# On-premise API

The On-Premises API was the original version of the WhatsApp Business API, which businesses or their providers hosted on their own servers. Meta retired it: its final version expired on October 23, 2025, and the Cloud API is now the only option.

Source: https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-marketing-glossary/on-premise-api  
Last updated: 2026-10-08

When the WhatsApp Business API first launched, businesses or their providers had to install and maintain the API client on their own infrastructure. This was the On-Premise model.

Self-hosting gave more control but required servers, updates and engineering effort. After January 2024, new features shipped only to the Cloud API, and the On-Premises client received bug fixes and security patches only.

The sunset followed Meta's published timeline: from July 1, 2024, phone numbers could only be registered on the Cloud API, and on October 23, 2025 the final On-Premises version (v2.63) expired. Messages to or from numbers still registered on it are no longer delivered, so any remaining integration has to move to the Cloud API. The [Cloud API vs On-Premises comparison](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api-vs-on-premise) explains the differences.

## Go deeper: articles

- [WhatsApp Cloud API vs On-Premises: What the 2025 Sunset Means](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api-vs-on-premise): Meta shut down the WhatsApp On-Premises API on October 23, 2025. What Cloud API offers, how it is priced and how to move a number still stuck on it.
- [Best WhatsApp Business API Providers 2026 (14 BSPs, Prices)](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-business-api-providers-compared): 14 WhatsApp BSPs compared with prices read October 24, 2026 (Twilio $0.005 a message, 360dialog €49 a number), Meta fee markup and Shopify fit.
- [WhatsApp Business API: What It Is, Costs and Setup (2026)](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-business-api-guide): The WhatsApp Business API explained: Cloud API, templates, webhooks, per-message costs, messaging limits and the three ways to get access.

## Related terms

- [WhatsApp Business API](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-marketing-glossary/whatsapp-business-api)
- [WhatsApp Business Platform](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-marketing-glossary/whatsapp-business-platform)