Creating a modern website requires seamless integration with payment systems, navigational elements, and other relevant features. No aspect of your website can function in isolation. When any user interacts with your website, multiple components must communicate with each other.
Online services that users often take for granted are effectively maintained by independent systems communicating with one another. While there are many tools that accommodate communication between various online services, webhooks are among the best. Webhooks use near-instant message updates to integrate systems. The following guide explores “What is a webhook?” and tells you how to use them.
What Are Webhooks?
A webhook is a type of HTTP request that’s triggered by an event in a source system. The request is then sent directly to a destination system. While these requests can contain many different messages, they usually come with a large amount of data. These messages are automated, which means that they immediately occur when an event is triggered.
Webhooks make it possible for one app to send messages to another. These messages can share detailed information about the event that took place. This tool facilitates lightweight communication that can activate workflows. One software system will use APIs to notify another system of an event.
For this tool to work as intended, the notifying system must be able to register different events and link them to URLs. When a specific event occurs, the URL is obtained with an event payload. The new URL is then sent to the second system by an API, which is a callback action.
How Do Webhooks Work?
Webhooks are executable commands and data that can be transmitted from one app to another. These transmissions take place over HTTP instead of a command line. You can format webhooks in JSON, XML, or form-encoded serialization. They only run when something occurs on your website. These functions are typically secure because they use random URLs.
As mentioned previously, webhooks connect multiple applications. If an event occurs with the trigger application, it will serialize the data from the event before sending it to the webhook URL from the second application. The second application will transmit a callback message, which usually comes with a 404 or 302 code. The 302 HTTP code tells the initial application that the data was transmitted successfully. A 404 code means that the data wasn’t received, which likely means that there’s an issue that must be fixed.
While webhooks function like APIs, they are considerably more streamlined. APIs provide apps with ample functionality that makes it possible to edit, add, or retrieve data. When using an API, you must perform these actions yourself. Webhooks are automated, which means that only the initial setup needs to take place. For example, let’s say that you have a webhook for new members. When a new member signs up to your website, the application will send the data to the webhook URL immediately.
Webhook Examples
Most platforms currently support webhooks, which include Slack, GitHub, Google Calendar, Discord, and Gmail. Some of the real-world examples associated with webhooks include:
- Smart home devices that are responding to specific events, such as doorbell notifications
- Instagram photos being posted to Twitter
- Ecommerce notifications for inventory updates and new sales
- GitHub updates pushing notifications to Discord or Slack
The Difference Between Polling and Webhooks
Webhook requests can be sent as POST or GET requests, which depends on the provider. GET requests are more simplistic. Their payload is appended to the URL as a basic query string. In comparison, POST requests place their payload in the body of the request. They might also include properties, such as authentication tokens.
Before you start using webhooks, consider how they compare with polling. Webhooks move data to your application immediately when an event takes place. This movement happens in real time. Polling occurs when your application or website periodically asks an API to check if there’s been a recent event or if new data is available.
To understand the difference between these techniques, polling is like someone knocking before a message can be sent or an event can take place. Webhooks are automatic notifications. When something happens, the other application is notified immediately.
Along with being sleeker and more efficient, webhooks also benefit from using fewer resources. Polling is resource-heavy in comparison to webhooks. Polling may need to make multiple requests before discovering new information. Webhook doesn’t make requests until new information exists.
How to Use Webhooks
Now that you know how webhooks work and what they’re used for, you need to understand how to use them in your applications. Once you create a webhook, you can test it with tools like Postman and RequestBin. With RequestBin, you can make a webhook URL, after which you should be able to send data without issue. RequestBin allows you to identify if the data is recognized.
To take advantage of RequestBin, select “Create a RequestBin” on the website. You can then copy the URL that you receive. Make sure you set up a Pipedream account before you attempt to use a URL. The next step involves serializing a small amount of data in JSON, XML, or the form-encoded style.
Paste the RequestBin URL directly into the URL bar. Make sure you add a question mark at the end before pasting the serialized data. Once you place the URL into the address bar in your browser, you should receive a message that states “access:true”. After you refresh your RequestBin tab, you’ll notice that the data is shown at the bottom. Consider using RequestBin’s sample code to send POST requests from your app’s code.
If you decide to use Postman, you can create custom HTTP requests to effectively send customized information to a standard webhook URL. Once you’ve entered the URL, choose your preferred HTTP request method, which can be PUT, GET, or POST. You can then input the body data.
You’re also able to configure webhooks in popular apps like Gravity Forms and WordPress. The Gravity Forms tool is powered by WordPress. You can connect Gravity Forms to the document builder app Formstack with webhooks.
Start by opening the webhook settings that are found in Gravity Forms. Make sure webhooks are enabled in the Gravity Forms app. This might require installing an add-on. Webhooks should be listed under developer settings in “Active Campaign”. In WooCommerce, this functionality is available in the advanced settings. Different webhooks may be available for each document or form depending on the app that you’re using.
To ensure the data is transmitted from Gravity Forms, open the webhook settings with the form you wish to use. You’ll receive a URL field that you can use to tell Gravity forms the location the data should be sent to. You’ll also be able to specify the HTTP request method, such as POST.
The next stage of this process involves obtaining a URL from the app that’s set to receive the data. In this situation, the app is Formstack Documents. Every document in Formstack comes with a “merge URL”. The data must be displayed in form-encoded serialization. Make sure you copy the merge URL.
Now that you have this URL, you can return to the Gravity Forms app to paste it in the URL field. To make sure you don’t send any unwanted data, consider setting specific field values and your preferred request method. Save the settings before moving on to the next step. If the webhook has been implemented correctly, Gravity Forms will send data to Formstack whenever someone makes an order. Formstack should turn this data into an invoice.
This is only one of the methods you can use to create webhooks between applications. They are available everywhere. For example, PayPal uses a feature known as Instant Payment Notifications to immediately send messages whenever you obtain a payment. You can add webhooks to the IPN settings to make sure your app receives this message.
You can also use webhooks with Twimlets, which is a feature that’s available on Twilio and allows users to record voicemail messages, forward calls, and begin conference calls. If you wish to forward a call, you can place a Twimlets address that’s similar to webhooks in your phone number settings. You can even input your webhook URL in these settings depending on the type of action you’d like to take.
Conclusion
Using webhooks for automation and integration allows you to connect two applications and send messages immediately after events are triggered. If you want an invoice to be generated whenever someone buys a product of yours, you can use a webhook to create this functionality. Consider exploring and implementing webhooks in various applications to gain a better idea of how they work and what you can use them to achieve.
