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Evolution API Documentation

Build powerful WhatsApp integrations with multi-tenant architecture, chatbot platforms, and event streaming systems. Connect your applications to WhatsApp using Baileys or the official Business API.

Get StartedAPI Reference
Multi-tenant architecture
7+ chatbot integrations
Event streaming support
S3/MinIO media storage

Quick start

Get your WhatsApp instance running in minutes

1

Install Docker

Evolution API runs best with Docker. Make sure Docker and Docker Compose are installed on your system.
docker --version
docker-compose --version
2

Clone and configure

Clone the repository and set up your environment variables.
git clone https://github.com/EvolutionAPI/evolution-api.git
cd evolution-api
cp .env.example .env
Edit .env and set your AUTHENTICATION_API_KEY and database configuration.
The API key is required for all API requests. Generate a secure random string for production use.
3

Start the services

Launch Evolution API with Docker Compose.
docker-compose up -d
The API will be available at http://localhost:8080. Check the logs with docker-compose logs -f.
4

Create your first instance

Create a WhatsApp instance using the API.
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/instance/create \
  -H "apikey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "instanceName": "my-instance",
    "qrcode": true
  }'

{
  "instance": {
    "instanceName": "my-instance",
    "status": "created"
  },
  "qrcode": {
    "base64": "data:image/png;base64,...",
    "code": "1@..."
  }
}
Scan the QR code with WhatsApp to connect your instance.

Explore by topic

Discover what you can build with Evolution API

WhatsApp integration

Connect using Baileys (free) or the official WhatsApp Business API.

Chatbot platforms

Integrate with Typebot, Chatwoot, Dify, OpenAI, and more.

Event streaming

Stream events via webhooks, RabbitMQ, Kafka, SQS, or WebSocket.

Instance management

Create and manage multi-tenant WhatsApp instances with isolation.

Media storage

Store media files in Amazon S3 or MinIO with automatic management.

Deployment

Deploy with Docker, configure databases, and scale your infrastructure.

Key features

Everything you need to integrate WhatsApp into your applications

Multi-provider support

Choose between Baileys (free, WhatsApp Web-based) or the official WhatsApp Business API for your use case.

Multi-tenant architecture

Complete data isolation between instances with per-tenant authentication and database separation.

Rich integrations

Connect with Typebot, Chatwoot, Dify, OpenAI, Flowise, N8N, and more chatbot and AI platforms.

Event streaming

Receive real-time events via webhooks, RabbitMQ, Apache Kafka, Amazon SQS, WebSocket, or Pusher.

Ready to get started?

Follow our quickstart guide to create your first WhatsApp instance in minutes.

Get Started