# What is a notification API?

> A notification API is a programmatic interface that lets an application send notifications to users across channels — SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, voice, email, push — from a single integration. It abstracts each channel's delivery mechanics so your software can trigger a message with one call, and increasingly it orchestrates channel choice and fallback so a notification reliably reaches the user.

- Canonical URL: https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-a-notification-api
- Language: en
- Last reviewed: 2026-08-08
- Publisher: BroadNet (https://www.broadnet.me)

## What it does

It accepts a notification request and delivers it over the chosen channel, handling encoding, sender identity, delivery receipts, and inbound replies — so you integrate once instead of per channel. See /answers/what-is-sms-api and /answers/what-is-omnichannel-messaging.

## Single-channel vs omnichannel

A basic notification API sends on one channel; a modern one lets you send on the best eligible channel and fall back automatically — WhatsApp or RCS first, SMS for near-universal reach. See /answers/what-is-omnichannel-orchestration and /answers/sms-fallback-strategy.

## What to look for

Channel breadth behind one API, real-time delivery receipts via webhook, throughput for bursts, and signed webhooks for security. See /answers/how-to-choose-cpaas-provider and /products/omnichannel.

## Related

- [All answers](https://www.broadnet.me/answers)
- [Glossary](https://www.broadnet.me/answers)
- [What is an SMS API?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-sms-api)
- [SMS vs push notifications — how do they compare?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/sms-vs-push-notifications)
- [What is omnichannel messaging?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-omnichannel-messaging)
- [What is omnichannel orchestration?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-omnichannel-orchestration)
- [What is an SMS fallback strategy?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/sms-fallback-strategy)
- [Omnichannel](https://www.broadnet.me/products/omnichannel)
- [SMS API](https://www.broadnet.me/products/sms-api)
- [Tech & SaaS](https://www.broadnet.me/solutions/tech-saas)