Home/ Glossary/WhatsApp Cloud API
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.
One term from the WhatsApp Business Platform glossary. Last updated 2026-07-25.
Before the Cloud API, running the WhatsApp Business Platform meant hosting Meta's On-Premises client yourself or paying a provider to host it. The Cloud API removed that entirely: Meta operates the endpoint, and a platform such as BotPulsar talks to it over the Graph API on your behalf.
Practically, this means faster onboarding, no version upgrades to schedule, and no server capacity to plan for. It is also why Embedded Signup can connect a number in minutes — there is no infrastructure to provision between clicking connect and sending the first message.
Related terms
- WhatsApp Business Platform (WhatsApp Business API)
- Meta's programmatic interface that lets medium and large businesses send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale. It has no app interface of its own — you access it through a platform such as BotPulsar, and your business owns the underlying WhatsApp Business Account.
- On-Premises API
- The original, self-hosted way to run the WhatsApp Business Platform, where the business or its provider ran Meta's messaging client on its own servers. Meta has since deprecated it in favour of the Cloud API.
- Graph API
- Meta's overarching HTTP API, of which the WhatsApp Cloud API is one part. WhatsApp endpoints are addressed as Graph API paths and versioned on Meta's platform-wide release schedule.
See WhatsApp Cloud API in a real workspace
BotPulsar runs the official WhatsApp Business Platform with unlimited team members on every plan, starting at ₹300/month.