CodeIgniter WhatsApp API Integration

Why Zaptilo with CodeIgniter?

• Drop-in PHP class — no Composer required (works on shared hosting)
• Pay-as-you-go INR pricing — from ₹0.04 / message at volume
• No monthly subscription, no setup fee, GST-compliant invoicing
• Works with CodeIgniter 3.x and CodeIgniter 4.x
• Compatible with cPanel / shared hosting (most CI deployments)
• India-based support — particularly useful for legacy CI codebases

CodeIgniter 4 — Library + Controller

Library: app/Libraries/Zaptilo.php

<?php
// app/Libraries/Zaptilo.php

namespace App\Libraries;

use Config\Services;

class Zaptilo
{
    private string $token;
    private string $baseUrl = 'https://web.zaptilo.ai';

    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->token = env('ZAPTILO_API_TOKEN');
    }

    public function sendTemplate(string $phone, string $name, string $lang, array $bodyValues): array
    {
        $params = array_map(fn ($v) => ['type' => 'text', 'text' => $v], $bodyValues);

        $payload = [
            'phone'    => $phone,
            'template' => [
                'name'       => $name,
                'language'   => ['code' => $lang],
                'components' => [['type' => 'body', 'parameters' => $params]],
            ],
        ];

        $client = Services::curlrequest();
        $response = $client->post("{$this->baseUrl}/api/send/template", [
            'headers' => [
                'Authorization' => "Bearer {$this->token}",
                'Content-Type'  => 'application/json',
            ],
            'json' => $payload,
        ]);

        return json_decode($response->getBody(), true) ?? [];
    }
}

Controller usage

<?php
// app/Controllers/OrderController.php

namespace App\Controllers;

use App\Libraries\Zaptilo;

class OrderController extends BaseController
{
    public function placed()
    {
        $data = $this->request->getJSON(true);

        $zaptilo = new Zaptilo();
        $zaptilo->sendTemplate(
            '91' . $data['phone'],
            'order_confirmation',
            'en',
            [$data['name'], $data['order_id']]
        );

        return $this->response->setJSON(['ok' => true]);
    }
}

CodeIgniter 3 — Library + Controller

Library: application/libraries/Zaptilo.php

<?php
// application/libraries/Zaptilo.php

class Zaptilo
{
    private $token;
    private $baseUrl = 'https://web.zaptilo.ai';

    public function __construct()
    {
        $CI =& get_instance();
        $CI->config->load('zaptilo'); // optional config file with ['token' => '...']
        $this->token = $CI->config->item('zaptilo_token');
    }

    public function sendTemplate($phone, $name, $lang, array $bodyValues)
    {
        $params = array_map(function ($v) { return ['type' => 'text', 'text' => $v]; }, $bodyValues);

        $payload = json_encode([
            'phone'    => $phone,
            'template' => [
                'name'       => $name,
                'language'   => ['code' => $lang],
                'components' => [['type' => 'body', 'parameters' => $params]],
            ],
        ]);

        $ch = curl_init("{$this->baseUrl}/api/send/template");
        curl_setopt_array($ch, [
            CURLOPT_POST           => true,
            CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
            CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER     => [
                'Authorization: Bearer ' . $this->token,
                'Content-Type: application/json',
            ],
            CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => $payload,
            CURLOPT_TIMEOUT    => 15,
        ]);
        $response = curl_exec($ch);
        curl_close($ch);

        return json_decode($response, true);
    }
}

Controller usage

<?php
// application/controllers/Order.php

class Order extends CI_Controller
{
    public function placed()
    {
        $this->load->library('zaptilo');

        $data = json_decode($this->input->raw_input_stream, true);

        $this->zaptilo->sendTemplate(
            '91' . $data['phone'],
            'order_confirmation',
            'en',
            [$data['name'], $data['order_id']]
        );

        $this->output
            ->set_content_type('application/json')
            ->set_output(json_encode(['ok' => true]));
    }
}

Use cases for Indian CodeIgniter apps

Frequently asked questions