Migrate from WAHA to ZapZap: migration guide (n8n included)

WAHA is an unofficial HTTP API you run in Docker; the project site describes it as free and open source. You choose the connection engine (WEBJS, NOWEB, GOWS), the server and when to update. WAHA's own documentation warns that WhatsApp does not allow bots or unofficial clients and that this can lead to a ban.

On ZapZap, hosting, updates and monitoring are on us, billing is R$15 per active number per month and the risk to the number still exists, because it is also an unofficial solution. In return, you lose control of the server and the engine.

The WAHA column comes from the official documentation (waha.devlike.pro, 10/27/2026). WAHA uses session and a suffixed chatId (@c.us); ZapZap uses the instance ID in the URL and the number with digits only.

If your flow uses the WAHA node or an HTTP Request pointing at WAHA, the swap is direct. Install the community node n8n-nodes-zapzap in Settings, Community Nodes (unverified community nodes only work on self-hosted n8n, according to n8n's documentation) or use an HTTP Request with the x-api-key and x-api-secret headers. Step by step on the n8n integration page.

On the receiving trigger, replace WAHA's Webhook with n8n's Webhook using the production URL (not the test one) and set that URL in configure webhook. In the following nodes, adjust the expressions: where you had payload.from and payload.body, use data.message.chatid and data.message.text. The 12 n8n templates already come in ZapZap's format.

// Entrada: evento da ZapZap. Saída: o formato que seus nós já esperavam do WAHA.
const e = $input.first().json.body ?? $input.first().json;
const m = e?.data?.message;
if (e?.event !== "messages" || !m || m.fromMe) return [];
return [{
  json: {
    payload: {
      from: String(m.chatid || "").replace(/\D/g, "") + "@c.us",
      body: m.text || "",
      fromMe: false,
    },
  },
}];

Sending is a swap of URL, headers and fields: session and the chatId with @c.us become the instance ID in the URL and a digits-only number. Isolate sending in one function and change its contents.

// ANTES: WAHA
// POST {WAHA_URL}/api/sendText   header: X-Api-Key
// body: { session: "default", chatId: "5511999999999@c.us", text: "Olá!" }

// DEPOIS: ZapZap
export async function enviarWhatsApp(numero, texto) {
  const r = await fetch(
    "https://api.zapzapapi.com/api/v1/" + process.env.ZAPZAP_INSTANCE_ID + "/send/text",
    {
      method: "POST",
      headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "x-api-key": process.env.ZAPZAP_API_KEY,
        "x-api-secret": process.env.ZAPZAP_API_SECRET,
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ number: numero.replace(/@.*/, ""), text: texto }),
      signal: AbortSignal.timeout(15000),
    }
  );
  if (!r.ok) throw new Error("ZapZap " + r.status + " " + (await r.text()));
  return r.json();
}

Checklist: 1) create the account and test with a number of your own; 2) swap the send function or the n8n node; 3) point the webhook and validate the signature (guide); 4) export whatever you want to keep from WAHA; 5) connect the production number by QR code at cutover, without keeping it active on both; 6) shut the old container down after a few stable days.

Stay on WAHA if you have DevOps, want the code and data inside your environment and prefer to pick the connection engine. See the WAHA vs ZapZap comparison and the cost math in hosted Evolution and WAHA vs managed. If you need a channel sanctioned by Meta, the option is the official API.