OpenWA

A self-hosted WhatsApp API gateway with a web dashboard, several sessions per instance, webhooks and plugins for Chatwoot and Typebot.

16.5k stars, 3.9k forks TypeScript On GitHub since February 2026

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is OpenWA?

OpenWA connects WhatsApp accounts to your own software through a REST API and webhooks. A React dashboard manages sessions, webhooks and API keys, and one instance can run several WhatsApp sessions at once. Keys for operators and read-only viewers can be limited to chosen sessions or even single chats. Storage is pluggable: SQLite or PostgreSQL, local disk or S3 for media, and optional Redis for queues and rate limits. Official plugins add Chatwoot and Typebot, and community nodes connect it to n8n. The dashboard has 12 interface languages.

Good fit if

  • You want to send and receive WhatsApp messages from your own apps without a paid gateway provider.
  • You run a support desk or chatbot that should reply on WhatsApp.

Look elsewhere if

  • You need notifications across many channels, not only WhatsApp: Novu.

Before you adopt it

OpenWA is MIT-licensed with no paid features. The repository was created in February 2026 and a single developer wrote every one of its thousands of recent commits, so expect rapid change. Docker Compose brings up PostgreSQL, Redis and MinIO, and a Helm chart exists. Back up S3 media separately, since the bundled script covers only local files. Check WhatsApp's terms before automating an account.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 31 October 2026. Report a correction

OpenWA health: is it still maintained?

73 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    6,058 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 4 November 2026.
    30 / 30
  • Contributors
    1 person wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 100% of them.
    2 / 20
  • Releases
    15 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v0.27.1, on 1 November 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 92% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 39 hours.
    17 / 20
  • Security practices
    No OpenSSF Scorecard for this repository yet, so this part gets a neutral score.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 4 November 2026. How the score works

OpenWA license: is it open source?

OpenWA uses MIT, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. February 2026First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayMIT.

How to run OpenWA yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Compose file
docker-compose.yml: 5 services (postgres, redis, minio)
Setup effort
4 of 5, judged from the compose file
Kubernetes
Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
12 languages

Install instructions: open-wa.org or the README on GitHub.

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Questions about OpenWA

Is OpenWA open source?

Yes. OpenWA is published under MIT, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is OpenWA still maintained?

Its health score is 73 of 100 (actively developed). It had 6,058 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 4 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 1 November 2026.

How do I run OpenWA?

You can run it with Docker, on Kubernetes with the Helm chart in the repository. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What are the alternatives to OpenWA?

Close alternatives in the Developer tools category include Gotify, Langfuse, Hasura.