Webhooks Explained: What is a Webhook + Examples

Webhooks serve as specialized API endpoints that facilitate communication between applications by sending notifications when specific events occur, eliminating the need for constant polling or maintaining open socket connections. They are particularly useful in scenarios where an external service needs to trigger actions, such as rebuilding a website when content changes. This is especially relevant in headless architecture, where the frontend is decoupled from backend services, allowing webhooks to manage updates efficiently. A practical example is using webhooks with Prismic and Next.js to automatically deploy site updates on platforms like Vercel whenever content changes are published, ensuring that the live site remains current without manual intervention. By configuring a webhook, developers can automate these processes, enhancing efficiency and reducing the likelihood of rate limits caused by aggressive polling. Webhooks thus offer a streamlined solution for integrating third-party services into web or mobile applications, making them invaluable for developers managing content-focused or event-driven applications.