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Chandrani Mukherjee
Chandrani Mukherjee

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# Deploying Twilio Apps on the Cloud (Python + Flask/FastAPI)

#python #aws #twilio #ai

Twilio applications need public HTTPS webhook URLs for SMS, WhatsApp, and Voice interactions. This guide explains how to deploy your Twilio-powered Python applications on Cloud Run, AWS Lambda, Azure, Railway, Render, and Docker-based platforms.

1. Google Cloud Run (Fast, Serverless, Recommended)

Dockerfile 

FROM python:3.11-slim

WORKDIR /app

COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

COPY . .

CMD ["gunicorn", "-b", ":8080", "app:app"]
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Deployment 

gcloud builds submit --tag gcr.io/PROJECT_ID/twilio-ai-agent
gcloud run deploy twilio-ai-agent     --image gcr.io/PROJECT_ID/twilio-ai-agent     --platform managed     --region us-central1     --allow-unauthenticated
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Use the Cloud Run URL in Twilio:

https://your-service.run.app/sms
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2. AWS Lambda + API Gateway (Low Cost)

Convert FastAPI to Lambda 

from fastapi import FastAPI
from mangum import Mangum

app = FastAPI()
handler = Mangum(app)
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Deploy with AWS SAM:

sam build
sam deploy --guided
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Webhook example:

https://abc123.execute-api.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sms
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3. Azure App Service 

az webapp up --name twilio-ai-app --runtime "PYTHON:3.10"
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Twilio webhook:

https://twilio-ai-app.azurewebsites.net/sms
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4. Railway Deployment (Easiest)

  1. Connect GitHub repo
  2. Add environment variables
  3. Railway assigns URL like: 
https://twilio-agent-production.up.railway.app/sms
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5. Render Deployment

Start command:

gunicorn app:app --bind 0.0.0.0:$PORT
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Render URL becomes your webhook endpoint.

6. Docker Deployments (Fly.io, EC2, DigitalOcean)

Fly.io Example 

fly launch
fly deploy
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Webhook:

https://twilio-bot.fly.dev/sms
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7. Local Ngrok Testing 

ngrok http 5000
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Webhook example:

https://1234abcd.ngrok-free.app/sms
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Production Checklist

Security

  • Store Twilio credentials in environment variables
  • Use request validation
  • Rotate API keys

Performance

  • Use Gunicorn workers
  • Prefer serverless platforms for scaling

Reliability

  • Twilio automatically retries failed webhook calls
  • Add logging and monitoring

Conclusion

Twilio apps deploy easily across modern cloud platforms. Choose Cloud Run for scalability, Lambda for low cost, Railway for speed, or Docker for flexibility.

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