Sinch Conversation API talks to RedBot via an HTTPS callback (a self-signed certificate is not enough). We'll use ngrok to create an HTTPS tunnel for our local Node-RED instance. Install it, then open a shell window and run

ngrok http 127.0.0.1:1880

You should get an HTTPS address like https://123123.ngrok.io — this is the base URL that points back to your Node-RED instance.

The callback is

<https://youraddress.ngrok.io/redbot/sinch>

You can verify your Node-RED instance is reachable by opening

<https://youraddress.ngrok.io/redbot/sinch/test>

If you get an "ok" then Node-RED is up and running and Sinch can reach it.

Create a Sinch Conversation API app

Sign in (or sign up) at the Sinch Customer Dashboard. Once inside the dashboard:

  1. Pick the project you want to use (or create a new one). Open the project Overview and copy the Project ID — it's a UUID like abc12345-6789-.... You'll need it later in the Sinch Receiver configuration.
  2. From the left sidebar go to Conversation API → Apps and click New app. Give the app a name, choose the region you want to deploy in (United States, Europe or Brazil — pick the one closest to your users) and create it. Open the newly created app and copy the App ID.
  3. Still inside the app, go to the Channels (or Integrations) tab and connect every channel you want to use (SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, RCS, Viber, …). Each channel has its own onboarding flow — follow the instructions in the Sinch documentation for the channel you need.

Create the Access Key (Key ID / Key Secret)

The Conversation API uses OAuth2 client credentials. You generate a key pair from your Sinch account, not from the app itself.

  1. In the dashboard, open Settings → Access keys (top-right user menu, or the project Settings section).
  2. Click Create new key. Give it a label (e.g. "RedBot dev") and confirm.
  3. Sinch will show you the Key ID and the Key Secret only once — copy both immediately and store them somewhere safe. If you lose the secret you'll have to generate a new key.

The Key ID and Key Secret are credentials at the project level: a single key pair can be used by multiple Conversation API apps inside the same project.

Configure the webhook