On-Premise API
The legacy self-hosted version of the WhatsApp Business API where businesses run the WhatsApp client on their own servers.
How it works
On-Premise API (also called On-Prem) was the original deployment model for the WhatsApp Business API. Businesses or their BSPs deployed Docker containers on their own infrastructure, giving them full control over data residency and network configuration. While this offered maximum data sovereignty, it required significant DevOps expertise and ongoing maintenance. Meta has been gradually deprecating On-Premise API in favor of Cloud API, with most new features being Cloud API-exclusive. Businesses still on On-Prem are encouraged to migrate to Cloud API or the co-existence mode.
Related terms
Cloud API
Meta's hosted version of the WhatsApp Business API that runs on Meta's own infrastructure, removing the need for businesses to manage their own servers.
WhatsApp Business API
A programmatic interface that lets medium and large businesses send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale through automated systems.
Co-existence Mode
A transitional configuration that allows a WhatsApp Business API number to run on both Cloud API and On-Premise API simultaneously during migration.
Learn more in our docs
Explore guides, tutorials, and API references for building on the WhatsApp Business platform with SuperWaba.