Getting Started

Introduction

Welcome to SendZen, the developer-first WhatsApp API. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough to help you go from creating an account to sending your first message in just a few minutes.

By the end of this guide, you will have:

Created a SendZen account and obtained your API key.

Sent your first WhatsApp message using a simple cURL command.

Understood how to set up and verify a webhook to receive delivery status notifications.

Learned about the next steps to take your integration further.

SendZen is designed for developers, with a focus on speed, clean SDKs, predictable webhooks, and real-time logs.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

A SendZen account. If you don't have one, you can create one for free on our website.

A WhatsApp number connected to your SendZen workspace.

Your SendZen API key, which can be found in your dashboard after signing up.

Base URL

All API requests should be made to the following base URL:

https://api.sendzen.io

Authentication

To authenticate your requests, you need to include your API key in the Authorization header of every request.

Header name: Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>

Remember to replace <YOUR_API_KEY> with your actual API key. Keep your API keys secure and rotate them immediately if you suspect they have been compromised. You can manage your API keys from the SendZen dashboard.

Sending Your First Message

You can send a message by making a POST request to one of our messaging endpoints.

Error Handling

The SendZen API uses standard HTTP status codes to indicate the success or failure of a request.

2xx status codes indicate a successful request.

4xx status codes indicate a client-side error, such as an invalid request or a missing API key.

5xx status codes indicate a server-side error.

When an error occurs, the response body will contain a JSON object with a human-readable message to make debugging as simple as possible.

Security Best Practices

We take security very seriously at SendZen. To ensure the security of your integration, we recommend the following best practices:

Use HTTPS for all API requests.

Rotate your API keys on a regular basis.

Restrict API key permissions to the minimum required for your application.

Store your API keys and other secrets in a secure vault or key management service (KMS).

Verify webhook signatures to ensure that the requests are coming from SendZen.

For more information, please refer to our Security and GDPR compliance pages.

Next Steps

Now that you have sent your first message, you can explore the full capabilities of the SendZen API. Here are some things you can do next:

Explore the API Reference: Learn about the different types of messages you can send, including media, templates, and voice messages.

Set up webhooks: Receive real-time notifications for message delivery, read receipts, and inbound messages.

Check your logs: Use the dashboard to view detailed logs of every request and response.

Try our SDKs: We offer SDKs for popular programming languages like Node.js and Python to help you get up and running even faster.

Read our security and compliance documentation: Learn more about our security practices and how we help you stay compliant.

Getting Started

Introduction#

Prerequisites#

Base URL#

Authentication#

Sending Your First Message#

Error Handling#

Security Best Practices#

Next Steps#