Glossary

ChatId

A ChatId is the identifier for a WhatsApp chat. Direct messages use the phone@c.us format. Groups use the group@g.us format.

ContactId

A ContactId is a chat ID that refers to a specific contact. It always ends in @c.us.

Driver

A driver is the browser automation backend open-wa uses to control WhatsApp Web. Common drivers include Puppeteer, Playwright, and Lightpanda.

Easy API

The hosted runtime surface that exposes client functionality over HTTP and related runtime transports. It is the ready made HTTP API surface that runs when you execute npx @open-wa/wa-automate, including interactive docs and generated schemas.

Event namespace

An event namespace is the naming convention used for runtime events, such as message.received, client.ready, and core.stopping.

GroupChatId

A GroupChatId is a chat ID that refers to a WhatsApp group. It always ends in @g.us.

Headless / headful

headless means the browser runs without a visible UI. headful means the browser window is visible for debugging or manual observation.

Host account

The WhatsApp account that authenticates and owns the session.

License tiers

License tiers are the different licensing levels that gate certain features, such as free, insiders, and restricted.

LID

LID means Linked Device ID. It is an internal identifier WhatsApp uses for linked device sessions.

MCP

MCP means Model Context Protocol. It is a standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools, and open-wa exposes Easy API methods as MCP tools.

Proxy

A proxy is a middleman service that forwards traffic between your app and WhatsApp. In open-wa contexts, this can include Cloudflare Session Proxy and SOCKS or HTTP proxies.

Re-auth

Re-auth is the process of bringing an existing session back online without a fresh QR scan when the required auth state is still usable.

Re-scan

A re-scan is the user action of scanning a fresh QR code after a session can no longer be restored automatically.

Session

A session is a named automation instance. The sessionId is the stable identifier you use to distinguish one runtime from another.

Session data

Session data is the authentication material used to restore a session. How portable it is depends on the auth/runtime mode you are using.

SocketClient

The remote consumer client used to connect to an Easy API instance without embedding the full browser automation runtime in your own app.

Tunnel

A tunnel is a network tunnel, such as Cloudflare Tunnel, that exposes a local service to the internet without opening ports on your machine or network.

WAPI

WAPI is the internal WhatsApp Web API that open-wa bridges to. It is the abstraction layer between the browser runtime and WhatsApp Web.

Webhook

A webhook is an HTTP POST notification sent to your endpoint when WhatsApp events occur.