What are webhooks

A guide explains webhooks and their usage

Friday, Jul 23, 2021

Webhooks are also called “reverse APIs”. They provide a mechanism where server-side applications can notify the client when a new event occurs on the server. webhooks operate on the concept of “event reaction” (don’t call me, I’ll call you if I have something new).

Webhooks let one system keep another up to date in real time. Apps can use webhooks to trigger something like a text message, an email, a data export, or even a synchronisation. The data is sent across the web using secure HTTPS. It’s both quick and reliable.

Usage

  • A way to communicate between web applications.
  • Sending real-time data.
  • Automated, instant, and real-time notifications.

Visual Idea

Web APIs vs Webhooks

Visual Idea

Tools and Resources

Debugging a webhook can be complex at times, as webhooks are principally asynchronous. Thus, you must trigger them and wait, then check the response. Following are the tools to build and test a webhook workflow:

  1. Webhook’s requests can be collected and seen by using a tool like RequestBin.
  2. Mock or produce requests using a tool like cURL or Postman.