Wafly International

n8n integration

WhatsApp API for n8n in South Africa

Connect WhatsApp and n8n in South Africa with QR onboarding, REST endpoints, webhooks and a fixed US$20 monthly price.

Start a free 3-day trial · API docs

Direct answer

The most direct way to connect WhatsApp to n8n is to receive messages in a Webhook and reply with the Wafly community node on self-hosted n8n or an HTTP Request on n8n Cloud. Wafly maintains the QR-connected session while your workflow owns the logic, data and decisions.

Wafly maintains the WhatsApp connection while n8n handles your business logic. Receive webhook events, transform data and reply from the same workflow without running a connection stack.

What you can automate

  • Trigger workflows when a message arrives
  • Send text, files and replies from n8n
  • Connect CRMs, help desks, spreadsheets and databases

Before you start

  • A Wafly account with a connected instance
  • The production URL of an n8n Webhook
  • Instance name and token stored as credentials
  • An opt-in number for testing

A production-ready approach

Choose the connection method

On self-hosted n8n, install n8n-nodes-wafly from Community Nodes. On n8n Cloud, use HTTP Request; the same REST endpoints work without installing a package.

Separate inbound and outbound steps

Use a Webhook for incoming events and a later step for the reply. This lets you validate, log and route an event before sending anything.

Test real failure paths

Test invalid credentials, a phone without WhatsApp, timeouts and disconnections. A reliable flow records the message id and does not mark a send complete before a successful response.

Minimum request from an HTTP Request node

POST https://wafly.io/api-bridge-whats/instances/{instance}/token/{token}/send-text
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "phone": "27821234567",
  "message": "Your order is ready."
}

Production checklist

  • Use the production webhook URL, not the test URL
  • Store tokens as credentials, never inside the workflow
  • Normalise the phone number with its country code
  • Log message id, time and result
  • Retry only temporary failures

How to build the workflow

  1. Create a Wafly instance and connect the number by QR code.
  2. Set the Wafly webhook to your n8n production webhook URL.
  3. Use the Wafly community node or an authenticated HTTP Request node to reply.

QR connection, not the official Meta API. Use opt-in contacts and increase volume gradually.

Frequently asked questions

Do I install WhatsApp on my n8n server?

No. Wafly maintains the session; n8n only calls the API and receives webhooks.

Is there an n8n node?

Yes. The n8n-nodes-wafly community package is available on npm, and the HTTP Request node also works.

Does it work with n8n Cloud?

Yes, provided your workflow can receive public webhooks and make HTTPS requests.

Verifiable resources