Webhook

Webhook

A Webhook is an automated, server-to-server notification triggered by a specific event.

• Like a doorbell.
  • You give a service (like GitHub or Stripe) your “address” (a unique URL on your server). You tell them, “When event X happens, come to this address and ring the bell.” You aren’t keeping a constant connection open. You’re just trusting them to notify you.
• How it works: This is not a persistent connection. It’s simply an HTTP POST request that one server (the provider) sends to another server (yours) when an event occurs.
• Data Flow: Unidirectional (Server → Server). The “client” in this case is your server.
• Common Use Cases:
  • CI/CD: GitHub sends a webhook to your build server (like Jenkins or GitHub Actions) on a git push, triggering a new build.
  • Payments: Stripe sends a webhook to your e-commerce site to confirm “Payment successful” or “Payment failed.”
  • Content Updates: A headless CMS sends a webhook to your website to trigger a rebuild when an editor publishes a new blog post.