WhatsApp Real-Time Message API

Receive WhatsApp messages in real-time and forward them instantly to your webhook or Telegram. All messages are also stored in an Apify Dataset for later access.

Quick Start - QR Code Authentication

First time only - your session is saved automatically for future runs.

1. Start the Actor (it runs in Standby mode automatically)
2. Access the API at: https://clearpath--whatsapp-real-time-message-api.apify.actor
3. Call /qr to get the QR code, or watch the logs
4. Open WhatsApp on your phone > Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device
5. Scan the QR code
6. Messages start flowing to your webhook/Telegram immediately

Your session persists in a Key-Value Store. Future runs reconnect automatically without QR scanning.

Pricing

$29/month - Unlimited messages, all features included.

• 1-day free trial
• Webhook forwarding with HMAC signing
• Telegram integration
• Media download (images, videos, documents, audio, stickers)
• Message filtering and API endpoints
• Session persistence across runs

You also pay standard Apify platform costs for compute and storage.

Actor Input Screenshot

How It Works

The Actor runs continuously in Standby mode, capturing every WhatsApp message in real-time.

Your WhatsApp ──> Actor (always running) ──> Webhook / Telegram
                         │
                         └──> Apify Dataset (access via /messages)

All messages are automatically:

1. Stored in Apify Dataset (access anytime via /messages endpoint)
2. Pushed to your webhook and/or Telegram (if configured)

Keep It Running (Important!)

Apify pauses idle Actors after ~5 minutes of no HTTP requests. Messages are lost while paused.

To capture messages 24/7, ping /health every 4 minutes:

• Use UptimeRobot (free), cron job, or any monitoring tool
• Your WhatsApp session is saved - no QR rescan needed after restart
• Actor wakes instantly when any endpoint is called

Session Persistence

Your WhatsApp session is automatically saved to a Key-Value Store, so you only need to scan the QR code once.

How it works:

• On first run, scan the QR code to link your WhatsApp
• Session credentials are stored in a named KV store (whatsapp-auth-realtime by default)
• Subsequent runs automatically reconnect using the saved session
• No QR code needed unless the session becomes invalid

When you need to re-scan:

• You manually unlink the device from WhatsApp settings
• The session expires (rare, typically months of inactivity)
• You delete the auth KV store
• You change the authStoreName input to a different value

Multiple WhatsApp accounts: Use different authStoreName values to maintain separate sessions:

{
  "authStoreName": "whatsapp-auth-account-2"
}

Input Options

Notification Settings

Field	Type	Default	Description
enableWebhook	boolean	false	Forward incoming messages to a webhook URL
webhookUrl	string	-	Your webhook endpoint (required if webhook enabled)
webhookSecret	string	-	Secret for HMAC-SHA256 signature verification
enableTelegram	boolean	false	Forward messages to Telegram
telegramChatId	string	-	Your Telegram chat/user ID (required if Telegram enabled)

Validation: On startup, the Actor verifies webhook connectivity (POST test) and Telegram access (bot token + chat reachability). Invalid or unreachable channels are disabled with a warning—the Actor continues running.

Message Filtering

Field	Type	Default	Description
chatFilter	string	all	Filter by chat type: all, groups, or private
includeStatuses	boolean	false	Include WhatsApp Status (story) updates
includeFromMe	boolean	true	Include messages you send from the linked device
downloadMedia	array	all types	Media types to download: images, videos, documents, audio, stickers

Storage Settings

Field	Type	Default	Description
messageDatasetName	string	default	Dataset name for storing messages
authStoreName	string	whatsapp-auth-realtime	KV store name for session persistence

Input Examples

Webhook Integration

Forward all messages to your server with signature verification:

{
  "enableWebhook": true,
  "webhookUrl": "https://your-server.com/whatsapp-webhook",
  "webhookSecret": "your-secret-key-here"
}

Telegram Notifications

Get messages delivered to your Telegram (requires TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN environment variable):

{
  "enableTelegram": true,
  "telegramChatId": "123456789"
}

Groups Only, Text Only

Monitor group chats without downloading media:

{
  "enableWebhook": true,
  "webhookUrl": "https://your-server.com/hook",
  "chatFilter": "groups",
  "downloadMedia": [],
  "includeFromMe": false
}

Full Setup with Both Channels

{
  "enableWebhook": true,
  "webhookUrl": "https://your-server.com/whatsapp",
  "webhookSecret": "hmac-secret",
  "enableTelegram": true,
  "telegramChatId": "123456789",
  "chatFilter": "all",
  "includeStatuses": false,
  "downloadMedia": ["images", "documents"]
}

HTTP API Endpoints

Base URL: https://clearpath--whatsapp-real-time-message-api.apify.actor

Authentication: Pass your Apify API token as a query parameter: ?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN

The Actor exposes these endpoints while running in Standby mode:

GET /health

Returns connection status and metrics.

{
  "status": "ok",
  "uptimeSec": 3600,
  "whatsapp": {
    "connected": true,
    "connectionState": "open",
    "qrRequired": false
  },
  "metrics": {
    "messagesReceived": 142,
    "messagesStored": 140,
    "messagesFiltered": 2,
    "webhookSent": 135,
    "webhookFailed": 5,
    "telegramSent": 130,
    "telegramFailed": 0
  }
}

GET /qr

Get the QR code for WhatsApp linking (if not yet connected).

{
  "status": "qr_available",
  "qr": "2@ABC123...",
  "generatedAt": "2024-12-04T10:30:00.000Z",
  "ageSec": 15
}

If already connected:

{
  "status": "connected",
  "message": "Already connected to WhatsApp"
}

GET /messages

Fetch stored messages with pagination.

Query parameters:

• limit (default: 100) - Number of messages to return
• offset (default: 0) - Starting position
• desc (default: false) - Set to true for newest messages first

{
  "items": [...],
  "total": 1042,
  "offset": 0,
  "limit": 100,
  "desc": false
}

GET /status

Simple connection check.

{
  "connected": true,
  "connectionState": "open"
}

Webhook Payload Format

Each message is POSTed to your webhook with this structure:

Text Message

{
  "event": "whatsapp_message",
  "receivedAt": "2024-12-04T10:30:45.123Z",
  "data": {
    "messageId": "3EB0A1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8",
    "from": "14155551234@s.whatsapp.net",
    "fromMe": false,
    "timestamp": "2024-12-04T10:30:45.000Z",
    "messageType": "conversation",
    "text": "Hey, are you free for lunch today?",
    "chatId": "14155551234@s.whatsapp.net",
    "chatType": "private",
    "chatName": "Sarah Miller",
    "fromName": "Sarah Miller"
  }
}

Image Message

{
  "event": "whatsapp_message",
  "receivedAt": "2024-12-04T10:35:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "messageId": "3EB0B2C3D4E5F6G7H8I9",
    "from": "14155551234@s.whatsapp.net",
    "fromMe": false,
    "timestamp": "2024-12-04T10:35:00.000Z",
    "messageType": "image",
    "text": "Check out this view!",
    "chatId": "14155551234@s.whatsapp.net",
    "chatType": "private",
    "chatName": "Sarah Miller",
    "fromName": "Sarah Miller",
    "media": {
      "messageType": "image",
      "mimetype": "image/jpeg",
      "fileSize": 245678,
      "width": 1920,
      "height": 1080,
      "caption": "Check out this view!",
      "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/abc123/records/media-3EB0B2C3.jpg",
      "downloadStatus": "downloaded"
    }
  }
}

Group Message

{
  "event": "whatsapp_message",
  "receivedAt": "2024-12-04T11:00:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "messageId": "3EB0C3D4E5F6G7H8I9J0",
    "from": "14155559876@s.whatsapp.net",
    "fromMe": false,
    "timestamp": "2024-12-04T11:00:00.000Z",
    "messageType": "conversation",
    "text": "Meeting moved to 3 PM",
    "chatId": "120363000000000001@g.us",
    "chatType": "group",
    "chatName": "Weekend Tennis Group",
    "fromName": "John Doe"
  }
}

Location Message

{
  "event": "whatsapp_message",
  "data": {
    "messageId": "3EB0D4E5F6G7H8I9J0K1",
    "messageType": "location",
    "chatId": "14155551234@s.whatsapp.net",
    "chatType": "private",
    "location": {
      "latitude": 37.7749,
      "longitude": -122.4194,
      "name": "Ferry Building",
      "address": "San Francisco, CA",
      "isLive": false
    }
  }
}

Reaction

{
  "event": "whatsapp_message",
  "data": {
    "messageId": "3EB0E5F6G7H8I9J0K1L2",
    "messageType": "reaction",
    "chatId": "14155551234@s.whatsapp.net",
    "reaction": {
      "text": "❤️",
      "targetMessageId": "3EB0A1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8"
    }
  }
}

Webhook HMAC Verification

If you configure webhookSecret, each request includes an X-Signature header with an HMAC-SHA256 signature of the request body.

Node.js verification example:

const crypto = require('crypto');

function verifyWebhook(req, secret) {
  const signature = req.headers['x-signature'];
  const body = req.rawBody; // Raw JSON string, not parsed

  const expectedSignature = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', secret)
    .update(body)
    .digest('hex');

  return signature === expectedSignature;
}

// Express middleware example
app.post('/whatsapp-webhook', express.raw({ type: 'application/json' }), (req, res) => {
  if (!verifyWebhook(req, 'your-secret-key')) {
    return res.status(401).json({ error: 'Invalid signature' });
  }

  const message = JSON.parse(req.body);
  console.log('Received:', message.data.text);
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Telegram Integration

To receive messages on Telegram:

1. Get your chat ID (message @userinfobot)
2. Set enableTelegram: true and telegramChatId in your input

Important: Bot Permission Setup

Before notifications will work, you must message the bot first:

1. Find the bot - Search for @whatsapp_realtime_api_bot on Telegram
2. Send any message - Type /start or any text to initiate contact
3. Done! - The bot can now send you notifications

Message format in Telegram:

📱 Private: Sarah Miller
👤 From: Sarah Miller
🕐 2024-12-04, 10:30 AM

Hey, are you free for lunch today?

For media messages, the Telegram bot sends the file directly with a caption containing the message details.

Message Output Format

Messages stored in the Dataset have this structure:

{
  "id": "3EB0A1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8",
  "from": "14155551234@s.whatsapp.net",
  "fromMe": false,
  "timestamp": "2024-12-04T10:30:45.000Z",
  "messageType": "conversation",
  "text": "Hello!",
  "chatId": "14155551234@s.whatsapp.net",
  "chatType": "private",
  "chatName": "Sarah Miller",
  "fromName": "Sarah Miller",
  "quotedMessageId": null,
  "media": null,
  "location": null,
  "contact": null,
  "reaction": null,
  "poll": null
}

Message Types

Type	Description
conversation	Plain text message
extendedText	Text with link preview or quoted reply
image	Image message
video	Video message
audio	Audio/voice message
document	File attachment
sticker	Sticker
location	Static location
liveLocation	Live location sharing
contact	Shared contact
contacts	Multiple shared contacts
reaction	Emoji reaction
poll	Poll
pollUpdate	Poll vote

Media Object

When media is downloaded, the media field contains:

{
  "type": "image",
  "mimetype": "image/jpeg",
  "fileSize": 245678,
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080,
  "seconds": null,
  "caption": "Check this out!",
  "fileName": null,
  "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/xxx/records/media-abc123.jpg",
  "downloadStatus": "downloaded",
  "downloadedAt": "2024-12-04T10:30:50.000Z"
}

Download status values:

• downloaded - Successfully downloaded and stored
• failed - Download failed after retries
• expired - Media no longer available on WhatsApp servers (common for older messages)

Chat ID Formats

• Private chats: {phone}@s.whatsapp.net (e.g., 14155551234@s.whatsapp.net)
• Group chats: {id}@g.us (e.g., 120363000000000001@g.us)
• Status updates: status@broadcast

Data Privacy

All data is stored exclusively in your private Apify storage:

• Messages: Stored in your private Dataset
• Media: Stored in your private Key-Value Store
• Session: Stored in a named KV store (whatsapp-auth-realtime)

The Actor developer has no access to your data. All storage is private to your Apify account.

Troubleshooting

QR code not appearing

• Wait for the Actor to fully start (check /health endpoint)
• Try the /qr endpoint directly to get the QR code data
• Ensure no other device is already linked with the same session

Webhook not receiving messages

• Verify your webhook URL is publicly accessible
• Check the Actor logs for webhook errors
• Confirm the webhook returns HTTP 200 within 10 seconds
• Review /health metrics for webhookFailed count

"Already connected" but not receiving messages

• The WhatsApp session may be stale. Delete the auth store and re-link
• Check if messages are filtered by your chatFilter settings
• Verify includeFromMe setting if testing with your own messages

Actor keeps stopping

• Normal idle timeout behavior - see Keep It Running section
• Set up UptimeRobot or cron to ping /health every 4 minutes

Media download failing

• Media on WhatsApp servers expires after ~30 days
• Large files may timeout - check downloadMedia settings
• Verify you're downloading the correct media types

Session not reconnecting (unexpected QR code)

• Check if the auth KV store exists (whatsapp-auth-realtime)
• Verify you're using the same authStoreName as previous runs
• The device may have been unlinked from WhatsApp settings on your phone

Support

Questions or issues? Contact: max@mapa.slmail.me