Replacing Polling with Unified Webhooks and Virtual Streams
Blog post from Unified.to
Modern SaaS platforms require real-time data synchronization, but many still use polling, which introduces delays and inefficiencies. Unified.to proposes a hybrid approach by combining native webhooks, when available, and virtual webhooks, which simulate real-time updates through scheduled polling. This method allows developers to replace traditional polling with real-time updates across numerous SaaS integrations, providing near real-time data freshness without the need for custom polling infrastructure. Unified.to's system manages polling frequency, change detection, and payload normalization, simplifying the developer experience and reducing maintenance burdens. The platform supports older APIs lacking native webhook support and offers features like configurable polling intervals and field-level filters, ensuring low-latency data delivery and a streamlined architecture.