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whatsapp-rust

A high-performance, async Rust library for the WhatsApp Web API. Inspired by whatsmeow (Go) and Baileys (TypeScript).
This is an unofficial, open-source reimplementation. Using custom WhatsApp clients may violate Meta’s Terms of Service and could result in account suspension. Use at your own risk.

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Key features

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Authentication

  • QR code pairing - Scan QR code from your phone to authenticate
  • Pair code linking - Link using phone number with 8-digit code
  • Persistent sessions - Automatic reconnection with session management

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Messaging

  • End-to-end encryption - Full Signal Protocol implementation
  • One-on-one and group chats - Send and receive messages in any chat type
  • Message editing and reactions - Edit sent messages and add reactions
  • Quoting/replying - Reply to specific messages with context
  • Delivery receipts - Track delivery, read, and played status

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Media handling

  • Upload and download - Support for images, videos, documents, GIFs, and audio
  • Automatic encryption - Transparent encryption/decryption for all media

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Contacts and groups

  • Phone number validation - Check if phone numbers are on WhatsApp
  • Profile information - Fetch profile pictures and user info
  • Group management - Query metadata, participants, and manage groups
  • Group listing - List all groups you’re participating in

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Presence and chat state

  • Online/offline status - Set your presence status
  • Typing indicators - Show composing, recording, and paused states
  • Contact management - Block and unblock contacts

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Architecture

  • Modular design - Pluggable storage, transport, and HTTP clients
  • Runtime agnostic - Works with Tokio, async-std, or WASM
  • SQLite included - Default storage backend, easily swappable

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Getting started

Installation

Add whatsapp-rust to your project with cargo

Quickstart

Build your first WhatsApp bot in minutes

Architecture

Understand the modular architecture

Custom backends

Implement your own storage or transport layer

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Project structure

The library is organized into multiple crates for maximum flexibility: 
whatsapp-rust/
├── src/                    # Main client library
├── wacore/                 # Platform-agnostic core (no_std compatible)
│   ├── binary/             # WhatsApp binary protocol
│   ├── libsignal/          # Signal Protocol implementation
│   └── appstate/           # App state management
├── waproto/                # Protocol Buffers definitions
├── storages/sqlite-storage # SQLite backend
├── transports/tokio-transport
└── http_clients/ureq-client

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Acknowledgements

This project would not be possible without the excellent work of: