OpenWA Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

OpenWA hosting on xCloud lets you deploy OpenWA, an open-source WhatsApp API gateway with a dashboard, REST API and Socket.IO, on your own domain. xCloud runs the pinned image with private PostgreSQL and Redis, generates the API master key and database credentials, mounts persistent volumes and publishes it over HTTPS. OpenWA is unofficial, so use a dedicated number rather than your main one.

Deploy your OpenWA

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is OpenWA?

OpenWA is a free, MIT-licensed, self-hosted WhatsApp API gateway. It exposes a REST API (Swagger docs can be switched on with ENABLE_SWAGGER), Socket.IO and a bundled dashboard for managing sessions, webhooks and API keys, and it runs several WhatsApp sessions on one instance. Unlike Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API, a self-hosted OpenWA connects through reverse-engineered clients, whatsapp-web.js by default or Baileys, so upstream warns there is always a non-zero risk of account restriction.

On xCloud it is OpenWA 0.23.7, the community image pinned by digest, with PostgreSQL 16 and Redis 7 kept private. The openwa_data volume holds sessions, media and the auth database, openwa_postgres holds application data and openwa_redis holds queue state. xCloud generates the API master key you paste to sign in, and HTTPS runs on your own domain.

From Sign-Up to a Live WhatsApp Gateway In Just 3 Easy Steps

Self-hosting a WhatsApp gateway normally means a container, a database, a queue, generated credentials, a domain and a certificate before a single session is paired. This is the same result without assembling any of it by hand.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick OpenWA from the OneClick catalog. Select a domain — there are no extra fields; xCloud generates everything else.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the pinned OpenWA 0.23.7 image alongside a digest-pinned PostgreSQL 16 database and password-protected Redis 7 instance, neither with a published port, generate the API master key, mount openwa_data / openwa_postgres / openwa_redis, and publish the dashboard over HTTPS on your domain.
Step 03
Sign In And Pair A Number
Wait 1-2 minutes for first-boot migrations, then open your HTTPS URL and paste the API master key from your xCloud credential panel to sign in. Create a WhatsApp session and pair it by scanning the QR code with a dedicated number.

Everything OpenWA Does, On Your Own Server

OpenWA runs in full here — the upstream dashboard, REST API and Socket.IO from the pinned image, on infrastructure you control.

Dashboard, REST API And Socket.IO
Manage WhatsApp sessions, webhooks and API keys from one dashboard, with the same control available through the REST API and Socket.IO.
Multiple Sessions, Your Choice Of Engine
Run multiple WhatsApp sessions on one instance, choosing between the whatsapp-web.js or Baileys engine per your memory and risk trade-off.
Scoped Operator And Viewer Keys
Limit operator and viewer API keys to chosen sessions, so integrations and agents only reach what they need.
Private Queue And Cache
Queues and cache run on a password-protected Redis sidecar, with application data kept in its own PostgreSQL database.
Built For Real Messaging Workflows
Suited to order updates, alerts, OTPs to opted-in users, and support replies sent straight from your own systems.
Sessions Survive A Restart
Sessions, the database and Redis data are stored on persistent volumes; a restart of every container kept the session record intact in verification.

Everything You Need To Run Your WhatsApp Gateway 24/7

Managed hosting for OpenWA, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

OpenWA 0.23.7 deployed instantly
Pinned image digest
API master key generated for you
Private PostgreSQL and Redis sidecars
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With OpenWA

Send WhatsApp messages from your own app
Call the REST API from your backend to send and receive messages through a session you paired, without a per-message platform fee from a hosted gateway.
React to incoming messages with webhooks
Register HMAC-signed webhooks with optional filters so your service is notified when a message arrives, then decide in your own code how to answer.
Run several numbers from one dashboard
Pair multiple WhatsApp sessions on one instance and manage them, their webhooks and their API keys from the bundled dashboard, so a small team keeps one control point.
Connect WhatsApp to your support or bot tools
Use upstream's plugins for Chatwoot and Typebot, or n8n community nodes, to route WhatsApp conversations into the tools your team already uses.

OpenWA vs Alternatives

WhatsApp Cloud API: Meta's official route, which upstream recommends for regulated environments such as healthcare and finance. OpenWA is unofficial and connects through reverse-engineered clients, so it carries a risk of account restriction.
Evolution API: Evolution API has its own OneClick page. In an OpenWA vs Evolution API comparison, look at OpenWA's bundled dashboard, its choice of whatsapp-web.js or Baileys engine and its session-scoped API keys.
WuzAPI: WuzAPI has its own OneClick page. On this template OpenWA runs with PostgreSQL and Redis, sends HMAC-signed webhooks and offers an optional MCP server for AI agents.
Chatwoot: Chatwoot has its own OneClick page. It is a support inbox rather than a gateway; upstream lists a Chatwoot plugin for OpenWA, so the two can work together.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for OpenWA, PostgreSQL and Redis. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

More concurrent sessions on the whatsapp-web.js engine.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Cloud VPS 24 GB

OpenWA alongside a whole self-hosted messaging stack.

$84.99per month

24 GB RAM
8 vCPU cores
300 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. OpenWA itself is free under the MIT license.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy OpenWA on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

Start free

Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

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Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

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Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Own Your WhatsApp Gateway?

OpenWA hosting on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

How much RAM does OpenWA need?

The template floor is 2048 MB of RAM, 2 CPU cores and 10 GB of disk. QA measured about 150 MiB idle and about 513 MiB with the WhatsApp engine loaded, and upstream cites roughly 300 to 500 MB per whatsapp-web.js session.

Can you self-host OpenWA with Docker?

Yes, and this template is openwa docker hosting without the setup: the community image pinned by digest, PostgreSQL 16, Redis 7 with a password, the openwa_data, openwa_postgres and openwa_redis volumes, a generated master key and HTTPS on your own domain.

Is OpenWA an alternative to the WhatsApp Cloud API?

Only partly. Upstream positions it against the Cloud API but says it is not a drop-in replacement in regulated environments, where Meta's official route is recommended. OpenWA is unofficial and community-maintained.

Which WhatsApp engine does OpenWA use?

The default is whatsapp-web.js, which runs Chromium and uses about 300 to 500 MB of RAM per session. Upstream also supports Baileys, which is lighter but easier for WhatsApp to detect; select it with ENGINE_TYPE in the Environment editor.

Can my number get banned when I use OpenWA?

There is always a non-zero risk. Upstream is unofficial and uses reverse-engineered clients, so WhatsApp may restrict an account. Upstream advises a dedicated number instead of your primary one, and Meta's Cloud API for regulated use.

How do I sign in to OpenWA?

There is no email and password registration. Open your HTTPS URL and paste the API master key from the credentials panel. Changing API_MASTER_KEY later does not replace that first-boot key; create or rotate keys inside the dashboard.

Is OpenWA free?

Yes. OpenWA is MIT licensed, with no fee for the gateway itself. The only recurring cost is the Cloud VPS, so this OpenWA cloud install runs on a server you control, though WhatsApp may still restrict accounts.

How do I back up OpenWA?

Back up openwa_data, which holds sessions, media and the auth database, openwa_postgres for application data and openwa_redis for queued work, together. Treat container logs as sensitive, since the first-boot master key is printed there once.

Backup and restore Docker apps

How do I upgrade OpenWA?

The install stays on its pinned 0.23.7 image until you adopt a newer template version. Back up all three volumes first. Nothing upgrades on its own, and a redeploy keeps the volumes, so paired sessions should carry over.

Why does OpenWA say Docker is unavailable?

The dashboard's infrastructure toggles try to start Postgres, Redis or MinIO through Docker, and this template exposes no Docker socket. PostgreSQL and Redis already run as private sidecar containers, so the message is expected and harmless.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.