The Cloud API launched in 2022. The infrastructure runs on Meta's side, which removes the cost and maintenance of self-hosting, and every new feature now ships there.
It replaced the On-Premises API, which businesses hosted themselves. Since July 1, 2024, phone numbers can only be registered on the Cloud API, and the last On-Premises version expired on October 23, 2025.
Businesses can connect to the Cloud API directly, with their own developers, or through a partner that adds a dashboard, automations and support on top of the same API. For a Shopify store, Kanal connects the store to the official API without code.