Getting Started with Outeract#

This guide will walk you through setting up Outeract and sending your first message. You’ll be up and running in about 5 minutes.

Prerequisites#

Before you begin, you’ll need:

  • An Outeract account (sign up here)
  • A messaging platform account (WhatsApp Business, Instagram Business, Telegram, etc.)
  • Basic familiarity with GraphQL (or plain HTTP POST, which is all a GraphQL request is)

Overview#

Getting started with Outeract involves four steps:

1. Create Application  →  2. Get API Key  →  3. Connect Platform  →  4. Send Message

Step 1: Create Your Application#

Applications are the top-level container for all your messaging data. Each application has its own users, events, and platform connections.

  1. Sign in to the Outeract Console
  2. Click Create Application
  3. Give your application a name (e.g., “My Chat App”)
  4. Note your Application ID - you’ll need this for API calls

Step 2: Get Your API Key#

API keys authenticate your requests to the Outeract API.

  1. Navigate to Settings → API Keys
  2. Click Create API Key
  3. Select the scopes you need:
    • events:read - Read messages and events
    • events:write - Send messages, create events
    • users:read - Read user data
    • users:write - Create and update users
  4. Copy your API key - it won’t be shown again

Step 3: Connect a Platform#

Connect your first messaging platform:

WhatsApp uses OAuth for authentication:

  1. Go to Platforms → Add Platform
  2. Select WhatsApp Business
  3. Click Connect with Meta
  4. Authorize access to your WhatsApp Business Account
  5. Select the phone numbers to use

Detailed WhatsApp Setup Guide →

Telegram uses a bot token:

  1. Create a bot via @BotFather
  2. Copy the bot token
  3. Go to Platforms → Add Platform
  4. Select Telegram
  5. Paste your bot token
  6. Click Connect

Detailed Telegram Setup Guide →

Slack uses a bot token:

  1. Create a Slack App at api.slack.com
  2. Add the chat:write bot scope
  3. Install to your workspace
  4. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token
  5. Go to Platforms → Add Platform
  6. Select Slack and paste your token

Detailed Slack Setup Guide →

Step 4: Send Your First Message#

Now you’re ready to send a message!

The API is GraphQL, and every operation is a POST to https://api.outeract.com/. Users are created automatically when someone messages one of your connected platforms, so message your bot or number first, then send a reply to that user:

mutation SendMessage {
  sendMessage(
    recipientUserId: "RECIPIENT_USER_ID"
    message: "Hello from Outeract!"
  ) {
    id
    eventTypeName
    createdAt
  }
}

Headers:

{
  "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}
curl https://api.outeract.com/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "mutation SendMessage($userId: UUID!, $message: String!) { sendMessage(recipientUserId: $userId, message: $message) { id eventTypeName createdAt } }",
    "variables": {
      "userId": "RECIPIENT_USER_ID",
      "message": "Hello from Outeract!"
    }
  }'
import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.outeract.com/",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={
        "query": """
            mutation SendMessage($userId: UUID!, $message: String!) {
              sendMessage(recipientUserId: $userId, message: $message) {
                id
                eventTypeName
                createdAt
              }
            }
        """,
        "variables": {
            "userId": "RECIPIENT_USER_ID",
            "message": "Hello from Outeract!",
        },
    },
)

print(response.json())
const response = await fetch('https://api.outeract.com/', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    query: `
      mutation SendMessage($userId: UUID!, $message: String!) {
        sendMessage(recipientUserId: $userId, message: $message) {
          id
          eventTypeName
          createdAt
        }
      }
    `,
    variables: {
      userId: 'RECIPIENT_USER_ID',
      message: 'Hello from Outeract!'
    }
  })
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What’s Next?#

Now that you’ve sent your first message, explore these topics:

Authentication#

Learn about API keys, OAuth flows, and webhook signature verification.

Core Concepts#

Understand the data model: applications, users, events, and edges.

Receive Messages#

Set up webhooks to receive incoming messages.

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