WAHA
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GOWS

Overview

What is Engine?

WAHA is a Node.js application that acts as a unified “glue layer” on top of multiple community-driven WhatsApp engines.

Under the hood, each engine is an independent open-source library that handles the actual WhatsApp communication:

  • WEBJS and WPP use a real browser (Chromium or Chrome) via Puppeteer
  • NOWEB communicates directly over WebSocket using a Node.js/TypeScript
  • GOWS communicates directly over WebSocket using a Golang library

WAHA wraps all of them behind one consistent REST API and webhook interface, so you can switch engines with a single environment variable change and minimal code adjustments on your side.

If something doesn’t work in one engine — just try another one!

API responses and webhook payloads may differ significantly, test your system before changing the engine!

GOWS engine does not require a browser to work with WhatsApp Web, it does so directly using a WebSocket. Not running Chromium saves you CPU and Memory, so you can run more instances on a single server!

Run GOWS

# Plus
docker run -v `pwd`/.sessions:/app/.sessions -e "WHATSAPP_DEFAULT_ENGINE=GOWS" devlikeapro/waha-plus

# Core
docker run -it -e "WHATSAPP_DEFAULT_ENGINE=GOWS" devlikeapro/waha

Session Config

You can use the following environment variables to configure the global behavior of the WEBJS engine:

  • WAHA_WEBJS_PUPPETER_ARGS=--single-process - Add custom puppeter arguments so you can test it affects without waiting a new release (use it with cation)

Configuration

  • GODEBUG=netdns=cgo - by default, GOWS uses libc DNS resolver, but if you’re experiencing DNS issues, try to switch to the Go resolver by setting this environment variable - GODEBUG=netdns=go.
docker-compose.yaml
services:
  waha:
    env:
      - GODEBUG=netdns=go
    dns:
      - 8.8.8.8
      - 1.1.1.1

GOWS Device Props

Low-level device capability flags sent to WhatsApp during session linking. All variables below are unset by default — WhatsApp’s own defaults apply unless you override them.

To unset a previously configured value explicitly, use null:

WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_FULL_SYNC_DAYS_LIMIT=null

History Sync — Limiting sync depth

Low-level flags

These are low-level device capability flags sent to WhatsApp servers during device registration. Add them to env variables, restart the container and repair (logout/scan QR) a session.

By default GOWS syncs the full available WhatsApp history, which can go back many years and cause excessive proxy bandwidth consumption and database bloat. The following variables can be used to limit how far back historical messages are synced.

Worth trying — experimental env variables to limit history sync depth:

WHATSAPP_DEFAULT_ENGINE=GOWS

# Tell WhatsApp not to require a full sync
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_REQUIRE_FULL_SYNC=false

# Limit full sync to last N days (e.g. 365 = ~1 year)
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_FULL_SYNC_DAYS_LIMIT=365

# Limit recent sync window
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_RECENT_SYNC_DAYS_LIMIT=30

# Cap messages fetched per chat on initial sync
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_INITIAL_SYNC_MAX_MESSAGES_PER_CHAT=100

Secondary — may help cap bandwidth/storage:

WHATSAPP_DEFAULT_ENGINE=GOWS

# Max MB allowed for a full sync payload
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_FULL_SYNC_SIZE_MB_LIMIT=512

# Storage quota hint sent to WhatsApp servers
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_STORAGE_QUOTA_MB=1024

History Sync — All variables

# Require full sync on device link
# Default: unset (WhatsApp decides)
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_REQUIRE_FULL_SYNC=true

# Limit full sync to last N days
# Default: unset
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_FULL_SYNC_DAYS_LIMIT=365

# Max MB for a full sync payload
# Default: unset
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_FULL_SYNC_SIZE_MB_LIMIT=512

# Storage quota hint (MB) sent to WhatsApp servers
# Default: unset
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_STORAGE_QUOTA_MB=1024

# Deliver initial sync payload inline in E2EE message
# Default: unset
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_INLINE_INITIAL_PAYLOAD_IN_E2EE_MSG=true

# Limit recent sync window to last N days
# Default: unset
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_RECENT_SYNC_DAYS_LIMIT=30

# Cap messages fetched per chat on initial sync
# Default: unset
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_INITIAL_SYNC_MAX_MESSAGES_PER_CHAT=100

# Limit thumbnail sync to last N days
# Default: unset
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_THUMBNAIL_SYNC_DAYS_LIMIT=90

# Feature flags (default: unset)
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_CALL_LOG_HISTORY=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_BOT_USER_AGENT_CHAT_HISTORY=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_CAG_REACTIONS_AND_POLLS=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_BIZ_HOSTED_MSG=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_RECENT_SYNC_CHUNK_MESSAGE_COUNT_TUNING=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_HOSTED_GROUP_MSG=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_FBID_BOT_CHAT_HISTORY=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_ADD_ON_HISTORY_SYNC_MIGRATION=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_MESSAGE_ASSOCIATION=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_GROUP_HISTORY=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_ON_DEMAND_READY=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_COMPLETE_ON_DEMAND_READY=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_GUEST_CHAT=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_MANUS_HISTORY=true
WAHA_GOWS_DEVICE_HISTORY_SYNC_SUPPORT_HATCH_HISTORY=true
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