Glossary
Webhook
A webhook is an automated HTTP request that one application sends to a URL you choose when a specific event happens, such as a form submission or a new email reply, so other systems learn about it right away without polling.
What Is Webhook?
In short You register an endpoint URL with the sending app and choose the events you care about.
When one happens, the app sends an HTTP request, usually a POST with a JSON payload describing the event, to your URL, and your endpoint confirms receipt with a 2xx status code. GitHub expects that response within 10 seconds, and Stripe retries failed deliveries for up to three days in live mode.
The alternative is polling: asking an API every few minutes whether anything changed. Webhooks are faster and lighter because data moves only when something happens. The trade-off is that your endpoint must stay reachable, verify each request's signature so nobody can fake events, and handle duplicate or out-of-order deliveries.
Webhook Example
For example, a team registers a webhook for reply events. When a prospect writes back that they are interested, the outreach tool posts the reply, contact and campaign to the team's endpoint within seconds, which creates a CRM deal and pings the owner in Slack. Before, a rep exported replies by hand twice a day.
Webhook in Practice
Outbound and RevOps teams use webhooks to connect tools without waiting for a native integration: a positive reply in the outreach tool creates a CRM deal and pings the account owner in Slack, a booked meeting updates the lead status, a bounce adds the address to a suppression list. Automation tools such as Zapier, Make and n8n start many workflows from a webhook.
FAQ
What is the difference between a webhook and an API?
With an API you request data when you want it. With a webhook the other system sends data to you when an event happens, which is why webhooks are sometimes called reverse APIs. Most integrations use both.
Are webhooks secure?
They can be. Use HTTPS, check the signature the sender adds to each request (Stripe, for example, signs events in a Stripe-Signature header), keep the signing secret out of your code and URL, and reject requests that fail the check.
What happens if a webhook fails?
Most senders retry. Stripe retries for up to three days with exponential backoff in live mode, and GitHub treats a response slower than 10 seconds as a failure, so respond fast and do heavy work afterward.
What is a webhook URL?
The endpoint on your server, or in an automation tool, that receives the sender's requests. You paste it into the sending app's webhook settings and choose which events go to it.
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Related
Sources
| Source | Checked |
|---|---|
| GitHub Docs: About webhooks | |
| GitHub Docs: Best practices for using webhooks | |
| Stripe Docs: Webhooks |
Changelog
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