Automate WhatsApp in One API

Run WhatsApp operations from one actor: connect once, keep session alive, and execute export/send/verify/backup workflows from a modern UI or a clean HTTP API.

Why This Actor

• One QR onboarding flow, then persistent session reuse
• Real operational dashboard (/ui) for non-technical users
• API-first automation for scripts, CRMs, and backend services
• Built-in command jobs for async tasks and polling
• Designed for production reliability (timeouts, fallbacks, resilient responses)

Product Snapshot

End-to-End Process

1. Start actor

Launch the actor. It initializes the Control Center and prints:

• UI URL
• Access token location (CONTROL_ACCESS.txt)
• QR status updates

2. Link WhatsApp account

Scan the QR from logs or UI:

1. WhatsApp on phone
2. Settings -> Linked Devices
3. Link a Device
4. Scan QR

3. Session persistence

After successful link, session state is saved. Next runs restore automatically in most cases.

4. Operate from UI or API

• UI for interactive operations
• REST API for automation
• Jobs API for command tracking

Core Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Purpose
/ui	GET	Control Center dashboard
/status	GET	Session and connection status
/qr	GET	Current QR as PNG
/start	POST	Start/restart session bootstrap
/chats	GET	List chats (limit supported)
/messages	POST	Export messages
/send	POST	Send messages/media
/numbers	POST	Verify phone numbers
/contacts	POST	Save/sync contacts
/backup	POST	Build backup artifacts
/jobs	GET	List jobs
/jobs/:id	GET	Poll job status/result
/logout	POST	Disconnect + clear session

Quick Start API

Status

$curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" "$BASE_URL/status"

Two most recent chats

$curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" "$BASE_URL/chats?limit=2"

Send message

curl -s -X POST "$BASE_URL/send" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "waitForResult": true,
    "confirmRecipientConsent": true,
    "sendMessages": [{"to":"33600000000@c.us","message":"Hello from API"}]
  }'

Verify number

curl -s -X POST "$BASE_URL/numbers" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "waitForResult": true,
    "confirmRecipientConsent": true,
    "phoneNumbers": ["+33600000000"]
  }'

Reliability Highlights

• Dashboard QR recovery via SSE + status polling fallback
• Connected-state QR lock to avoid QR/check flicker
• /chats?limit=N returns latest N chats (most recent first)
• Non-blocking KV strategy for chat listing responses
• Per-chat timeout guards to avoid single-chat full-response stalls

Backup ZIP Download Behavior

• Backup ZIP files are served through a direct download link returned in job.progress.downloadPath and in the final job result.
• Use the link shown in the UI result panel (Download result) for both conversation backup and full account backup.
• Backup ZIP links are session-scoped to the running Control Center process, so download the file during the active session.
• JSON artifacts (for example manifest/summary) remain available through /download/{key}.

Security and Compliance

• Access token required on every request
• Consent confirmation supported for send/verify workflows
• Session token and QR should be treated as sensitive credentials
• Use only authorized accounts and compliant recipient lists

Billing

This actor uses Apify pay-per-event billing through Actor.charge, so the price is defined by the event grid below. There is no hidden per-message compute tariff in the actor pricing itself: the run is billed when the code emits an event.

Event pricing

Cost driver	What it means	Billing impact
message-result	1 per exported message	$0.001 / message
live-message-result	3 per live message saved or forwarded	$0.003 / message
media-mb	25 per rounded-up MB	$0.025 / MB
send-action	3 per text or media send	$0.003 / send
number-check	2 per WhatsApp number	$0.002 / number
contact-action	4 per contact save/edit	$0.004 / contact
profile-result	2 per exported profile/contact	$0.002 / profile
backup-package	500 per backup ZIP	$0.50 / ZIP
live-minute	10 per started minute	$0.01 / minute
command-action	5 per paid direct command	$0.005 / command
list-chats-action	1 per list chats request	$0.001 / request

Cost impact by action

Action	What is billed	Typical cost pressure
Export messages	message-result events	$0.001 per exported message
Save or forward live messages	live-message-result events	$0.003 per live message
Send text	send-action events	$0.003 per message sent
Send media or file	send-action + media-mb events	$0.003 + $0.025 per rounded-up MB
Verify numbers	number-check events	$0.002 per number
Save or edit contacts	contact-action events	$0.004 per contact
Export profiles / contacts	profile-result events	$0.002 per profile
Build a backup ZIP	backup-package plus normal message/media/profile events inside the backup	$0.50 per ZIP plus variable event cost
List chats	list-chats-action events	$0.001 per request
Keep a live session open	live-minute events	$0.01 per started minute
Run a paid direct command	command-action events	$0.005 per command

Practical rule of thumb

• The actor is not priced by generic runtime/memory in the product grid above.
• The bill comes from the specific events the code emits.
• A bigger file costs more because media-mb rounds up to the next MB.
• A live session costs more because live-minute is charged per started minute.
• A backup can cost multiple events because the ZIP has its own base fee and the included messages/media/profiles are still billed normally.

How to estimate cost

• Count the expected number of exported messages, live messages, sent messages, number checks, contact actions, profile exports, backup ZIPs, live minutes, and direct commands.
• Multiply each count by its unit price.
• Add media-mb for every rounded-up MB of media that is downloaded or uploaded.
• For backups, add the ZIP base price plus the underlying message/media/profile events.
• Use the Apify console usage and billing pages to verify the exact spend for your account.

Important notes

• WhatsApp itself is not billed by Apify inside this actor.
• Any proxy provider, external API, or downstream automation tool may add its own charges.
• The actor code already exposes the event grid above, so exact per-action pricing is known and should be kept in sync with PRICING_EVENTS.json and src/main.js.

Suggested Use Cases

• Sales outreach operations
• Customer support workflows
• Lead qualification and enrichment
• Notification pipelines
• WhatsApp data export and archival
• Business continuity backup workflows

Keywords

whatsapp api, whatsapp automation, whatsapp web, whatsapp session api, whatsapp session manager, whatsapp control center, whatsapp dashboard, qr login, linked devices, session persistence, whatsapp chats export, whatsapp messages export, whatsapp backup, whatsapp media export, whatsapp send api, whatsapp number verification, whatsapp contacts sync, whatsapp jobs api, apify actor, apify whatsapp, crm integration, webhook integration, live events, sse events, production ready, business messaging, lead generation, sales ops, support ops, outreach automation, contact validation, consent aware messaging, all in one whatsapp, whatsapp backend service

Summary

This actor is an all-in-one WhatsApp operations layer for teams that need both UI control and API automation with production-focused behavior.