Short answerUse an HTTP API unless you have a specific reason not to: it is faster to build against, works from any language, and is enough for the overwhelming majority of traffic. Choose SMPP for sustained very high throughput, where a persistent binary connection avoids the cost of one HTTP request per message.
| HTTP API | SMPP | |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | One request per message, stateless | Persistent TCP session you keep open |
| Throughput | Good — limited by request overhead | Very high — thousands per second per bind |
| Build effort | Hours | Days to weeks |
| You must handle | Retries | Binds, enquire_link keepalives, window size, sequence numbers, reconnection |
| Libraries | Any HTTP client | A specialist SMPP library per language |
| Debugging | Readable — curl and logs | Binary PDUs, needs tooling |
| Best for | Almost everyone | Sustained high-volume senders |
SMPP is a stateful binary protocol from the late 1990s. You open a bind, keep it alive with periodic enquire_link packets, track sequence numbers to match responses to submissions, manage a send window so you do not overrun the far end, and reconnect cleanly when the session drops — which it will.
None of that is difficult, but all of it is yours to own and to keep working at three in the morning. An HTTP integration has none of it.
When request overhead becomes a real constraint — sustained tens of messages per second and up, not occasional bursts — or when a provider offers materially better rates on an SMPP bind.
The sensible path is to start on HTTP, measure, and move only if the numbers justify it. Most senders never reach that point.
Ritorica supports both. Start on HTTP; move to SMPP when your volume earns it.
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