Webhooks Explained

Webhooks are event-driven HTTP callbacks that automatically push data from one application to another when specified events occur, using a URL endpoint, payload, headers, and methods such as POST or GET. Unlike conventional APIs, which commonly rely on client-initiated polling to retrieve information, webhooks are server-initiated and can provide more efficient real-time notifications, synchronization, workflow automation, monitoring alerts, payment updates, and third-party integrations. They differ from WebSockets, which maintain persistent, bidirectional connections for continuous communication, while webhooks are stateless and generally one-way. Examples include Slack error alerts, GitHub-triggered CI/CD builds, Stripe payment-status updates, Shopify order notifications, and Mailtrap email-delivery event reporting. Webhooks may be less suitable for very high event volumes, unreliable network conditions, sensitive information without strong security controls, delayed-processing needs, or bidirectional operations, where message queues, batch processing, polling, APIs, authentication, encryption, and signature verification may be more appropriate.

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