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Getting started with SMS in Yandex Cloud Notification Service

Written by
Updated at April 13, 2026

Note

The service is at the preview stage.

To enable Cloud Notification Service, request access to the service from your account manager or technical support.

Cloud Notification Service (CNS) is a service for multichannel notifications of users. The service's HTTP API is compatible with the Amazon SNS API.

With Cloud Notification Service, you can send text messages (SMS) using SMS notification channels. Russian phone numbers in E.164 format are supported, e.g., +79991112233. SMS messages are signed with sender text names. The maximum length of one SMS is 160 Latin characters or 70 Cyrillic characters. Longer texts are sent using multiple SMS messages.

To get started with SMS:

  1. Get your cloud ready.
  2. Create an SMS notification channel with a common sender.
  3. Add a test phone number.
  4. Send a test SMS.
  5. Create a notification channel with an individual sender.
  6. Create an SMS template.
  7. Exit the sandbox.

Get your cloud ready

Sign up for Yandex Cloud and create a billing account:

  1. Navigate to the management console and log in to Yandex Cloud or create a new account.
  2. On the Yandex Cloud Billing page, make sure you have a billing account linked and it has the ACTIVE or TRIAL_ACTIVE status. If you do not have a billing account, create one and link a cloud to it.

If you have an active billing account, you can create or select a folder for your infrastructure on the cloud page.

Learn more about clouds and folders here.

Create an SMS notification channel with a common sender

In Cloud Notification Service, messages to end users are sent through notification channels.

An SMS notification channel with a shared sender is a good option for testing the service's features and has the following advantages:

  • You do not have to register the sender's name with the telecom operator.
  • No monthly subscription fee is charged.

There are restrictions in place for this type of sender:

  • All SMS messages are signed with a shared service name.
  • Promotional SMS messages are not allowed.
  • A cloud can contain only one SMS notification channel with a shared sender.
  • A channel can only operate in a sandbox with a limited number of test phone numbers.

To create a channel with a common sender:

  1. In the management console, select the folder you want to create a notification channel in.
  2. Go to Cloud Notification Service.
  3. Click Create notifications channel.
  4. In the SMS tab, select the Common sender sender type and click Create.

Add a test phone number .

A sandbox is a test environment, in which you can send SMS messages only to test phone numbers.

Each test phone number is registered in a channel using a confirmation code from an SMS. By adding a number, you agree to receive messages to it.

To add a test phone number:

  1. Select the notification channel you previously created.

  2. Navigate to the Test numbers tab.

  3. Click Add a test phone number.

  4. In the window that opens, enter a phone number and click Get code. An SMS with a confirmation code will be sent to the specified phone number.

    Russian phone numbers in E.164 format are supported, e.g., +79991112233.

  5. Enter the code from the SMS and click Confirm.

Send a test SMS

  1. Next to the test phone number you previously added, click and select Send.
  2. In the window that opens, enter the message text and click Send.

Create a notification channel with an individual sender

Note

Businesses and individual entrepreneurs can register an individual sender name.

After practicing on a channel with a common sender, you can register an SMS notification channel with an individual sender.

An SMS notification channel with an individual sender is suitable for the product environment and has the following advantages:

  • All SMS messages are signed with the sender's unique text name.
  • After leaving the sandbox you can send SMS to any Russian phone numbers in E.164 format.

There are restrictions and rules in place for this type of sender:

  • The sender's text name will be registered with the service provider.
  • You will be charged a monthly subscription fee for using the sender's text name.
  • In the cloud, one sender's text name can correspond to one SMS notification channel.

To create a channel with an individual sender:

  1. In the management console, select the folder you want to create a notification channel in.
  2. Go to Cloud Notification Service.
  3. Click Create notifications channel.
  4. In the SMS tab, select the Individual sender sender type.
  5. Specify the sender’s text name of your choice and click Create.

With that done, a tech support ticket to register the sender's text name will be automatically generated.

Note

Registering a sender's text name may take from 2 to 4 weeks.

When your registration is complete, you will be notified by tech support that you now have access to an individual sender channel.

Create an SMS template

SMS templates allow you to divide SMS notifications into different types, each with its own sending cost, thus enabling more efficient expense management.

To create an SMS template:

  1. In the management console, select the folder where you want to create the template.

  2. Go to Cloud Notification Service.

  3. In the left-hand panel, select Notification channels and select a channel with an individual sender you want to create a template in.

  4. In the left-hand menu, select Templates and click Create template. In the window that opens:

    1. In the Name field, enter a name for the template.

    2. In the Type field, select the type of your new template:

      • Transaction: Used to notify about financial transactions, e.g., crediting, debiting, transfer, and reservation of funds, accrual of interest on deposit, etc.
      • Service: Used to notify users about the status of services, maintenance works, terms of service updates, etc.
      • Authorization: Used to send data required for various authorization procedures, verifications, confirmations of actions/transactions, or consents.

      If an SMS notification does not fall under any of these types, it is treated as advertising by default.

    3. In the Template field, specify the template body.

      The text of SMS notifications must exactly match the template: the character case as well as the number and type of spaces must match, and the text must not contain any undefined special characters.

      Learn more about template requirements here.

    4. In the Example message field, enter a sample text for the SMS notification you intend to send. This notification must match the template you are creating.

      You cannot create a template if the sample message does not match the template specified above.

    5. Click Create.

Once created, the SMS template will switch to the Registering status and will be sent for registration on the telecom provider side. A support ticket will be created at the same time. Registering a template takes two to four weeks. Once all telecom providers complete template registration, the template will switch to the Active status and be available for use.

Exit the sandbox

The SMS notification channel with an individual sender is originally created in the sandbox.

After practicing on test phone numbers, you can apply to exit the sandbox mode:

  1. Select the individual sender notification channel you created earlier.

  2. Click Leave sandbox.

    With that done, a tech support ticket to exit the sandbox will be automatically generated.

    You can also request an increase in the service quotas together with your request to exit the sandbox mode.

Once the ticket is approved, you will be able to send SMS messages to any Russian phone numbers in E.164 format, e.g., +79991112233.

See also

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