WhatsApp Cloud API
What is WhatsApp Cloud API?
The WhatsApp Cloud API is Meta's hosted version of the WhatsApp Business Platform, letting a verified business send and receive WhatsApp messages — template notifications, session replies, and rich media — through a REST API without operating its own on-premises WhatsApp server. It replaced the older self-hosted On-Premises API for most new integrations, and is the endpoint messaging platforms connect to for WhatsApp send, receive, and delivery-status webhooks.
More detail
Sending outside a 24-hour customer-initiated session window requires a pre-approved message template; free-form replies are only allowed inside that session, which is why template approval matters for proactive notifications.
Meta requires Business Verification and a registered WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) before a phone number can send at scale on the Cloud API.
Frequently asked
- Do I need my own servers to use the WhatsApp Cloud API?
- No — that's the point of the Cloud API. Meta hosts the infrastructure, so a business or its messaging platform connects over a standard REST API instead of running the older self-hosted On-Premises API.
- Can I send any message anytime on WhatsApp?
- Only inside a 24-hour session opened by the customer's last message. Outside that window, you must use a pre-approved message template, which is why template approval is a required step before proactive outreach.
See also
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