Laravel WhatsApp Package: Cloud API & Web Sidecar | Mohamed Said [ ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MH.png) Mohamed Said Laravel Backend Engineer ](https://msaied.com) [ Home ](https://msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://msaied.com#contact-section) [ ](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [ Home ](https://msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://msaied.com#contact-section) [ home ](https://msaied.com) [ articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) Laravel WhatsApp: Send Messages via Meta Cloud API and whatsapp-web.js Behind One Facade On this page 1. [ Overview ](#overview) 2. [ Two Backends, One Facade ](#two-backends-one-facade) 3. [ Sending Messages ](#sending-messages) 4. [ Queued Sends and Inbound Events ](#queued-sends-and-inbound-events) 5. [ Optional Admin UI and Persistence ](#optional-admin-ui-and-persistence) 6. [ Getting Started ](#getting-started) 7. [ Key Takeaways ](#key-takeaways) ![Laravel WhatsApp: Send Messages via Meta Cloud API and whatsapp-web.js Behind One Facade](https://cdn.msaied.com/322/aba494fddab4c6e7874cd0ca99a5abc9.png) [ Laravel ](https://msaied.com/articles?category=laravel) [ Composer Pacakge ](https://msaied.com/articles?category=composer-pacakge) #Laravel #WhatsApp #Composer Package #Meta Cloud API #whatsapp-web.js Laravel WhatsApp: Send Messages via Meta Cloud API and whatsapp-web.js Behind One Facade ========================================================================================== 26 Jun 2026 4 min read ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MJ.jpg) Mohamed Said Table of contents 1. [ 01 Overview ](#overview) 2. [ 02 Two Backends, One Facade ](#two-backends-one-facade) 3. [ 03 Sending Messages ](#sending-messages) 4. [ 04 Queued Sends and Inbound Events ](#queued-sends-and-inbound-events) 5. [ 05 Optional Admin UI and Persistence ](#optional-admin-ui-and-persistence) 6. [ 06 Getting Started ](#getting-started) 7. [ 07 Key Takeaways ](#key-takeaways) Overview -------- [Laravel WhatsApp](https://github.com/kstmostofa/laravel-whatsapp) is a package by Md Mostafijur Rahman that integrates WhatsApp messaging into Laravel applications. Its defining feature is a dual-backend architecture: Meta's official Cloud API for business messaging, and an unofficial Node-based [whatsapp-web.js](https://github.com/pedroslopez/whatsapp-web.js) sidecar that drives a headless Chromium instance to communicate via the WhatsApp Web protocol. Both backends sit behind the same `WhatsApp::` facade, so your application code stays consistent regardless of which transport is in use. The package supports Laravel 11, 12, and 13 on PHP 8.2 or higher. Two Backends, One Facade ------------------------ The Cloud API and the web sidecar serve different use cases, and the package is transparent about the trade-offs: | Capability | Cloud API | Web Sidecar | |---|---|---| | QR pairing | No | Yes | | Groups | No | Yes | | Free-form messaging | 24h template window | Yes | | Business templates | Yes | No | | Official support | Yes | Unofficial | The Cloud API is the right choice for templated business messages with official backing. The web sidecar removes the 24-hour reply window restriction and adds group management and status updates, but it operates against a personal account without Meta's official support. Sending Messages ---------------- Routing is determined by the recipient format. An E.164 phone number targets the Cloud API; a `@c.us` identifier targets the web sidecar: ```php WhatsApp::send('+14155550123', 'Your order has shipped.'); WhatsApp::send('14155550123@c.us', 'Thanks for your message!'); ``` For business templates, use the Cloud API's `sendTemplate` method directly: ```php WhatsApp::messages()->sendTemplate('+14155550123', 'order_update', 'en_US', [ ['type' => 'body', 'parameters' => [['type' => 'text', 'text' => 'Order #1042']]], ]); ``` The web sidecar supports named sessions, so you can run multiple personal accounts simultaneously: ```php WhatsApp::web('main')->groups()->create('Team Leads', ['14155550123@c.us']); WhatsApp::web('main')->messages()->sendImage('14155550123@c.us', [ 'url' => 'https://example.com/report.png', 'caption' => 'Q2 summary' ]); ``` Queued Sends and Inbound Events ------------------------------- Outbound messages can be dispatched as queued jobs to keep sending off the request cycle: ```php SendMessage::dispatch('+14155550123', 'Your invoice is ready.'); ``` Inbound messages from the sidecar are bridged into Laravel's event system via a long-running listener process. You subscribe to typed events like any other Laravel event: ```php use \Kstmostofa\LaravelWhatsApp\Events\Web\MessageReceived; Event::listen(MessageReceived::class, function ($event) { Log::info('Message received', ['from' => $event->from(), 'body' => $event->body()]); }); ``` Cloud API inbound traffic is handled through webhooks with HMAC signature verification using your Meta app secret. Optional Admin UI and Persistence --------------------------------- Installing the optional Livewire and Flux dependencies mounts an admin interface at `/whatsapp` with a dashboard, messaging screen, conversation views, and pages for groups, contacts, and webhook logs. Adding Laravel Reverb enables real-time conversation updates. Persistence is opt-in via three Eloquent models — `WaSession`, `WaMessage`, and `WaContact` — which can be placed on a separate database connection to keep WhatsApp data isolated from your primary schema. Getting Started --------------- ```bash composer require kstmostofa/laravel-whatsapp php artisan vendor:publish --tag=laravel-whatsapp-config php artisan vendor:publish --tag=laravel-whatsapp-migrations php artisan migrate ``` Add your Meta credentials to `.env` for the Cloud API path, then install and start the sidecar for the web backend: ```bash php artisan whatsapp:sidecar:install php artisan whatsapp:sidecar:start php artisan whatsapp:web:listen main & ``` Key Takeaways ------------- - A single `WhatsApp::` facade abstracts both the Meta Cloud API and the whatsapp-web.js sidecar. - Recipient format (E.164 vs `@c.us`) determines which backend handles each message. - The web sidecar supports groups, QR pairing, and free-form messaging; the Cloud API provides official business template support. - Outbound messages can be queued; inbound sidecar messages fire typed Laravel events. - An optional Livewire-based admin UI and opt-in Eloquent persistence layer are available. - Requires Laravel 11–13 and PHP 8.2+. --- *Source: [Laravel WhatsApp: Two Backends Behind One Facade — Laravel News](https://laravel-news.com/laravel-whatsapp-two-backends-behind-one-facade)* Found this useful? [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmsaied.com%2Farticles%2Flaravel-whatsapp-send-messages-via-meta-cloud-api-and-whatsapp-webjs-behind-one-facade&text=Laravel+WhatsApp%3A+Send+Messages+via+Meta+Cloud+API+and+whatsapp-web.js+Behind+One+Facade) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmsaied.com%2Farticles%2Flaravel-whatsapp-send-messages-via-meta-cloud-api-and-whatsapp-webjs-behind-one-facade) Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------- 3 questions Q01 What is the difference between the Cloud API and the web sidecar in laravel-whatsapp? The Cloud API is Meta's official channel for business messaging. It supports templated messages but restricts free-form replies to a 24-hour window and does not support groups. The web sidecar uses whatsapp-web.js with headless Chromium to connect via the WhatsApp Web protocol, enabling free-form messaging, group creation, and QR pairing, but it operates against a personal account without official Meta support. Q02 How does laravel-whatsapp decide which backend to use when sending a message? The recipient format determines the backend. Passing an E.164 phone number (e.g., '+14155550123') routes the message through the Cloud API. Passing a '@c.us' identifier (e.g., '14155550123@c.us') routes it through the web sidecar session. Q03 Does laravel-whatsapp support receiving inbound WhatsApp messages? Yes. Inbound messages from the web sidecar are bridged into Laravel's event system via a long-running 'whatsapp:web:listen' artisan process, firing typed events such as MessageReceived. Inbound Cloud API traffic is handled through webhooks with HMAC signature verification. 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