gem Downloads License

Ruby client for the Hellio Messaging API v1: SMS, OTP (SMS / email / voice), Voice broadcasts, Number Lookup (HLR), Email Verification, USSD, Pricing, Balance, and Webhooks. It uses only the Ruby standard library (net/http and json), so there are no runtime dependencies.

Install

gem install hellio-messaging

Or with Bundler, add to your Gemfile:

gem "hellio-messaging"

then run bundle install.

Configure

Generate a token in your dashboard (Settings -> API -> Generate API token), then create a client. You can pass values directly or set environment variables.

require "hellio"

client = Hellio::Client.new(
  token: "your-token-here",
  default_sender: "HellioSMS"
)

Environment variables are read as fallbacks when an option is omitted:

HELLIO_BASE_URL=https://api.helliomessaging.com/v1
HELLIO_API_TOKEN=your-token-here
HELLIO_DEFAULT_SENDER=HellioSMS
client = Hellio::Client.new   # reads HELLIO_API_TOKEN, HELLIO_BASE_URL, HELLIO_DEFAULT_SENDER

Optional constructor options: base_url (defaults to https://api.helliomessaging.com/v1), timeout (seconds, default 30), and http (a custom HTTP adapter, mainly for tests).

Every call returns the decoded JSON as a Hash with string keys (payloads are under the "data" key). Non-2xx responses raise a typed error (see below).

Usage

# Account
client.balance            # {"data" => {"balance" => "195.0000", "available" => "194.65", ...}}
client.pricing("GH")      # optional ISO-2 country filter

# SMS (recipients: string, comma list, or array)
client.sms("233241234567", "Hello!")
client.sms(["233241234567", "233201234567"], "Hi all", sender: "HellioSMS")
client.message(1024)      # delivery status
client.campaign(1024)     # campaign summary

# OTP - sender (Sender ID) is REQUIRED for sms/voice and must be approved on your account.
# Optional length (4-10 digits) and expiry (minutes). Returns status "queued".
client.otp("233241234567", sender: "HellioSMS")                       # SMS
client.otp("233241234567", sender: "HellioSMS", channel: "voice")     # Voice (TTS reads the code)
client.otp("233241234567", sender: "HellioSMS", length: 6, expiry: 10)
client.otp("user@example.com", channel: "email")                      # Email (no sender)
client.verify("233241234567", "123456")                               # true / false
client.verify_otp("user@example.com", "123456", channel: "email")     # full response

# Voice broadcast - text (we TTS it) or a hosted audio_url
client.voice("233241234567", "HELLIO", text: "Your code is 1 2 3 4")
client.voice(["233241234567"], "HELLIO", audio_url: "https://cdn.example.com/promo.mp3")

# Number lookup (HLR) - async; poll results
client.lookup(["233241234567"])
client.lookups
client.lookup_result(5)

# Email verification
client.verify_email(["user@gmail.com", "bad@nodomain.invalid"])

# Webhooks (receive delivery reports)
client.create_webhook("https://your-app.com/hooks/hellio", events: ["message.delivered", "message.failed"])
client.webhooks
client.delete_webhook(1)

Recipient inputs (sms, voice, lookup, verify_email) accept a single string, a comma-separated string, or an array. They are normalized to a list before the request is sent.

USSD

USSD endpoints live under client.ussd. Build an app whose callback_url Hellio calls on each session step, simulate the flow while still in test mode, rent an extension (the short code subscribers dial), then switch the app to live.

Apps have two modes, "test" and "live". A new app starts in "test" and carries both a test_secret (prefix ussk_test_) and a live_secret (prefix ussk_live_); mode/is_live say which one is active. App and extension ids are UUID strings.

# Pricing and availability
client.ussd.pricing                 # short code, session prices, extension prices
client.ussd.availability("100")     # {"data" => {"code" => "100", "valid" => true, "available" => true, "monthly_price" => "50.00"}}

# Apps - Hellio POSTs each session step to callback_url. New apps start in test mode.
app = client.ussd.create_app(name: "Airtime", callback_url: "https://your-app.com/ussd")
app_id = app["data"]["id"]          # UUID string
app["data"]["mode"]                 # "test"
app["data"]["test_secret"]          # "ussk_test_..."
client.ussd.apps
client.ussd.update_app(app_id, active: false)

# Rotate a secret for one mode (test or live)
client.ussd.rotate_secret(app_id, "test")

# Simulate a session - always sandboxed (no charge, no extension).
# new_session: true on the first step, then reuse the same session_id.
# service_code is optional and defaults to the shared short code.
client.ussd.simulate(app_id: app_id, session_id: "sess-1",
                     msisdn: "233241234567", new_session: true)
client.ussd.simulate(app_id: app_id, session_id: "sess-1",
                     msisdn: "233241234567", input: "1")

# Extensions - the code subscribers dial, paid from the dedicated USSD balance
client.ussd.extensions
ext = client.ussd.rent_extension("100", app_id: app_id)

# Go live once an extension is purchased
client.ussd.set_mode(app_id, "live")

# Sessions
client.ussd.sessions(status: "ended")
client.ussd.session("6f1c...")      # UUID string

client.ussd.release_extension(ext["data"]["id"])
client.ussd.delete_app(app_id)

Renting an extension that is no longer available raises Hellio::ConflictError (409); an underfunded USSD balance raises Hellio::InsufficientBalanceError (402, slug insufficient_ussd_balance). The USSD balance is dedicated, separate from SMS credit and the main wallet. Switching an app to live before an extension is purchased raises Hellio::ExtensionRequiredError (402, slug extension_required).

Handling the inbound callback

When a subscriber uses your extension, Hellio POSTs a JSON body (sessionId, msisdn, serviceCode, input, sequence, mode) to your app's callback_url, signed with an X-Hellio-Signature header set to HMAC-SHA256(rawBody, secret) where secret is the app's secret for the mode that raised the call (test_secret in test mode, live_secret in live mode). Verify it, then reply with message and action ("continue" or "end").

require "openssl"
require "json"

post "/ussd" do
  raw = request.body.read
  expected = OpenSSL::HMAC.hexdigest("SHA256", ENV["USSD_APP_SECRET"], raw)
  halt 401 unless Rack::Utils.secure_compare(expected, request.env["HTTP_X_HELLIO_SIGNATURE"].to_s)

  payload = JSON.parse(raw)
  content_type :json
  { message: "Welcome to #{payload['serviceCode']}", action: "continue" }.to_json
end

Error handling

Non-2xx responses raise typed errors (all subclass Hellio::Error). Each error carries status_code and the parsed response body; ValidationError also exposes field-level details through #errors.

Error Status
Hellio::InvalidApiTokenError 401
Hellio::InsufficientBalanceError 402
Hellio::ExtensionRequiredError 402 (slug extension_required)
Hellio::ConflictError 409
Hellio::ValidationError (#errors) 422
Hellio::RateLimitError 429
Hellio::Error other 
begin
  client.sms("233241234567", "Hi")
rescue Hellio::InsufficientBalanceError => e
  # top up
rescue Hellio::ValidationError => e
  e.errors        # field-level messages
  e.status_code   # 422
  e.response      # full parsed body
end

Rate limit: 120 requests/minute per token.

Development

bundle install
bundle exec rake spec

Tests use RSpec and WebMock to mock the HTTP layer.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.