Connecting n8n to WhatsApp allows you to send and receive WhatsApp messages automatically as part of your workflows. This is how the Hordanso WhatsApp AI agent and many customer service automations are built.
Method 1: Via 360Dialog (Recommended for Nigerian Businesses)
360Dialog is an official WhatsApp Business API partner that works well in Nigeria.
Prerequisites
- A WhatsApp Business account with a verified phone number
- A 360Dialog account (sign up at app.360dialog.com)
- Your n8n instance must be accessible via a public HTTPS URL (Hordanso n8n VPS handles this automatically)
Steps
- In n8n, click Credentials in the left sidebar.
- Search for 360Dialog and click Add New Credential.
- Enter your 360Dialog API Key.
- To receive messages, add a Webhook node in your workflow as the trigger.
- Copy the Webhook URL from n8n.
- In your 360Dialog account, go to your phone number settings and paste this URL as the Webhook URL.
- To send messages, use an HTTP Request node and call the 360Dialog Messages API endpoint with your API key.
Method 2: Via Meta Cloud API (WhatsApp Business Platform)
The Meta Cloud API is free to use with a verified WhatsApp Business number.
- Create a Meta Developer account at developers.facebook.com.
- Create a new App and add the WhatsApp product.
- Get your Phone Number ID and Access Token.
- In n8n, use the WhatsApp Business Cloud (n8n built-in) node — add your credentials.
- Set up a Webhook in your workflow and configure it as your webhook in Meta's App dashboard.
- Subscribe to the messages webhook event.
Note: For a fully managed WhatsApp AI experience without the technical setup, consider Hordanso's WhatsApp AI service (hordanso.net/whatsapp-ai) — we handle all of this for you.
