Connecting WhatsApp to an automation usually means the paid official Cloud API or a SaaS middleman that sees every message. Evolution API is the self-hosted route: a REST API on your own server, which is why it has become the standard way to wire WhatsApp into n8n, chatbots and CRMs.
What you get
- A REST API any language or automation tool can call
- Multi-instance, so several numbers run on one deployment
- Webhook events, media, groups and a Manager UI
- PostgreSQL and Redis bundled, nothing extra to deploy
Get it running
Pick a VPS with about 1 GB free
It bundles a database and a cache, so give it around 1 GB of memory and a few GB of disk on an offshore VPS.
Install it in one click
Install Evolution API from the catalog with a hostname such as wa.example.com. That hostname becomes the server URL used in webhook callbacks and pairing, so pick one you will keep.
Take the global API key out of the panel
The install generates a global API key. Copy it into your password manager, because it is the master credential for the whole deployment.
Pair a number and connect your tools
Create an instance, pair it by QR code, and point your integrations at the HTTPS URL. It slots straight into n8n for workflows.
That one key authenticates every request and creates the per-instance keys. Leaked, it hands over all connected numbers: reading messages and sending as you. Never put it in front-end code, a public repository or a shared document, give each integration its own instance key where you can, and rotate it if you suspect exposure.
This is not the official WhatsApp API. Automating a normal account can get the number restricted or banned, and that decision is not ours or yours to appeal. Use a number you can afford to lose, keep volumes human, and never use it for unsolicited messaging: bulk spam breaks WhatsApp’s rules and our acceptable use policy at the same time.
Your integrations register callback URLs against the hostname you install with. Changing it later means re-pairing and re-registering, so decide on the domain first.
Self-hosting means conversation content and contact lists sit on your VPS rather than a vendor’s. That is the privacy benefit, and it also makes the instance worth protecting: keep it patched, restrict who reaches the Manager UI, and back it up.
Start now
Spin up an offshore VPS and install Evolution API from the catalog, or read the documentation.