WhatsApp Messaging API

Send and receive WhatsApp Business messages from your own backend. One HTTP endpoint, one API key, and none of Meta’s apparatus to stand up.

Pick your language once

Every example on this site is tabbed. The language you choose is remembered as you move between pages, so you pick once. There is also a playground that runs these calls against your own workspace with your own key.

Base URL

https://vaarto.com/api/v1

Every example on these pages uses it. It is also printed at the top of Dashboard → Using the API, alongside your own numbers and templates.

Transport

HTTPS, JSON in and JSON out. Send Content-Type: application/json on every request that has a body.

The response envelope

Every response is wrapped. Success carries data; failure carries error.

{ "data": … }                                    // success
{ "error": { "code": "…", "message": "…" } }     // failure

Lists add a meta block:

{ "data": [ … ], "meta": { "page": 1, "perPage": 20, "total": 134 } }

The one exception is downloading an attachment, which answers with the file itself — see Media.

Quick start

1. Create an API key

Dashboard → API Keys → Create key. Pick the scopes you need.

The secret is shown once

It appears only on that screen, at the moment you create it. Store it in your secret manager, not in your repository — if you lose it, the only way forward is to revoke the key and issue another.

2. Find out what you can send

Templates must be approved by Meta, and you can only send from a number registered to your workspace. Nothing needs hard-coding: ask.

cURL

# Approved templates, and the variables each one needs.
curl "https://vaarto.com/api/v1/templates?status=APPROVED" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY"

# Numbers you may send from. isDefault is used when you omit "from".
curl "https://vaarto.com/api/v1/numbers" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY"

Node.js

// Approved templates, and the variables each one needs.
const templatesRes = await fetch("https://vaarto.com/api/v1/templates?status=APPROVED", {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.VAARTO_API_KEY}` },
});

const { data: templates } = await templatesRes.json();

// Numbers you may send from. isDefault is used when you omit "from".
const numbersRes = await fetch("https://vaarto.com/api/v1/numbers", {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.VAARTO_API_KEY}` },
});

const { data: numbers } = await numbersRes.json();

Python

import os, requests

# Approved templates, and the variables each one needs.
templates_res = requests.get(
    "https://vaarto.com/api/v1/templates?status=APPROVED",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['VAARTO_API_KEY']}"},
    timeout=10,
)

templates = templates_res.json()["data"]

# Numbers you may send from. isDefault is used when you omit "from".
numbers_res = requests.get(
    "https://vaarto.com/api/v1/numbers",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['VAARTO_API_KEY']}"},
    timeout=10,
)

numbers = numbers_res.json()["data"]

PHP

// Approved templates, and the variables each one needs.
$templates = Http::withToken(env('VAARTO_API_KEY'))
    ->get('https://vaarto.com/api/v1/templates', [
        'status' => 'APPROVED',
    ])
    ->json('data');

// Numbers you may send from. isDefault is used when you omit "from".
$numbers = Http::withToken(env('VAARTO_API_KEY'))
    ->get('https://vaarto.com/api/v1/numbers')
    ->json('data');

3. Send

cURL

curl -X POST "https://vaarto.com/api/v1/messages/whatsapp" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "+919876543210",
    "template": {
      "name": "order_shipped",
      "language": "en_US",
      "variables": {
        "name": "Ravi",
        "order_id": "BLR-4471"
      }
    },
    "idempotencyKey": "order-4471-shipped"
  }'

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://vaarto.com/api/v1/messages/whatsapp", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.VAARTO_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    to: "+919876543210",
    template: {
      name: "order_shipped",
      language: "en_US",
      variables: {
        name: "Ravi",
        order_id: "BLR-4471",
      },
    },
    idempotencyKey: "order-4471-shipped",
  }),
});

const { data } = await res.json();

Python

import os, requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://vaarto.com/api/v1/messages/whatsapp",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['VAARTO_API_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "to": "+919876543210",
        "template": {
            "name": "order_shipped",
            "language": "en_US",
            "variables": {
                "name": "Ravi",
                "order_id": "BLR-4471",
            },
        },
        "idempotencyKey": "order-4471-shipped",
    },
    timeout=10,
)

data = res.json()["data"]

PHP

$data = Http::withToken(env('VAARTO_API_KEY'))
    ->post('https://vaarto.com/api/v1/messages/whatsapp', [
        'to' => '+919876543210',
        'template' => [
            'name' => 'order_shipped',
            'language' => 'en_US',
            'variables' => [
                'name' => 'Ravi',
                'order_id' => 'BLR-4471',
            ],
        ],
        'idempotencyKey' => 'order-4471-shipped',
    ])
    ->json('data');

201 Created comes back with the message id and status: "SENT" — which means Meta accepted it, not that it has arrived. Delivery follows as a webhook.

That is the whole integration for a backend that sends order updates. Everything after this page is detail you reach for when you need it.