Pause a batch

POST /v1/batches/{id}/pause

Holds every message not yet handed to the carrier. Messages already in flight still send.

Send your API key as a bearer token: Authorization: Bearer ssms_sk_.... Test keys run this endpoint against the sandbox; see Authentication for key modes and scopes.

Path parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`id`	string	Yes

Responses

Status	Meaning	Body
200	The updated batch, plus affected and sweep_complete	`Batch`
401	Missing, malformed, or revoked API key	`Error`
402	Billable live calls only: the prepaid credit balance cannot cover the call (insufficient_credits); nothing was done or charged	`Error`
404	Not found	`Error`
409	Not allowed in the batch’s current status (or a retry is already running)	`Error`
429	Rate limit or quota exceeded	`Error`

200: `Batch` fields

Field	Type	Description
`id`	string	Example: `bc_a1B2c3D4e5F6`.
`object`	`batch`
`name`	string
`status`	`scheduled`, `sending`, `paused`, `complete`, `canceled`
`from`	string
`body`	string
`source`	`api`, `csv`, `contacts`
`test`	boolean
`scheduled_at`	string (date-time)	Nullable.
`created_at`	string (date-time)
`completed_at`	string (date-time)	Nullable.
`counts`	object	total = queued + sent + failed + opted_out + canceled, always. "sent" = accepted by the carrier; what happened next (delivered, failed, replies) is GET /v1/batches/{id}/results. "opted_out" also counts recipients unsubscribed from the batch topic.
`counts.total`	integer
`counts.queued`	integer
`counts.sent`	integer
`counts.failed`	integer
`counts.opted_out`	integer
`counts.canceled`	integer
`rejected`	object	Rows dropped at validation (not part of total), by reason. Nullable.
`variables`	array of string
`retries`	integer

Errors

Status	When
401	Missing, malformed, or revoked API key
402	Billable live calls only: the prepaid credit balance cannot cover the call (insufficient_credits); nothing was done or charged
404	Not found
409	Not allowed in the batch’s current status (or a retry is already running)
429	Rate limit or quota exceeded

Every error has the same JSON shape, and request_id matches the X-Request-Id response header. Errors lists every code and what to do about it.

json

{
  "error": {
    "code": "invalid_request",
    "message": "What went wrong, in plain words.",
    "param": "the_field",
    "request_id": "req_a1B2c3D4e5F6g7H8"
  }
}

Examples

curl

bash

curl -X POST "https://api.joinsimplesms.com/v1/batches/bc_a1B2c3D4e5F6/pause" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIMPLESMS_API_KEY"

Node.js

The Node.js SDK does not wrap this endpoint yet; call it with fetch.

javascript

const res = await fetch('https://api.joinsimplesms.com/v1/batches/bc_a1B2c3D4e5F6/pause', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SIMPLESMS_API_KEY}`,
  },
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error((await res.json()).error.message);
const data = await res.json();

Python

The Python SDK does not wrap this endpoint yet; call it over HTTP.

python

import json, os, urllib.request

req = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.joinsimplesms.com/v1/batches/bc_a1B2c3D4e5F6/pause",
    method="POST",
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SIMPLESMS_API_KEY']}",
    },
)
with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as res:
    data = json.load(res)