Evolution API

Evolution API

Open-source WhatsApp integration API supporting Baileys (WhatsApp Web) and official WhatsApp Business API (Cloud API). Built with Node.js + TypeScript + Express.js + Prisma.

Authentication

All requests use the apikey header. Two levels of keys exist:

• Global API Key: Set via AUTHENTICATION_API_KEY env var. Has full access to all instances.
• Instance Token: Per-instance key returned on creation. Scoped to that instance only.

apikey: YOUR_API_KEY

Every request follows this pattern:

curl --request <METHOD> \
  --url https://<SERVER_URL>/<path>/{instanceName} \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'apikey: <api-key>' \
  --data '<json-body>'

Instance Lifecycle

Create Instance

POST /instance/create

{
  "instanceName": "my-instance",
  "integration": "WHATSAPP-BAILEYS",
  "token": "optional-custom-token",
  "qrcode": true,
  "number": "5511999999999",
  "rejectCall": true,
  "msgCall": "I can't answer calls",
  "groupsIgnore": true,
  "alwaysOnline": true,
  "readMessages": true,
  "readStatus": true,
  "syncFullHistory": true,
  "webhook": {
    "url": "https://your-server.com/webhook",
    "byEvents": false,
    "base64": true,
    "headers": { "authorization": "Bearer token" },
    "events": ["MESSAGES_UPSERT", "CONNECTION_UPDATE"]
  }
}

Response (201):

{
  "instance": {
    "instanceName": "my-instance",
    "instanceId": "af6c5b7c-ee27-4f94-9ea8-192393746ddd",
    "status": "created"
  },
  "hash": { "apikey": "generated-instance-token" },
  "qrcode": { "base64": "data:image/png;base64,..." }
}

The integration field accepts:

• WHATSAPP-BAILEYS — Free, based on WhatsApp Web (Baileys library)
• WHATSAPP-BUSINESS — Official Meta Cloud API (requires Facebook App setup)

Connect Instance (get QR code)

GET /instance/connect/{instanceName}

Returns QR code as base64 for scanning with WhatsApp mobile app.

Check Connection State

GET /instance/connectionState/{instanceName}

Returns: open, close, or connecting.

Other Instance Operations

Sending Messages

Text Message

POST /message/sendText/{instanceName}

{
  "number": "5511999999999",
  "text": "Hello from Evolution API!",
  "delay": 1200,
  "linkPreview": true,
  "mentionsEveryOne": false,
  "mentioned": ["5511888888888@s.whatsapp.net"]
}

Response (201):

{
  "key": {
    "remoteJid": "5511999999999@s.whatsapp.net",
    "fromMe": true,
    "id": "BAE594145F4C59B4"
  },
  "message": { "extendedTextMessage": { "text": "Hello from Evolution API!" } },
  "messageTimestamp": "1717689097",
  "status": "PENDING"
}

Number format: Use full international format without + sign. For groups, use the group JID (e.g., 120363025486748009@g.us).

Reply / Quote a Message

Add quoted to any send payload:

{
  "number": "5511999999999",
  "text": "This is a reply",
  "quoted": {
    "key": { "id": "ORIGINAL_MESSAGE_ID" },
    "message": { "conversation": "Original message text" }
  }
}

Media Message

POST /message/sendMedia/{instanceName}

{
  "number": "5511999999999",
  "mediatype": "image",
  "mimetype": "image/png",
  "caption": "Check this out",
  "media": "https://example.com/image.png"
}

mediatype options: image, video, document. media accepts a URL or base64-encoded string.

Audio Message

POST /message/sendWhatsAppAudio/{instanceName}

{
  "number": "5511999999999",
  "audio": "https://example.com/audio.mp3"
}

Audio is automatically converted to WhatsApp PTT (push-to-talk) format.

Other Message Types

Webhook Configuration

Set Webhook via API

POST /webhook/set/{instanceName}

{
  "webhook": {
    "enabled": true,
    "url": "https://your-server.com/webhook",
    "webhookByEvents": false,
    "webhookBase64": true,
    "events": [
      "MESSAGES_UPSERT",
      "MESSAGES_UPDATE",
      "CONNECTION_UPDATE",
      "SEND_MESSAGE"
    ]
  }
}

When webhookByEvents is true, events are sent to {url}/{EVENT_NAME} (e.g., /webhook/MESSAGES_UPSERT).

Get Webhook Config

GET /webhook/find/{instanceName}

For the complete list of available events, see references/events.md.

Chat Operations

presence values: composing, recording, paused.

Group Management

action for participants: add, remove, promote, demote.

Profile Settings

Integrations

Evolution API supports chatbot integrations configured per-instance:

Each integration follows the CRUD pattern: create, find, update, delete, settings, change-status, fetch-session.

Event Delivery Channels

Beyond webhooks, Evolution API can deliver events via:

• RabbitMQ — POST /rabbitmq/set/{instance}
• Amazon SQS — POST /sqs/set/{instance}
• WebSocket (Socket.io) — POST /websocket/set/{instance}
• Apache Kafka — Via environment variables

Advanced References

• Full endpoint table: See references/api-endpoints.md
• Environment variables (self-hosted): See references/environment-variables.md
• Webhook events catalog: See references/events.md