Two ways to get WhatsApp Business API access
You can build on Meta's Cloud API yourself, or connect through a provider's Embedded Signup. Building it yourself gives you full control, but you need a developer to write and host the code. Embedded Signup takes a few minutes and needs no code, because the provider has already built the connection. Both routes end in the same place: a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and a phone number registered on the official API.
What you need before registration
You need a Meta business portfolio, which you can create in Meta Business Suite. You need a phone number that can receive a text or a call for verification. It can be a new number, or one you already use in the WhatsApp Business app if your provider supports coexistence. You also need a display name that matches your business. Meta business verification is not required to start, but you need it to raise your daily messaging limit later.
The developer route: app, WABA and number
A developer creates an app on Meta for Developers and adds the WhatsApp product. Meta gives a test number and a test account to try things out. Next, they add your real number, verify it, and complete registration with a six-digit PIN. Meta's WhatsApp Business API documentation covers each step, and Meta publishes sample code on GitHub. Meta has retired the old self-hosted On-Premises API, so the Cloud API is the one to build on.
API key or access token?
People often search for a WhatsApp Business API key, but the Cloud API does not use one. It uses an access token. The token Meta shows in the developer dashboard expires after about 24 hours and is only for testing. For a live store, you create a system user in your business portfolio and generate a token that does not expire. Treat that token like a password. Anyone who has it can send messages as your business.
Setting up the WhatsApp Business API webhook
The webhook is how Meta tells your system that something happened. You give Meta a secure HTTPS address and a verify token of your choice. Meta calls the address once to check it, then sends events there. Subscribe to the messages field to receive customer replies and message status updates. Each message moves through statuses like sent, delivered, read or failed, and your system reads them from the webhook.
Sending your first message
The first message you send to a customer must be an approved template. Meta gives every new account a sample template to test with. Once a customer replies, the 24-hour service window opens, and you can send normal messages until it closes. Send a test to your own phone before you switch on anything automatic.
The shortcut: Embedded Signup in Dejor
If you use Shopify, Dejor does all of this for you. You start the connection inside the app and log in with Facebook. Meta creates or connects your WABA, and you register your number. There is no API key or access token to copy, and Dejor sets up the webhook for you. You can choose coexistence to keep the WhatsApp Business app on the same number.
Where to log in afterwards
There is no separate WhatsApp Business API login. You manage the account in WhatsApp Manager inside Meta Business Suite, where you see your number, templates, quality rating and billing. Day to day, your team works in your provider's dashboard. In Dejor, that is the WhatsApp page inside your Shopify admin.
Explore this workflow in Dejor.
See how whatsapp business api for shopify fits into your store, including setup steps and common questions.