Webhook
Definition
An automated HTTP callback that sends real-time data from one application to another when a specific event occurs, enabling instant system-to-system communication.
A webhook is a user-defined HTTP callback triggered by a specific event in a source system. Instead of your application repeatedly polling an API to check for updates, the source system pushes data to your specified URL the moment something happens, such as a payment being completed, a form submission, or a repository commit.
Webhooks follow a simple pattern: you register a callback URL with the source service, the service sends an HTTP POST request to that URL when the triggering event occurs, and your server processes the payload and returns a response. Common webhook providers include Stripe for payment events, GitHub for repository events, and Slack for messaging events.
Implementing webhooks requires handling several concerns: verifying request authenticity through signature validation to prevent spoofing, processing payloads idempotently since webhooks may be retried, responding quickly with a 200 status to avoid timeout retries, and queuing heavy processing for asynchronous execution. Well-implemented webhooks are the backbone of modern event-driven architectures.
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Related Terms
API (Application Programming Interface)
techA set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other and share data or functionality.
REST API
techAn architectural style for web services that uses standard HTTP methods to create, read, update, and delete resources, providing a stateless communication interface.
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
techA lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate.
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
techThe foundational protocol for data communication on the web, defining how messages are formatted and transmitted between clients and servers.
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