Messages

Messages are what conversations are made of in Protocol — they are the basic building blocks of your conversations with your Protocol contacts. On this page, we'll dive into the different message endpoints you can use to manage messages programmatically. We'll look at how to query, send, update, and delete messages.

The message model

The message model contains all the information about the messages and attachments you send to your contacts and groups, including how your contacts have reacted to them.

Properties

Name
id
Type
string?
Description
Unique identifier for the message.
Name
conversation_id
Type
string?
Description
Unique identifier for the conversation the message belongs to.
Name
contact
Type
object?
Description
The contact object for the contact who sent the message.
Name
message
Type
string?
Description
The message content.
Name
reactions
Type
array?
Description
An array of reaction objects associated with the message.
Name
attachments
Type
array?
Description
An array of attachment objects associated with the message.
Name
read_at
Type
timestamp?
Description
Timestamp of when the message was read.
Name
created_at
Type
timestamp?
Description
Timestamp of when the message was created.
Name
updated_at
Type
timestamp?
Description
Timestamp of when the message was last updated.

GET/v1/messages

List all messages

This endpoint allows you to retrieve a paginated list of all your messages (in a conversation if a conversation id is provided). By default, a maximum of ten messages are shown per page.

Optional attributes

Name
conversation_id
Type
string?
Description
Limit to messages from a given conversation.
Name
limit
Type
integer?
Description
Limit the number of messages returned.

Request

GET

/v1/messages

curl -G https://api.protocol.chat/v1/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}" \
  -d conversation_id=xgQQXg3hrtjh7AvZ \
  -d limit=10

Response

{
  "has_more": false,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w",
      "conversation_id": "xgQQXg3hrtjh7AvZ",
      "contact": {
        "id": "WAz8eIbvDR60rouK",
        "username": "KevinMcCallister",
        "phone_number": "1-800-759-3000",
        "avatar_url": "https://assets.protocol.chat/avatars/buzzboy.jpg",
        "last_active_at": 705103200,
        "created_at": 692233200
      },
      "message": "It’s a nice night for a neck injury.",
      "reactions": [],
      "attachments": [],
      "read_at": 705103200,
      "created_at": 692233200,
      "updated_at": 692233200
    },
    {
      "id": "hSIhXBhNe8X1d8Et",
      // ..
    }
  ]
}

POST/v1/messages

Send a message

This endpoint allows you to send a new message to one of your conversations.

Required attributes

Name
conversation_id
Type
string?
Description
Unique identifier for the conversation the message belongs to.
Name
message
Type
string?
Description
The message content.

Optional attributes

Name
attachments
Type
array?
Description
An array of attachment objects associated with the message.

Request

POST

/v1/messages

curl https://api.protocol.chat/v1/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}" \
  -d conversation_id="xgQQXg3hrtjh7AvZ" \
  -d message="You’re what the French call ‘les incompetents.’"

Response

{
  "id": "gWqY86BMFRiH5o11",
  "conversation_id": "xgQQXg3hrtjh7AvZ",
  "contact": {
    "id": "inEIRvzjC6YLMX3o",
    "username": "LinnieMcCallister",
    "phone_number": "1-800-759-3000",
    "avatar_url": "https://assets.protocol.chat/avatars/linnie.jpg",
    "last_active_at": 705103200,
    "created_at": 692233200
  },
  "message": "You’re what the French call ‘les incompetents.’",
  "reactions": [],
  "attachments": [],
  "read_at": null,
  "created_at": 692233200,
  "updated_at": null
}

GET/v1/messages/:id

Retrieve a message

This endpoint allows you to retrieve a message by providing the message id. Refer to the list at the top of this page to see which properties are included with message objects.

Request

GET

/v1/messages/SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w

curl https://api.protocol.chat/v1/messages/SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}"

Response

{
  "id": "SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w",
  "conversation_id": "xgQQXg3hrtjh7AvZ",
  "contact": {
    "id": "WAz8eIbvDR60rouK",
    "username": "KevinMcCallister",
    "phone_number": "1-800-759-3000",
    "avatar_url": "https://assets.protocol.chat/avatars/kevin.jpg",
    "last_active_at": 705103200,
    "created_at": 692233200
  },
  "message": "I’m traveling with my dad. He’s at a meeting. I hate meetings.",
  "reactions": [],
  "attachments": [],
  "read_at": 705103200,
  "created_at": 692233200,
  "updated_at": 692233200
}

PUT/v1/messages/:id

Update a message

This endpoint allows you to perform an update on a message. Examples of updates are adding a reaction, editing the message, or adding an attachment.

Optional attributes

Name
message
Type
string?
Description
The message content.
Name
reactions
Type
array?
Description
An array of reaction objects associated with the message.
Name
attachments
Type
array?
Description
An array of attachment objects associated with the message.

Request

PUT

/v1/messages/SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w

curl -X PUT https://api.protocol.chat/v1/messages/SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}" \
  -d reactions[red_angry_face][]="KateMcCallister"

Response

{
  "id": "SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w",
  "conversation_id": "xgQQXg3hrtjh7AvZ",
  "contact": {
    "id": "WAz8eIbvDR60rouK",
    "username": "KevinMcCallister",
    "phone_number": "1-800-759-3000",
    "avatar_url": "https://assets.protocol.chat/avatars/buzzboy.jpg",
    "last_active_at": 705103200,
    "created_at": 692233200
  },
  "message": "I'm not apologizing. I'd rather kiss a toilet seat.",
  "reactions": [
    {
      "red_angry_face": [
        "KateMcCallister"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "attachments": [],
  "read_at": 705103200,
  "created_at": 692233200,
  "updated_at": 692233200
}

DELETE/v1/messages/:id

Delete a message

This endpoint allows you to delete messages from your conversations. Note: This will permanently delete the message.

Request

DELETE

/v1/messages/SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w

curl -X DELETE https://api.protocol.chat/v1/messages/SIuAFUNKdSYHZF2w \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}"