Webhook

Webhooks enable event-driven automation by pushing data to your systems immediately when something happens, rather than requiring constant polling.

Why it matters

• Real-time notifications: Get instant alerts when customers sign up, payments process, or security events occur.
• Reduced infrastructure costs: Eliminate the need to constantly poll APIs for updates.
• Better user experience: Respond to events immediately rather than waiting for the next polling cycle.
• Lower API rate limit consumption: Receive data only when needed instead of checking repeatedly.

How webhooks work

1. Configuration: Register your webhook URL with the service provider.
2. Event occurs: Customer completes checkout, file upload finishes, user changes password, etc.
3. HTTP POST: Provider sends event data to your webhook endpoint.
4. Processing: Your application receives the payload and takes action.
5. Acknowledgment: Return 200 OK to confirm receipt.

How to implement securely

• Verify signatures: Validate HMAC signatures to ensure requests come from legitimate sources.
• Use HTTPS only: Never accept webhooks over unencrypted HTTP connections.
• Implement idempotency: Process duplicate events safely since webhooks may retry on failure.
• Validate payloads: Check JSON schema and sanitize data before processing.
• Set timeouts: Respond quickly (under 5 seconds) to avoid retries; process heavy work asynchronously.
• Log everything: Record all webhook attempts for debugging and security audits.