WhatsApp Cloud API
The WhatsApp Cloud API is Meta's free, cloud-hosted version of the WhatsApp Business API. Zavu connects you to it in 5 minutes — no servers, no PHP, no scaling headaches.
What is the WhatsApp Cloud API
WhatsApp Cloud API is the hosted version of the WhatsApp Business API. Meta runs the infrastructure: you don't need to host a Docker container, manage TLS certificates or scale media servers.
Compared to the On-Premises API (now deprecated), Cloud API auto-updates, scales elastically, and is free to host. You pay only per-conversation fees according to Meta's pricing.
Zavu sits on top of Cloud API to give you a unified API, AI agents, multi-channel fallback to SMS and Email, and SDKs in 5 languages — without having to call Meta's Graph API directly.
Cloud API vs On-Premises vs Zavu
Why Zavu on top of Cloud API beats raw Cloud API or legacy On-Premises.
| Feature | Cloud API (raw) | On-Premises (legacy) | Zavu on Cloud API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Meta-hosted | Self-hosted Docker | Zavu-managed |
| Setup time | Hours | Days | 5 min |
| Auto-updates | Yes | Manual | Yes |
| SDKs | REST only | REST only | Node, Python, Ruby, Go, Java |
| AI agents | None | None | Built-in |
| Multi-channel fallback | No | No | SMS, Email |
| Status | Active | Deprecated Oct 2025 | Active |
Quickstart: send your first WhatsApp Cloud API message
Run this curl after creating your Zavu account.
curl -X POST https://api.zavu.dev/v1/messages \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ZAVU_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"to": "+5215555550100",
"channel": "whatsapp",
"text": "Hola desde WhatsApp Cloud API!"
}'Why Zavu on top of WhatsApp Cloud API
Zero infra
Meta hosts the Cloud API. Zavu wraps it with developer tooling. You write zero infra code.
Cleaner SDKs
Skip the Graph API verbosity. Zavu SDKs give you one-line send calls for every WhatsApp message type.
Built-in AI
Hook an OpenAI, Anthropic or Google model directly to your inbound webhook with one config.
Fallback channels
If WhatsApp Cloud API fails or is rate-limited, Zavu can automatically fall back to SMS or Email.
WhatsApp Cloud API FAQ
What's the difference between WhatsApp Cloud API and WhatsApp Business API?
Cloud API is the hosted version of the Business API. Same capabilities, Meta runs the servers. The On-Premises Business API was deprecated in October 2025.
Is WhatsApp Cloud API free?
The infrastructure is free. You only pay Meta's per-conversation fee (varies by category and country). Zavu's free tier covers 2,000 messages/mo with zero infra cost.
Do I need my own Meta app to use WhatsApp Cloud API?
Through Zavu, no. We're an official Solution Provider — you go through embedded signup and we manage the technical Meta app for you.
What's the rate limit on WhatsApp Cloud API?
Meta dynamically scales rate limits based on your quality rating: starts at 1,000 conversations/day and grows up to unlimited as you build a good rating.
Skip the Graph API boilerplate
Zavu gives you the WhatsApp Cloud API behind a clean, idiomatic SDK. Start free.