The TeleCommander: Controlling My Computer via SMS
Read the full report here.
Built using Python 3, and utilizing Flask, Twilio, and Serveo.
In short, The TeleCommander allows me the ability to text commands from my phone to my computer so that it runs different Python scripts and Batch files. It can very easily be expanded or minimized depending on what you need, but this is perfect for me.
These texts are formatted to include a security code and a command (e.g. 123 SLEEP). The security code allows for 3 key functions: to let the script know that I sent the text, to tell the script to alert me if someone has attempted an invalid code, and to allow me to send the ABORT command if I need to shut down the script remotely.
Flask allows my Python script to run and act like a web application, and Serveo allows me a locally hosted tunnel to the public Internet. From here, all I need to do is tell Twilio to request things from that Serveo tunnel, and it will find my Python script!
This solution is desirable because it allows me to change my code on the fly, test with ease and speed, and all of it is free! Flask is open source and takes five seconds to download, and Serveo utilizes the SSH capabilities already built into most platforms.