Core Concepts Overview
Before you start building with Sent, it's important to understand the fundamental concepts that make up the Sent messaging platform. This section will help you build a mental model of how Sent works and why it's designed the way it is.
Learning Path
Platform Overview
Start here to understand the high-level architecture and how Sent fits into your application stack. Read more →
You'll learn:
- The components of Sent's architecture
- How messages flow through the system
- Key benefits for developers and businesses
Unified Messaging
Understand the philosophy behind intent-based messaging and how it differs from traditional channel-specific approaches. Read more →
You'll learn:
- Imperative vs declarative messaging
- How the decision engine works
- Automatic fallback and retry logic
Channels
Learn about the intelligent abstraction layer that handles SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, and future messaging channels. Read more →
You'll learn:
- How channel selection works
- How one template adapts to each channel
- Real-time availability detection
Contacts
Understand how Sent's contact system provides intelligent, channel-agnostic communication endpoints. Read more →
You'll learn:
- Contact lifecycle and validation
- Routing decision engine
- Phone number normalization
Templates
Learn about the foundation of unified messaging and how templates adapt across channels. Read more →
You'll learn:
- Template anatomy and components
- Dynamic content handling
- Content adaptation mechanics
Concept Map
Platform Overview
High-level architecture and system components
Unified Messaging
Intent-based delivery and intelligent routing
Channels
Multi-channel abstraction and per-channel content adaptation
SMS Encoding & Message Length
GSM-7 vs Unicode, character limits, and why messages split into segments
Contacts
Intelligent communication endpoints
Templates
Channel-agnostic message definitions
Sender Profiles
Multi-tenant messaging identities and resource governance
Trust & Safety
Automatic send-time protections against spam, fraud, and abuse
Key Principles
1. Intent Over Implementation
Sent focuses on what you want to achieve (send a notification) rather than how (SMS vs WhatsApp vs RCS). This abstraction allows the platform to optimize delivery without your intervention.
2. Richer Where the Channel Allows
Every message works on the most constrained channel, SMS, and picks up media, buttons, and branding automatically when it routes to a richer channel.
3. Intelligence Through Data
Delivery outcomes feed back into routing: delivery patterns and success rates inform the routing rules that decide how future messages are sent.
4. Developer Experience First
Complexity is absorbed by the platform, not pushed to developers. You shouldn't need telecom expertise to send messages reliably.
How These Concepts Work Together
Your Application
↓
[Intent] → "Send order confirmation to customer"
↓
[Contact] → Intelligent endpoint with channel info
↓
[Template] → Channel-agnostic message definition
↓
[Decision Engine] → Optimal channel selection
↓
[Channel] → SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, etc.
↓
Delivery with automatic fallbackReady to build? Once you understand these concepts, move on to the Quickstart to send your first message, or dive into the Implementation Guides for detailed how-tos.
Common Questions
Do you need to understand all these concepts before using Sent?
No. You can start sending messages with just the Quickstart. These concepts help you build more effectively and troubleshoot issues.
Which concept should you learn first?
Start with Platform Overview for the big picture, then Unified Messaging to understand the core philosophy.
How do concepts relate to the API?
Concepts map directly to API resources:
- Contacts →
/v3/contacts - Templates →
/v3/templates - Messages →
/v3/messages