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Mobile Web Development Web Applications WhatsApp (product) Technology

Mobile Applications Web Development

What is the technology behind the web-based version of

WhatsApp?
Answer Follow · 319 Request

16 Answers

Rizky Maulana Nugraha, Gamer

Answered January 22, 2015

Originally Answered: How does WhatsApp Web work? What is the technology behind it?
Attention, this answer is mostly speculative based on my analysis on the web
itself.

I'm not related to WhatsApp in any way. So, if another answer from people who
directly related to WhatsApp exist, please upvote that answer instead. Otherwise, if
you just wanted to read my analysis, you can go on.

Introduction

I was waiting for WhatsApp to release its desktop-version for years. Today it was
released as web version and (right now) can only be accessed via Google Chrome
browser. The first question that will be raised is, why it took so long for the web
version to be released?

When I used WhatsApp … (more)

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Koustuv Sinha, Developer Geek

Answered February 3, 2015

Originally Answered: What is the technology stack behind the web version of WhatsApp?
FreeBSD and Erlang - backend technology stack.

Erlang is a programming language used to build massively scalable soft real-time

systems with requirements on high availability.

FreeBSD is the Unix OS on which their server runs.

One important thing to note is, Whatsapp does not store your messages on their
server. (Had they done it, imagine how massive data centres they would have needed)
Messages
So, building the web client for whatsapp was the tricky part, given you cannot poll
messages off from servers directly.

When you receive a message, it gets delivered to your phone first. Every whatsapp
account has an unique id, which is sent securely to the url you get from the QR code
of the web client. Then, the web client polls your mobile for messages time to time.
Thus, to use the web client your smartphone has to be connected to the internet.

For this limitation, Whatsapp advises users to use a wifi connection when using the
web client.
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Junda Ong, Full Slack Developer

Answered August 8, 2011

Originally Answered: What is the technology stack behind WhatsApp?

I sniffed the network traffic of WhatsApp. Yes they are using XMPP, and using the iOS
framework http://code.google.com/p/xmppframework/.
32.9K views · View 50 upvotes

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Harish M
Answered October 11, 2012

Originally Answered: What is the technology stack behind WhatsApp?

As Chad Selph mentioned, they seem to be using Erlang and FreeBSD on the backend.

One of their lead engineers gave an extensive talk at Erlang Factory [1] on how they
managed to scale up to more than a million connections on a single box. It involved
lots of tuning at the FreeBSD level, custom patches to BEAM, and making
improvements to their Erlang app code. It's an interesting talk (video/slides are
available on the website).

[1] - http://www.erlang-factory.com/conference/SFBay2012/speakers/RickReed
37.7K views · View 22 upvotes

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Raghuveer Sriraman, studied at PES University

Answered May 27, 2014 Messages
Originally Answered: On which technology whats app works & how it works? Is there any API that is
provided? What protocol is used in the Whats App app
WhatsApp uses Erlang for the backend
(http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlang_(programming_language) and XMPP as the
communication protocol.

Erlang is a functional language, it was originally designed by Ericsson in the mid 80s to
be used for telephone switches. The primary design philosophy behind Erlang was
high concurrency and fault tolerance. That systems can, and will fail, and the correct
approach is to prevent interruption
1 as far as possible, while interfering
4 with the other
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subsystems as little as possible. I remember reading that the team behind whatsapp
wanted it to be "like a dialtone". Always on, and reliable.

XMPP (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/XMPP) is an open protocol meant for light

weight bidirectional, real time communication. It's currently the gold standard in chat
applications. Gtalk uses XMPP for example.

In essence, they used tech that makes their app distributed, real time and always up
and running. Clearly, they've accomplished that goal.
7.4K views · View 8 upvotes

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Chad Selph, programmer

Answered March 27, 2012

Originally Answered: What is the technology stack behind WhatsApp?

On the backend, WhatsApp uses Erlang and FreeBSD:
http://blog.whatsapp.com/index.php/2012/01/1-million-is-so-2011/
24.4K views · View 8 upvotes

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Hrishikesh Pandey, Student, NIT Jamshedpur

Answered April 19, 2015

Originally Answered: What is the technology stack behind WhatsApp?

Whatsapp uses the Erlang (programming language) .

List of tecnologies used by whatsapp :

1. OS : freeBSD

2. Server : yaws

3. Server application : custom ejaberd

4. Language : erlang

5. Technology : custom XMPP

6. PHP for web

7. Database : mnesia

8. Encryption : RC4

7.7K views · View 5 upvotes

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Vignesh Kumar, works at Logitech

Answered February 5, 2015
Originally Answered: What technology does the WhatsApp web version use?
From my observation on network requests, it is just a simple websocket connection
running on a port in the desktop and the same port is informed to the mobile app
through the QR code scan.
Messages
4.4K views · View 5 upvotes

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Ankit Mishra, Freelance web developer, python enthusiast

Answered August 24, 2015
Originally Answered: What 1is the technology behind the WhatsApp web version?
4 How is the
application synced across devices and the WhatsApp Web? Search Quora Add question

What app basically uses xmpp protocol for its blazing fast messaging feature and uses
jabber(server written in Erlang) to handle it's clients and message flow.

Its seems that they have basically created an API that they use for their app and web
based service

So it doesn't matter whether its a web version or the app version.. Whenever changes
are made from either of the method , it updates the database and what's app notifies
it through it notification mechanism. No conflict occurs

Hope that helps :)

3.2K views · View 2 upvotes

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Venkat Reddy Dommata, Lead Software Engineer at OpenText

Answered January 26, 2015
Originally Answered: What is the technology stack behind the web version of WhatsApp?
It may be like this... When you scan QR code using your whatsapp application in
mobile, it reads the code and sends your profile data to the web browser instance
where that particular QR code is opened. So when you scan the QR code your profile
data will be displayed and you can start using the web version.
1.2K views

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Parth Mittal, Consultant/Data Analyst

Answered August 24, 2015

Originally Answered: What is the technology behind the WhatsApp web version? How is the
application synced across devices and the WhatsApp Web?
You can read about BOSH feature of an XMPP server.

It enables them to link web and android.

Web can be made in any web based language like PHP or any other.
991 views

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Mary Hall, former Blogger & Research Writers

Answered February 20, 2019

The WhatsApp web client uses your phone to connect and send messages – in a
sense, everything is mirrored. Your web session stays active as long as your phone has
a connection to the internet. This also means that your phone's data connection is
constantly being used
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Messages

AKSHAY, studies at Kendhriya Vidhyala (2024)

Answered July 2

The WhatsApp web and desktop apps are an extension of your smartphone. They
mirror all the conversations and messages you have on the WhatsApp app on your
phone and allow you to see them all and reply to them all on your PC or Mac using
your computer's keyboard instead of the keyboard on your smartphone.
 4 Steps
1 To Know For How To Login On WhatsApp
4 In Your PC
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how to log into WhatsApp web and what is the purpose of WhatsApp web

https://www.tstmedia.xyz/2021/07/4-steps-to-know-for-how-to-login-…

66 views

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Anonymous
Answered February 9, 2015

Originally Answered: What technology does the WhatsApp web version use?
You can go through the Questioned answered already in Quora !! Related Questions

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Jatin Mannepalli, Founder of jhealthy.in, Health Advisor & SEO analyst

Answered January 22, 2015

Whatsapp has been made using Erlang, a programming language which has its origin
back in the 80's. Erlang is a functional language with eager evaluation, single
assessment and dynamic typing which makes it best for apps such as whatsapp and
many more.
4.2K views

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Anonymous
Answered January 26, 2015

Originally Answered: What is the technology stack behind the web version of WhatsApp?
In step:

1. Whatsapp app takes information(code detail) from QR code(unique, everytime),

when we scan it using app in which we are logged in.

2. Whatsapp sends userdata of the user (which scanned the code) to the whatsapp
webpage from which this unique code belongs.
2.3K views

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21 answers collapsed (Why?)

Messages
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