How does a webhook work?

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Setting up a webhook is pretty straightforward. The application that wants to send webhooks (the sending application) needs to provide a URL to the receiving application . This URL is where the webhooks will be sent. The sending application will then send a webhook to this URL whenever the specified event occurs.

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It's also important to note that webhooks are typically sent over the HTTP protocol, meaning they are supported by virtually all online applications.

Once the receiving application receives the webhook, it can perform various actions based on the data received.

Example

Taking our previous example, if a webhook is used to notify an instant messaging application when a new message is received, the application could - quite easily - extract the content of the received message and display it in a chat window.

The technical advantage of webhooks is that they allow real-time communication. When an event occurs, the webhook is immediately sent to the specified URL, allowing applications to react quickly to changes.

Security is an important consideration when using webhooks. Sending applications must ensure that the webhook URL is secure and that the data sent is authenticated and validated. Similarly, receiving applications must implement security measures to prevent potential attacks via webhooks.What is the difference between a webhook and an API?
After reading the definition of a webhook, you might be wondering how it is different from an API.

Well, the main difference lies in the way the data is transmitted!

With a webhook, data is sent asynchronously in real time (in the form of a URL sent over the HTTP protocol, as seen above). This means that the sending application sends a webhook to the receiving application without waiting for a response. If the trigger is activated, the action specified in the webhook will be launched automatically and directly.

With an API, on the other hand, data is transmitted synchronously, meaning the sending application vp it email list sends a request to the receiving application and waits for a response.

Please note that both are means of communication between applications and both have their own advantages, disadvantages and use cases.

Exploring the advantages of a webhook
Webhooks offer many advantages for businesses, including their potential to automate previously manual tasks, which can save you precious time.

Do you see where we're going with this?

We will give you some examples in the following paragraphs.