What is an endpoint and why do I need to create one?

An endpoint in the SIM for Things platform represents an actual physical IoT device of the customer. Whereas the SIM card is just a connectivity module linked to it.

A SIM card can be swapped / linked / de-linked from an endpoint but all the configuration done to manage an IoT device remains with the endpoint.

All the linked Service Profile, Rate Zones, Tariffs, Coverage are assigned to an endpoint through the linked Plan and all the data or SMS usage charged to the Account will always be accrued through an endpoint.

An endpoint has its own lifecycle and states, every state of a SIM is controlled by the endpoint to which the SIM is linked at a particular moment. For details on the different endpoint and SIM states and how they are interlinked, check: What are the different SIM states and how does SIM life-cycle work?

While creating an endpoint in the SIM for Things platform you need to provide an Endpoint Name, this name is not unique and can be used if required to identify a group of endpoints. A unique endpointID is generated when the SIM for Things platform creates an endpoint and this remains as the unique identifier for an endpoint on the platform.

If you don't know the endpointID and only have theICCID of your SIM, you can always retrieve theendpointID from the SIM for Things platform by using APIs Can I use an ICCID to execute API requests?