This page gives the short definition. The WhatsApp Business API guide covers access, costs and setup step by step, and the WhatsApp Business API for Shopify page shows how a store connects to it with Kanal.
The API has no app or interface of its own. A business reaches it through the Cloud API hosted by Meta, either directly with its own developers or through a partner (often called a Business Solution Provider) that adds a dashboard, automations and analytics. The older On-Premises API, which companies hosted themselves, stopped working on October 23, 2025.
Two rules shape everything built on it. Outside the 24-hour customer service window, a business can only send pre-approved message templates. And Meta charges per delivered message, at a rate that depends on the message category (marketing, utility, authentication or service) and on the country code of the recipient. Messages sent by customers are never charged.