Question Regarding Media Links Expiration and Renewal - WAHA PLUS

[tiagomurtinhoo]

Good morning,

I am a software developer and we have a system that integrates with WAHA. We are currently using WAHA PLUS.

Previously, we stored all WhatsApp media files on our own servers. However, due to the volume of media still being exchanged, this approach was consuming a significant amount of storage. As a result, we decided to stop persisting media and instead rely on the temporary media link (mmg) that is provided in the message object when a message is received.

Recently, we received a support ticket reporting that some media files from some months ago could no longer be downloaded. Upon investigation, I confirmed that the media link is indeed temporary. I initially assumed that performing a GET request for the image by its ID might return a refreshed link, considering the original one now returns a 410 (Gone).

However, I noticed that even when requesting a message that is approximately six months old, the media link returned in the WAHA message object is exactly the same link that was originally provided at that time.

I am aware that the official WhatsApp API provides an endpoint to renew media URLs. I would like to understand whether WAHA has access to this capability, given that it simulates a session rather than interacting directly with the WhatsApp API.

I would greatly appreciate your clarification on this matter.

Thank you very much for your time and support.

Kind regards,

Tiago Murtinho