# 21 - Glossary ## A ### ACK (Acknowledgement) Delivery acknowledgment status. WhatsApp ACK levels: - `error` (-1): Failed to send - `pending` (0): Pending - `server` (1): Sent to WhatsApp server - `device` (2): Delivered to recipient device - `read` (3): Read by recipient - `played` (4): Media played (audio/video) ### Adapter An interface implementation that provides a specific capability. In OpenWA, adapters are used for: - **Database Adapter**: SQLite, PostgreSQL - **Storage Adapter**: Local, S3 - **Cache Adapter**: Memory, Redis - **Engine Adapter**: whatsapp-web.js, Baileys (future) ### API Key Authentication token to access the OpenWA API. Sent via the `X-API-Key` header. ### Auth State WhatsApp Web session authentication data stored in the `.wwebjs_auth/` folder. Includes cookies, session storage, and Chrome profile data. ## B ### Baileys An alternative Node.js library for WhatsApp Web that uses WebSocket directly without a browser. Lighter but easier to detect. ### Broadcast Sending the same message to multiple recipients. On WhatsApp, this differs from the native "Broadcast List" feature. ### Bull A Redis-based Node.js job queue library. Used for: - Message queue (delayed sends) - Webhook delivery queue (retry mechanism) - Background tasks ## C ### Chat ID Unique identifier for a WhatsApp chat: - Individual: `628123456789@c.us` - Group: `120363123456789@g.us` - Status: `status@broadcast` ### Chrome/Chromium Browser used by Puppeteer to run WhatsApp Web. OpenWA uses headless Chromium. ### Compose Docker Compose - a tool to define and run multi-container Docker applications. ## D ### Dashboard Web interface to manage OpenWA without using the API directly. Built with React + shadcn/ui. ### Dead Letter Queue (DLQ) Queue that stores messages that failed after all retry attempts. Used for debugging and manual retry. ### Docker Containerization platform for packaging and deploying applications. OpenWA is distributed as a Docker image. ## E ### Engine Component that handles communication with WhatsApp Web. The primary engine used is `whatsapp-web.js`. ### Event A system-emitted occurrence, for example: - `message.received`: New incoming message - `message.ack`: Message status changed - `session.status`: Session status changed - `session.qr`: New QR code generated ## F ### Factory Pattern Design pattern used to create adapter instances based on configuration. Example: `DatabaseAdapterFactory.create()`. ## G ### Group ID Unique identifier for a WhatsApp group. Format: `120363123456789@g.us`. ### GHCR GitHub Container Registry - registry for storing Docker images. The OpenWA image is available at `ghcr.io/rmyndharis/openwa`. ## H ### Headless Browser mode that runs without a GUI. Puppeteer runs Chrome in headless mode. ### Health Check Endpoint to check system health. `/health` is public for basic status, `/health/detailed` requires an API key for full status. ### Hook An extension point that allows plugins to intercept and modify processing flows. ## I ### In-Memory Data stored in RAM. Fast but non-persistent. Used for cache in minimal deployments. ## J ### JID (Jabber ID) Identifier format in the XMPP protocol used by WhatsApp. Same as Chat ID. ### Job Queue Queueing system for asynchronous task processing. Used for webhook delivery and message scheduling. ## L ### Linked Device WhatsApp feature that allows up to 4 additional devices to be linked to one account without requiring an active phone connection. ### Lucide Icon library used in the dashboard. A fork of Feather Icons with more icons. ## M ### Message Queue Queue for asynchronous message delivery. Prevents rate limiting and ensures message ordering. ### Middleware Function executed before a request handler in NestJS. Used for logging, authentication, etc. ### MinIO Object storage server compatible with the S3 API. Can be used as a self-hosted alternative to S3. ### Multi-session Ability to run multiple WhatsApp sessions within a single OpenWA instance. ## N ### NestJS Node.js framework for building server-side applications. The OpenWA backend is built with NestJS. ### Node.js JavaScript runtime used to run OpenWA. Supported version: Node.js 20 LTS. ## O ### ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) Library that maps objects in code to database tables. OpenWA uses TypeORM. ### OpenWA Open-source WhatsApp API gateway. This project. ## P ### Payload Data sent in an HTTP request body or webhook delivery. ### Plugin Extension that can be added to OpenWA to add functionality without modifying the core codebase. ### PostgreSQL Relational database recommended for production deployments with multiple sessions. ### Puppeteer Node.js library for controlling Chrome/Chromium. Used by whatsapp-web.js. ### Push Name Display name shown in a user's WhatsApp profile. ## Q ### QR Code Code that must be scanned in WhatsApp on a phone to connect a new session. ### Queue Queue for processing tasks sequentially and asynchronously. ## R ### Rate Limiting Limiting request volume over time to prevent abuse and WhatsApp bans. ### Redis In-memory data store used for: - Caching - Message queue (with Bull) - Session storage - Real-time pub/sub ### REST API Architectural style for APIs used by OpenWA. Uses HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE). ### Retry Mechanism to retry failed operations, e.g., webhook delivery. ## S ### S3 (Simple Storage Service) AWS object storage service. OpenWA supports S3-compatible storage for media files. ### Session An instance of a WhatsApp Web connection. One phone number = one session. ### SQLite Embedded database used as the default for minimal deployments. ### shadcn/ui Component library for React used in the dashboard. Built on top of Radix UI. ### Strategy Pattern Design pattern that allows selecting an algorithm/implementation at runtime. Used for pluggable adapters. ### Swagger API documentation tool. OpenWA provides Swagger UI at `/api/docs`. ## T ### Tailwind CSS Utility-first CSS framework used in the dashboard. ### TanStack Query Library for data fetching and caching in React. Previously known as React Query. ### TypeORM ORM for TypeScript/JavaScript that supports multiple databases. ### TypeScript Typed superset of JavaScript used for OpenWA development. ## V ### Vite Build tool and dev server for frontend. Used for the dashboard. ### Volume (Docker) Persistent storage for Docker containers. OpenWA data is stored in volumes. ## W ### WAHA WhatsApp HTTP API - a similar project that inspired OpenWA. OpenWA is built as an open-source alternative. ### WAL (Write-Ahead Logging) SQLite journaling mode that improves concurrency. Recommended for production. ### Webhook HTTP callback to send events to external systems when messages or other events occur. ### WebSocket Protocol for real-time bidirectional communication. Used for: - Dashboard real-time updates - WhatsApp Web protocol (internal) ### whatsapp-web.js Primary Node.js library used by OpenWA to interact with WhatsApp Web. Uses Puppeteer to control the browser. ## Z ### Zustand State management library for React used in the dashboard. --- ## Abbreviations | Abbr | Full Form | |------|-----------| | API | Application Programming Interface | | CRUD | Create, Read, Update, Delete | | DI | Dependency Injection | | DLQ | Dead Letter Queue | | DTO | Data Transfer Object | | GHCR | GitHub Container Registry | | HA | High Availability | | HTTP | HyperText Transfer Protocol | | JID | Jabber ID | | JWT | JSON Web Token | | LTS | Long Term Support | | MVP | Minimum Viable Product | | ORM | Object-Relational Mapping | | QR | Quick Response | | RAM | Random Access Memory | | REST | Representational State Transfer | | S3 | Simple Storage Service | | SDK | Software Development Kit | | SOP | Standard Operating Procedure | | SQL | Structured Query Language | | SSL | Secure Sockets Layer | | TLS | Transport Layer Security | | TTL | Time To Live | | UI | User Interface | | URL | Uniform Resource Locator | | WAL | Write-Ahead Logging | | WS | WebSocket | ---
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