Make Your First Call

Connect two phone numbers with Exotel in under 5 minutes. This guide walks you through making an API request that calls one phone first, then connects it to another.

How It Works

You make a POST request to Exotel's API
Exotel calls the From number first (e.g., your agent)
When they pick up, Exotel dials the To number (e.g., the customer)
Both parties are connected through your ExoPhone (virtual number)

info

This is the most common pattern with which developers integrate Programmable Voice APIs. It is commonly referred to as Click to Call. You can integrate this into your CRM, app, or website. When a customer receives a call, they see your ExoPhone number, not the agent's number.

Prerequisites

An Exotel account (Sign up here)
API credentials (API Key, API Token, Account SID) — see Authentication
An ExoPhone (virtual phone number) — purchase from Dashboard or via ExoPhones API

Step 1: Set Up Your Credentials

Store your credentials as environment variables:

macOS / Linux
Windows

export EXOTEL_API_KEY="your_api_key"
export EXOTEL_API_TOKEN="your_api_token"
export EXOTEL_ACCOUNT_SID="your_account_sid"
export EXOTEL_SUBDOMAIN="api.exotel.com"

set EXOTEL_API_KEY=your_api_key
set EXOTEL_API_TOKEN=your_api_token
set EXOTEL_ACCOUNT_SID=your_account_sid
set EXOTEL_SUBDOMAIN=api.exotel.com

Which subdomain?

Use api.exotel.com (Singapore) for most accounts, or api.in.exotel.com (Mumbai) for India-based accounts.

Step 2: Make Your First Call

cURL
Python
Node.js
PHP
Go

curl -u "$EXOTEL_API_KEY:$EXOTEL_API_TOKEN" -X POST \
  "https://$EXOTEL_SUBDOMAIN/v1/Accounts/$EXOTEL_ACCOUNT_SID/Calls/connect" \
  -d "From=+919876543210" \
  -d "To=+919123456789" \
  -d "CallerId=YOUR_EXOPHONE" \
  -d "Record=true" \
  -d "StatusCallback=https://your-server.com/call-status" \
  -d "StatusCallbackContentType=application/json"

# make_call.py
import os
import requests

api_key = os.environ['EXOTEL_API_KEY']
api_token = os.environ['EXOTEL_API_TOKEN']
account_sid = os.environ['EXOTEL_ACCOUNT_SID']
subdomain = os.environ.get('EXOTEL_SUBDOMAIN', 'api.exotel.com')

url = f'https://{subdomain}/v1/Accounts/{account_sid}/Calls/connect'

data = {
    'From': '+919876543210',       # Agent's number (called first)
    'To': '+919123456789',         # Customer's number (called second)
    'CallerId': 'YOUR_EXOPHONE',    # Your virtual phone number
    'Record': 'true',               # Enable call recording
    'StatusCallback': 'https://your-server.com/call-status',
    'StatusCallbackContentType': 'application/json',
}

response = requests.post(url, data=data, auth=(api_key, api_token))

if response.ok:
    result = response.json()
    print('Call initiated!')
    print('Call SID:', result['Call']['Sid'])
    print('Status:', result['Call']['Status'])
else:
    print('Failed:', response.text)

Run with:

pip install requests
python make_call.py

// make-call.js — Requires Node.js 18+
const apiKey = process.env.EXOTEL_API_KEY;
const apiToken = process.env.EXOTEL_API_TOKEN;
const accountSid = process.env.EXOTEL_ACCOUNT_SID;
const subdomain = process.env.EXOTEL_SUBDOMAIN || 'api.exotel.com';

async function makeCall() {
  const url = `https://${subdomain}/v1/Accounts/${accountSid}/Calls/connect`;

  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    From: '+919876543210',       // Agent's number (called first)
    To: '+919123456789',         // Customer's number (called second)
    CallerId: 'YOUR_EXOPHONE',   // Your virtual phone number
    Record: 'true',              // Enable call recording
    StatusCallback: 'https://your-server.com/call-status',
    StatusCallbackEvents: 'terminal,answered',
    StatusCallbackContentType: 'application/json',
  });

  try {
    const response = await fetch(url, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Basic ' + Buffer.from(`${apiKey}:${apiToken}`).toString('base64'),
        'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
      },
      body: params,
    });

    const data = await response.json();

    if (response.ok) {
      console.log('Call initiated!');
      console.log('Call SID:', data.Call.Sid);
      console.log('Status:', data.Call.Status);
    } else {
      console.error('Failed:', data);
    }
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error:', error.message);
  }
}

makeCall();

Run with:

node make-call.js

<?php
$apiKey = getenv('EXOTEL_API_KEY');
$apiToken = getenv('EXOTEL_API_TOKEN');
$accountSid = getenv('EXOTEL_ACCOUNT_SID');
$subdomain = getenv('EXOTEL_SUBDOMAIN') ?: 'api.exotel.com';

$data = array(
    'From' => '+919876543210',
    'To' => '+919123456789',
    'CallerId' => 'YOUR_EXOPHONE',
    'Record' => 'true',
    'StatusCallback' => 'https://your-server.com/call-status',
    'StatusCallbackContentType' => 'application/json'
);

$ch = curl_init("https://{$subdomain}/v1/Accounts/{$accountSid}/Calls/connect");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_USERPWD, "{$apiKey}:{$apiToken}");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($data));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

echo $response;
?>

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "io/ioutil"
    "net/http"
    "net/url"
    "os"
    "strings"
)

func main() {
    apiKey := os.Getenv("EXOTEL_API_KEY")
    apiToken := os.Getenv("EXOTEL_API_TOKEN")
    accountSid := os.Getenv("EXOTEL_ACCOUNT_SID")
    subdomain := os.Getenv("EXOTEL_SUBDOMAIN")
    if subdomain == "" {
        subdomain = "api.exotel.com"
    }

    endpoint := fmt.Sprintf("https://%s/v1/Accounts/%s/Calls/connect", subdomain, accountSid)
    data := url.Values{}
    data.Set("From", "+919876543210")
    data.Set("To", "+919123456789")
    data.Set("CallerId", "YOUR_EXOPHONE")
    data.Set("Record", "true")
    data.Set("StatusCallback", "https://your-server.com/call-status")
    data.Set("StatusCallbackContentType", "application/json")

    req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", endpoint, strings.NewReader(data.Encode()))
    req.SetBasicAuth(apiKey, apiToken)
    req.Header.Add("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded")

    res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
    defer res.Body.Close()

    body, _ := ioutil.ReadAll(res.Body)
    fmt.Println(string(body))
}

Step 3: Check the Response

A successful request returns:

{
  "Call": {
    "Sid": "c5797dcbaaeed7678c4062a4a3ed2f8a",
    "DateCreated": "2026-02-25 10:48:33",
    "AccountSid": "your_sid",
    "To": "+919123456789",
    "From": "+919876543210",
    "PhoneNumberSid": "YOUR_EXOPHONE",
    "Status": "in-progress",
    "Direction": "outbound-api",
    "RecordingUrl": null
  }
}

Field	What it means
`Sid`	Your unique Call ID — save this to check status later
`Status`	`in-progress` means the call is being dialed
`RecordingUrl`	Populated after the call ends (if `Record=true`)

Call lifecycle

The call goes through these states: queued → in-progress → completed (or failed / busy / no-answer). Use Call Details or StatusCallback for the final status.

Step 4: Check Call Details (Optional)

After the call ends, retrieve the final status and recording:

curl -u "$EXOTEL_API_KEY:$EXOTEL_API_TOKEN" \
  "https://$EXOTEL_SUBDOMAIN/v1/Accounts/$EXOTEL_ACCOUNT_SID/Calls/YOUR_CALL_SID.json"

Step 5: Handle Status Callbacks (Optional)

If you set a StatusCallback URL, Exotel sends a webhook when the call completes:

{
  "CallSid": "c5797dcbaaeed7678c4062a4a3ed2f8a",
  "Status": "completed",
  "From": "+919876543210",
  "To": "+919123456789",
  "Direction": "outbound-api",
  "Duration": "45",
  "RecordingUrl": "https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/...",
  "StartTime": "2026-02-25 10:48:33",
  "EndTime": "2026-02-25 10:49:18"
}

See Voice Webhooks for the full payload reference.

Enable Call Recording

Set Record=true in your request
Recording URL appears in the response and webhook as RecordingUrl
Use RecordingChannels=dual for separate agent/customer audio tracks
Formats available: mp3 (default) or mp3-hq for higher quality

What's Next?

Connect Two Numbers — Full API Reference — All 19 parameters explained
Connect to Flow — Build IVR Systems — Route calls to IVR flows
Call Details — Check Call Status — Retrieve call details and recordings
Voice Webhooks — Real-time call status updates
Applets — Build Call Flows — IVR menu, voicemail, transfers

How It Works​

Prerequisites​

Step 1: Set Up Your Credentials​

Step 2: Make Your First Call​

Step 3: Check the Response​

Step 4: Check Call Details (Optional)​

Step 5: Handle Status Callbacks (Optional)​

Enable Call Recording​

What's Next?​