I would like to send a verification code to a specific user (only one) via email or text message. I have successfully done so through Amazon SES but I have not attempted through Amazon SMS yet. I have found myself going down the rabbit hole of investigating AWS Pinpoint.
It seems to me Pinpoint is meant for mass user messaging (text/email) rather than one-of individual messaging. I'm hoping I gathered that correctly.
My question, is there an advantage/disadvantage of using Pinpoint over Amazon SES and SMS for my use case?
This may be addressed by the Pinpoint FAQ
Q: I already use Amazon SNS or Amazon SES. What do I gain by switching to Amazon Pinpoint?
In typical Amazon SNS and Amazon SES use cases, you have to set up your application to manage each message's audience, content, and delivery schedule. These same features are built in to Amazon Pinpoint. With Amazon Pinpoint, you can create message templates, delivery schedules, highly-targeted segments, and full campaigns.
Pinpoint also appears to be able to push notifications to users through the users preferred contact mechanism. This means that you are not limited to SMS and you reach your users with activation codes through the means they want to be reached. It also allows two-way communication.
The Pinpoint homepage also says:
You can send direct messages—such as order confirmations, welcome messages, and one-time passwords—using the console or the Amazon Pinpoint REST API. You can also use the API to build custom applications that deliver campaign and transactional messages across multiple channels.
This suggest it is suitable for your uses, though it has additional mass-communication features you do not currently need.