Product Engineering · Integrations · Symbl · shipped mid-2026
Building an internal WhatsApp operations dashboard
I researched and selected an open-source tool, adapted it substantially for Symbl’s workflows, integrated Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform, took it to production with its domain and routing, and handed it to the development team for CRM integration.
- WhatsApp Business Platform
- Cloud API
- Webhooks
- Message templates
- Open source
- Deployment
Integration boundary
Overview
Symbl needed an internal dashboard for working with WhatsApp Business messaging. Rather than start from a blank repository, I researched existing open-source tools and chose one as the foundation.
The tool then needed real work: adapting it to Symbl’s workflows and requirements, connecting it to Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform, and putting it on a production domain.
It is used by Symbl’s founders and the Care Experts team.
The problem: Turn an open-source starting point into a deployed internal tool that fits how Symbl works with WhatsApp, and leave the development team something they can integrate into the CRM.
Decisions
- Start from open source
- I researched and selected an open-source tool as the foundation instead of building from scratch.
- Adapt it substantially
- The application was customized to Symbl’s use case and requirements, so the result differs materially from the original.
- Integrate the Meta platform
- The dashboard works with the WhatsApp Business Platform: the Cloud API, message templates, webhooks and messaging.
- Own the path to production
- I configured hosting and deployment, the domain, routing and the related production infrastructure.
My contribution
Built
- Researched and selected the open-source foundation.
- Adapted the application to Symbl’s workflows and requirements.
Integrated
- Meta WhatsApp Business Platform: Cloud API, message templates, webhooks and messaging.
Deployed
- Hosted on AWS, with CI/CD and observability alongside the rest of the platform.
- Hosting and deployment.
- Domain configuration, routing and related production infrastructure.
Handed off
- Handed the deployed tool to the development team.
Done by the team afterwards
- The CRM integration was done by the developers after my handoff, with repo access I granted, as I asked. I tested on staging before pushing to production.
Notes
- Why domain, routing and TLS were part of shipping it
- Webhook endpoints must be reachable by Meta over HTTPS, so DNS, routing and certificates are part of any WhatsApp integration, not an afterthought.
- Templates
- On the WhatsApp Business Platform, business-initiated messages use message templates that Meta approves in advance.
General context
General context
Questions People Ask
Who uses it?
Symbl’s founders and the Care Experts team.
Did you build it from scratch?
No. I researched and selected an open-source tool and adapted it substantially for Symbl’s use case.
What did you personally do?
Selection of the foundation, adaptation to Symbl’s workflows, the Meta WhatsApp Business Platform integration, and hosting, deployment, domain and routing through to a deployed internal tool.
Who integrated it with the CRM?
The development team, after I handed the deployed tool over. I did not implement that integration.
What is the WhatsApp Business Platform?
Meta’s platform for businesses to message customers programmatically, using the Cloud API, message templates and webhooks.
General context