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A webhook is an HTTP notification sent from one system to a URL you configure when a chosen event occurs. Instead of repeatedly asking an API whether something changed, your application receives an event-triggered request, then verifies it and acts on the data.
How does a webhook work?
- Choose events: In the provider’s service, select the event types your application needs to handle.
- Register a receiver URL: Give the provider a publicly reachable HTTPS endpoint on your application.
- An event occurs: For example, a user pushes code or places an order.
- The provider sends a request: It delivers an HTTP request with event details to your endpoint.
- Your receiver verifies and handles it: Check the request’s signature, identify the event, then process it or place it on a queue. Return a success response promptly.
GitHub describes webhooks as a way to subscribe to software-system events and receive data at your server when those events happen. Its examples include starting continuous integration after a code push, notifying Slack or Discord when a pull-request review occurs, updating an issue tracker, deploying software, and recording events for an audit trail. GitHub’s webhook overview explains the model.
Shopify lists order placement, product price changes, notifications, data warehousing, accounting integrations, and fulfillment among webhook use cases. Shopify’s webhook documentation describes those application scenarios.
Webhook vs. polling: what is the difference?
| Question | Webhook | Polling |
|---|---|---|
| How do updates arrive? | The provider sends a request when a subscribed event occurs. | Your application repeatedly asks the API whether data has changed. |
| How quickly can you learn about a change? | Often near real time after the event, subject to provider delivery. | After the next scheduled check; the interval determines the delay. |
| What happens to request volume? | Can avoid repeated checks, especially when monitoring many resources. | Repeated checks use API requests and resources, including when nothing has changed. |
| What must you operate? | A reachable receiver, request verification, duplicate-safe processing, and failure recovery. | A schedule and a sensible polling frequency; it can be simpler for occasional checks. |
Choose a webhook when you need event-driven updates or need to watch many resources without repeatedly checking each one. Polling can be a reasonable fit when you need information once or intermittently, or are tracking only a small number of resources that are not expected to scale. GitHub makes this distinction in its guidance on webhooks and API polling.
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How to build a webhook receiver safely
1. Subscribe only to events you use
Request only the event types your application will handle. This limits unnecessary requests and reduces work in your receiver. Also check the event type and any action field before interpreting the payload: different event types can have different shapes and meanings. GitHub notes that a sender field does not always identify the person who caused an event.
2. Protect the endpoint and verify the signature
Use HTTPS, keep certificate verification enabled, and store the webhook secret securely. Do not put API keys or other credentials in the callback URL. Verify the provider’s signature over the raw request body before acting on the payload; parsing or changing the body first can invalidate signature verification.
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Signing details are provider-specific. GitHub uses the X-Hub-Signature-256 header for an HMAC-SHA256 digest of the request body, generated with the configured secret; GitHub recommends it over its legacy SHA-1 header. Shopify uses X-Shopify-Hmac-SHA256, a base64-encoded HMAC generated from the raw body and the app client secret for HTTPS deliveries. Follow the provider’s verification instructions rather than treating these header names or schemes as interchangeable: GitHub signature validation and Shopify HTTPS webhook verification.
An IP allowlist may add a layer of defense, but it is not a substitute for checking the signature. The signature check is what verifies the request against the shared secret and body.
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3. Make duplicate deliveries safe
Do not assume an event will arrive exactly once. Providers may retry, or a timeout may leave the sender uncertain whether your application handled the first request. Keep a record of delivery identifiers and avoid applying the same effect twice when a delivery repeats. Make handlers idempotent where possible: processing the same event again should not create duplicate orders, deploys, or other side effects.
GitHub includes the X-GitHub-Delivery identifier. Shopify also warns that duplicate deliveries can occur, for example after a timeout or retry. Use the identifier and any provider-specific event data according to that provider’s documentation.
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4. Acknowledge quickly; queue slow work
Return a success response once the request is verified and safely accepted for processing. Put work that may take a long time—such as a deployment or data import—onto a queue rather than holding the HTTP connection open. GitHub recommends that a receiver return a 2XX response within 10 seconds; according to GitHub’s webhook best practices, it terminates a slower connection and counts the delivery as failed. That timing is GitHub-specific, not a universal webhook deadline.
5. Monitor failures and plan recovery
Log delivery identifiers, event types, processing outcomes, and failures without recording secrets. Alert on repeated errors, and establish a way to reconcile missed events or request redelivery after an outage. Retry limits and subscription behavior vary by provider, so design against the documentation for the service you use.
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For example, Shopify documents eight retries over four hours when it gets no response or an error. After eight consecutive failures, a webhook subscription created through the Admin API is automatically deleted. These limits apply to Shopify’s documented behavior, not to webhook services generally; see Shopify’s HTTPS delivery guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Limits to account for
A provider may impose payload limits or omit deliveries that exceed them. GitHub documents a 25 MB webhook payload cap and says it does not deliver an event payload that exceeds that limit. If you rely on large event data, account for this in event selection and recovery rather than assuming every event will reach the receiver. The cap is specific to GitHub’s documentation: GitHub webhook events and payloads.
More broadly, a webhook is a notification mechanism, not a guarantee that your application has permanently completed the work. Treat receipt, verification, durable acceptance, processing, and recovery as separate concerns.
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