# Twilio SDK Starter Application for Python

This sample project demonstrates how to use Twilio APIs in a Python web 
application. Once the app is up and running, check out [the home page](http://localhost:5000)
to see which demos you can run. You'll find examples for [Chat](https://www.twilio.com/chat), 
[Video](https://www.twilio.com/video), [Sync](https://www.twilio.com/sync), and more.

Let's get started!

## Configure the sample application

To run the application, you'll need to gather your Twilio account credentials and configure them
in a file named `.env`. To create this file from an example template, do the following in your
Terminal.

```bash
cp .env.example .env
```

Open `.env` in your favorite text editor and configure the following values.

### Configure account information

Every sample in the demo requires some basic credentials from your Twilio account. Configure these first.

| Config Value  | Description |
| :-------------  |:------------- |
`TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID` | Your primary Twilio account identifier - find this [in the console here](https://www.twilio.com/console).
`TWILIO_API_KEY` | Used to authenticate - [generate one here](https://www.twilio.com/console/video/dev-tools/api-keys).
`TWILIO_API_SECRET` | Used to authenticate - [just like the above, you'll get one here](https://www.twilio.com/console/video/dev-tools/api-keys).

#### A Note on API Keys

When you generate an API key pair at the URLs above, your API Secret will only be shown once - 
make sure to save this information in a secure location, or possibly your `~/.bash_profile`.

### Configure product-specific settings

Depending on which demos you'd like to run, you'll need to configure a few more values in your 
`.env` file.

| Config Value  | Product Demo | Description |
| :-------------  |:------------- |:------------- |
`TWILIO_CHAT_SERVICE_SID` | Chat | Like a database for your Chat data - [generate one in the console here](https://www.twilio.com/console/chat/services)
`TWILIO_CONFIGURATION_SID` | Video | Identifier for a set of config properties for your video application - [find yours here](https://www.twilio.com/console/video/profiles)
`TWILIO_SYNC_SERVICE_SID` | Sync (Preview) | Like a database for your Sync data - generate one with the curl command below.
`TWILIO_NOTIFICATION_SERVICE_SID` | Notify (Preview) | You will need to create a Notify service - [generate one here](https://www.twilio.com/console/notify/services)

#### Temporary: Generating a Sync Service Instance

During the Sync developer preview, you will need to generate Sync service
instances via API until the Console GUI is available. Using the API key pair you
generated above, generate a service instance via REST API with this curl command:

```bash
curl -X POST https://preview.twilio.com/Sync/Services \
 -d 'FriendlyName=MySyncServiceInstance' \
 -u 'SKXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX:your_api_secret'
```

### Configuring Notify

You will need to create a Notify Service through the [Twilio Console](https://www.twilio.com/console/notify/services), and add at least one credential on the [Mobile Push Credential screen](https://www.twilio.com/console/notify/credentials) (such as Apple Push Notification Service or Firebase Cloud Messaging for Android) to send notifications using Notify.

## Run the sample application

This application uses the lightweight [Flask Framework](http://flask.pocoo.org/).  

We need to set up your Python environment. Install `virtualenv` via `pip`:

```bash
pip install virtualenv
```

Next, we need to install our dependencies:

```bash
virtualenv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
```

Now we should be all set! Run the application using the `python` command.

```bash
python app.py
```

Your application should now be running at [http://localhost:5000](http://localhost:5000). When you're finished, deactivate your virtual environment using `deactivate`.

![Home Screen](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/809856/23171215/8107bd9e-f817-11e6-94c5-2b132d798fae.png)

## Running the SDK Starter Kit with ngrok

If you are going to connect to this SDK Starter Kit with a mobile app (and you should try it out!), your phone won't be able to access localhost directly. You'll need to create a publicly accessible URL using a tool like [ngrok](https://ngrok.com/) to send HTTP/HTTPS traffic to a server running on your localhost. Use HTTPS to make web connections that retrieve a Twilio access token.

```bash
ngrok http 5000
```

## License
MIT