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Overview

Pre-built binaries provide a lightweight deployment option without Docker. Binaries are built using GoReleaser and available for multiple platforms and architectures.
Starting from version 7.x, binaries are built with GoReleaser for better cross-platform support and optimized builds.

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Platform Support

PlatformArchitectureBinary Name
Linuxx86_64 (AMD64)whatsapp_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz
LinuxARM64whatsapp_Linux_arm64.tar.gz
macOSIntel (AMD64)whatsapp_Darwin_x86_64.tar.gz
macOSApple Silicon (ARM64)whatsapp_Darwin_arm64.tar.gz
Windowsx86_64 (AMD64)whatsapp_Windows_x86_64.zip

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System Requirements

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Required Dependencies

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ffmpeg webp

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install ffmpeg libwebp-tools

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg libwebp

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Why FFmpeg and libwebp?

  • FFmpeg: Required for video compression and audio/video processing
  • libwebp: Required for sticker support (WebP encoding/decoding and animated stickers)
The libwebp package provides:
  • cwebp - WebP encoder
  • dwebp - WebP decoder
  • webpmux - Frame extraction for animated stickers

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Download Binary

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Latest Release

Download the latest version from GitHub Releases: GitHub Releases →

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Command-Line Download

wget https://github.com/aldinokemal/go-whatsapp-web-multidevice/releases/latest/download/whatsapp_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf whatsapp_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz
chmod +x whatsapp

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Running the Binary

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REST API Mode

# Basic usage
./whatsapp rest

# With configuration
./whatsapp rest --port=8080 --debug=true
Breaking Change (v6+): You must explicitly specify rest mode. Running ./whatsapp without a mode will show the help menu.

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MCP Server Mode

# Linux / macOS
./whatsapp mcp --host=localhost --port=8080

# Windows
.\whatsapp.exe mcp --host=localhost --port=8080

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View Available Options

./whatsapp --help
./whatsapp rest --help
./whatsapp mcp --help

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Configuration

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Using Command-Line Flags

./whatsapp rest \
  --port=3000 \
  --debug=true \
  --os=MyApp \
  --basic-auth=admin:secret \
  --autoreply="Thanks for your message" \
  --webhook=https://webhook.site/your-endpoint \
  --webhook-secret=my-secret-key

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Using Environment Variables

Create a .env file: 
# Copy example file
cp .env.example .env

# Edit configuration
nano .env
Example .env: 
APP_PORT=3000
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_OS=MyApp
APP_BASIC_AUTH=admin:secret

WHATSAPP_AUTO_REPLY="Thanks for contacting us"
WHATSAPP_WEBHOOK=https://webhook.site/your-endpoint
WHATSAPP_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your-secret-key
WHATSAPP_AUTO_REJECT_CALL=true
Then run: 
./whatsapp rest

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Configuration Priority

  1. Command-line flags (highest priority)
  2. Environment variables
  3. .env file (lowest priority)
See Environment Variables for all options.

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Production Deployment

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Systemd Service (Linux)

Create /etc/systemd/system/whatsapp.service: 
[Unit]
Description=GOWA WhatsApp API Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=whatsapp
Group=whatsapp
WorkingDirectory=/opt/whatsapp
ExecStart=/opt/whatsapp/whatsapp rest
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

# Security settings
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=true
ReadWritePaths=/opt/whatsapp/storages

# Environment
Environment="APP_PORT=3000"
Environment="APP_DEBUG=false"
Environment="WHATSAPP_WEBHOOK=https://api.example.com/webhook"

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Setup: 
# Create user
sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false whatsapp

# Create directories
sudo mkdir -p /opt/whatsapp/storages
sudo chown -R whatsapp:whatsapp /opt/whatsapp

# Copy binary
sudo cp whatsapp /opt/whatsapp/
sudo chmod +x /opt/whatsapp/whatsapp

# Enable and start service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable whatsapp
sudo systemctl start whatsapp

# Check status
sudo systemctl status whatsapp

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u whatsapp -f

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Supervisor (Alternative)

Create /etc/supervisor/conf.d/whatsapp.conf: 
[program:whatsapp]
command=/opt/whatsapp/whatsapp rest
directory=/opt/whatsapp
user=whatsapp
autostart=true
autorestart=true
startretries=3
stderr_logfile=/var/log/whatsapp/error.log
stdout_logfile=/var/log/whatsapp/access.log
environment=APP_PORT="3000",APP_DEBUG="false"

sudo supervisorctl reread
sudo supervisorctl update
sudo supervisorctl start whatsapp

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PM2 (Node.js Process Manager)

Create ecosystem.config.js: 
module.exports = {
  apps: [{
    name: 'whatsapp',
    script: './whatsapp',
    args: 'rest',
    cwd: '/opt/whatsapp',
    env: {
      APP_PORT: 3000,
      APP_DEBUG: false,
      WHATSAPP_WEBHOOK: 'https://api.example.com/webhook'
    },
    autorestart: true,
    max_restarts: 10,
    restart_delay: 5000
  }]
}

pm2 start ecosystem.config.js
pm2 save
pm2 startup

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Building from Source

If you need to build the binary yourself: 
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/aldinokemal/go-whatsapp-web-multidevice
cd go-whatsapp-web-multidevice/src

# Build
go build -o whatsapp

# Run
./whatsapp rest

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Build for Specific Platform

# Linux AMD64
GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o whatsapp

# Linux ARM64
GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm64 go build -o whatsapp

# macOS Intel
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=amd64 go build -o whatsapp

# macOS Apple Silicon
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 go build -o whatsapp

# Windows
GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o whatsapp.exe

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Troubleshooting

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”command not found” Error

Ensure the binary is executable: 
chmod +x whatsapp
./whatsapp rest

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FFmpeg Not Found

# Verify FFmpeg installation
ffmpeg -version

# Install if missing
sudo apt install ffmpeg  # Linux
brew install ffmpeg       # macOS

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libwebp Not Found

# Verify webp tools
cwebp -version
webpmux -version

# Install if missing
sudo apt install webp     # Linux
brew install webp         # macOS

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macOS: “invalid flag in pkg-config”

Run this before starting the binary: 
export CGO_CFLAGS_ALLOW="-Xpreprocessor"
Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc to make permanent: 
echo 'export CGO_CFLAGS_ALLOW="-Xpreprocessor"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

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Permission Denied on Storage

Ensure the storages directory is writable: 
mkdir -p storages
chmod 755 storages

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Next Steps

Environment Variables

Complete configuration reference

Docker Deployment

Alternative containerized deployment

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