Installation

Docker Compose (Recommended)

The easiest way to run WA-RS is using Docker Compose:

git clone https://github.com/fdciabdul/wa-rs.git
cd wa-rs
docker compose up -d

This will start:

• PostgreSQL — metadata database (default)
• NATS — JetStream message queue (optional, for event streaming)
• WA-RS API — the REST API server

Custom Configuration

Create a .env file to customize settings:

# Database — choose one:
DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:your-password@postgres:5432/wagateway
# DATABASE_URL=mysql://user:password@host:3306/wagateway
# DATABASE_URL=sqlite://wa-rs.db

# JWT
JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key

# Storage
WHATSAPP_STORAGE_PATH=/app/whatsapp_sessions

# NATS JetStream (optional — remove NATS_URL to disable)
NATS_URL=nats://nats:4222
NATS_EVENTS_STREAM=WA_EVENTS
NATS_SEND_STREAM=WA_SEND
NATS_EVENTS_MAX_AGE_DAYS=7
NATS_SEND_MAX_AGE_DAYS=1

Then run:

docker compose up -d

To run without NATS, remove or comment out the NATS_URL line — the API will run in webhooks-only mode.

Manual Installation

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.75 or later
• One of: PostgreSQL 14+, MySQL 8+, or SQLite 3
• OpenSSL development libraries

Ubuntu/Debian

# Install dependencies
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
    build-essential \
    pkg-config \
    libssl-dev \
    libsqlite3-dev

# Install Rust
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env

Build

git clone https://github.com/fdciabdul/wa-rs.git
cd wa-rs
cargo build --release

Database Setup

WA-RS supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite. Choose one:

PostgreSQL

# Create database
sudo -u postgres createdb wagateway

# Set DATABASE_URL
DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:password@localhost:5432/wagateway

MySQL

# Create database
mysql -u root -p -e "CREATE DATABASE wagateway;"

# Set DATABASE_URL
DATABASE_URL=mysql://root:password@localhost:3306/wagateway

SQLite (simplest — no server needed)

# Just set the path — the file will be created automatically
DATABASE_URL=sqlite://wa-rs.db

Configuration

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env:

# Pick your database
DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:your-password@localhost:5432/wagateway

# JWT
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key

# Storage
WHATSAPP_STORAGE_PATH=./whatsapp_sessions

Legacy PostgreSQL Config

If you don't set DATABASE_URL, WA-RS falls back to the legacy POSTGRES_* environment variables for backward compatibility:

POSTGRES_HOST=localhost
POSTGRES_PORT=5432
POSTGRES_USER=postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your-password
POSTGRES_DB=wagateway

Run

# Development
cargo run

# Production
./target/release/wa-rs

Environment Variables

Database

Variable	Default	Description
DATABASE_URL	(none)	Database connection URL (postgres/mysql/sqlite)
POSTGRES_HOST	localhost	PostgreSQL host (legacy fallback)
POSTGRES_PORT	5432	PostgreSQL port (legacy fallback)
POSTGRES_USER	postgres	PostgreSQL user (legacy fallback)
POSTGRES_PASSWORD	postgres	PostgreSQL password (legacy fallback)
POSTGRES_DB	wagateway	PostgreSQL database (legacy fallback)

Core

Variable	Default	Description
JWT_SECRET	(random)	JWT signing secret
SUPERADMIN_TOKEN	(random)	Fixed superadmin token (optional)
WHATSAPP_STORAGE_PATH	./whatsapp_sessions	Session storage path
RUST_LOG	info	Log level

NATS JetStream (Optional)

Variable	Default	Description
NATS_URL	(none)	NATS server URL — required to enable NATS
NATS_EVENTS_STREAM	WA_EVENTS	Stream name for incoming events
NATS_SEND_STREAM	WA_SEND	Stream name for outbound commands
NATS_EVENTS_MAX_AGE_DAYS	7	Max age for event messages (days)
NATS_SEND_MAX_AGE_DAYS	1	Max age for outbound commands (days)
NATS_TOKEN	(none)	Authentication token
NATS_CREDS_FILE	(none)	Path to credentials file

Verify Installation

# Health check
curl http://localhost:3451/health
# Should return: OK

# Check Swagger UI
open http://localhost:3451/swagger-ui

# Check NATS status (if enabled)
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  http://localhost:3451/api/v1/nats/status