Access token
The credential a platform uses to call the WhatsApp Cloud API on your behalf. It is issued during Embedded Signup and scoped to the specific WhatsApp assets you granted access to.
One term from the WhatsApp Business Platform glossary. Last updated 2026-07-25.
Embedded Signup exchanges a short-lived authorization code for an access token tied to your WhatsApp Business Account. A well-built platform stores that token in a secret manager rather than its application database, and never exposes it back through its own API.
Because the token is scoped to the assets you granted, revoking a platform's access in Meta Business Manager immediately cuts its ability to send — you do not have to rotate the number or ask the vendor to delete anything.
Related terms
- Embedded Signup
- Meta's official onboarding flow that connects your WhatsApp Business Account and phone number to a platform without leaving that platform. It replaces manual API key exchange and takes a few minutes.
- System user
- A non-human account inside Meta Business Manager that owns programmatic access to business assets. System users hold long-lived tokens so API access does not break when an employee leaves.
- WhatsApp Cloud API
- Meta's own hosted version of the WhatsApp Business Platform. Meta runs the servers, so a business connects through a provider without hosting any messaging infrastructure itself.
See Access token in a real workspace
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