DocsGetting Started
5-Minute Quickstart Guide
Get from zero to your first authenticated WhatsApp message in less than 5 minutes using cURL, Node.js, Python, Java, or Go.
5 min read•API v1
Step 1: Connect your WhatsApp Account
1. Log in to your **PingStack Workspace** at [https://app.pingstack.in](https://app.pingstack.in).
2. Navigate to **Workspace Settings → WhatsApp Connection**.
3. Complete the Meta Embedded Signup to link your WhatsApp Business Phone Number.
*Note: If your WhatsApp connection is pending, PingStack automatically routes requests in **Sandbox Mode**, returning mock delivery responses for safe local integration testing.*
Step 2: Generate a Developer API Key
1. In your Workspace, navigate to **Settings → Developer API** (or use the API key provisioning endpoint).
2. Click **Create API Key** and provide a label (e.g. `Production Backend`).
3. Copy your plaintext key starting with `ps_secret_live_...`.
*Important: Save this key in your server's environment variables. The plaintext secret is shown only once upon creation.*
Step 3: Send Your First WhatsApp Message
Make a `POST /api/v1/messages` request with your Bearer API key. Provide the recipient phone number with country code and your template name with positional variables.
curl -X POST https://app.pingstack.in/api/v1/messages \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ps_secret_live_YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: quickstart-order-001" \
-d '{
"to": "919876543210",
"template": {
"name": "fee_reminder",
"language": "en_US"
},
"variables": {
"1": "Rahul Sharma",
"2": "₹2,500"
}
}'Step 4: Inspect Response & Message Status
When the request succeeds, PingStack returns `HTTP 201 Created` with the internal message ID. The message is queued in Redis BullMQ, dispatched to Meta Cloud API, and immediately visible in your PingStack Workspace Inbox.
Response (201 Created)
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"message_id": "8b9e6722-1d54-4a2e-b6a1-cb9e4f509d2a",
"recipient": "919876543210",
"status": "queued",
"message_type": "template",
"template": "fee_reminder",
"content": "Dear Rahul Sharma, your pending fee of ₹2,500 is due.",
"created_at": "2026-09-09T22:00:00.000Z",
"sandbox": false
},
"request_id": "req_0a1b2c3d4e5f"
}