Webhook

A URL one service calls when an event happens, so other services can react in real time

Key points

• 01 A webhook is just a URL one service calls when something happens.
• 02 Think of it as the opposite of polling: the server tells *you* instead of you asking repeatedly.
• 03 You register your URL with the source service (Stripe, GitHub, Shopify, etc.).
• 04 When the event fires, the service POSTs a JSON payload to your URL.
• 05 Your endpoint usually has 5–10 seconds to respond with a 2xx status, or the sender retries.
• 06 Webhook payloads should be verified — most providers sign them with a shared secret.
• 07 Webhooks power 'real-time' integrations: payment notifications, build triggers, chat bots.

Visual

sequenceDiagram
  participant S as Source Service
  participant Y as Your Server
  Note over S,Y: One-time setup
  Y->>S: Register webhook URL https://you.com/hook
  Note over S,Y: Later, when an event happens
  S->>Y: POST /hook { event: 'payment.succeeded', ... }
  Y->>S: 200 OK
  Note over Y: Process the event

Related concepts

• Oauth Scope

  The list of permissions an app is asking for when you click 'Allow access'

  Read →

• IAM Role

  An identity AWS uses to grant a service or person specific permissions, instead of sharing keys

  Read →