Webhook
A webhook is one system telling another that something just happened, the moment it happens, by sending a message to a URL you gave it in advance.
Also written: HTTP callbackArabic: ويب هوك
The difference from an API call
An API is you asking. A webhook is being told. Practically, that is the difference between a process that runs within seconds of an order arriving and one that waits for the next scheduled check — and between a system that polls a thousand times to catch one event and one that sits quiet until there is something to do.
What to plan for
Delivery is not guaranteed and duplicates happen. Anything a webhook triggers should tolerate arriving twice without doing the work twice.
Related terms
Questions people ask
Most senders retry for a while and then stop. Without somewhere for failures to land, an event silently disappears — which is why a webhook without a failure path is a future incident.
Related serviceAutomation & integrations