Webhook

What is a webhook?

A webhook is an automated message one app sends to another the moment something happens. When an event occurs, such as a new sign-up, a payment, or a form submission, the sending app makes an HTTP request (usually a POST) to a URL you've given it, with the details in the body, usually as JSON. The receiving system reads the data and acts on it: it saves a record, starts a workflow, or sends a notification.

Webhooks are sometimes described as "reverse APIs." With an API, your system asks for data. With a webhook, the data arrives when there's something new.

How does it work?

Setting one up involves two sides:

1. The receiver creates an endpoint, a URL that accepts incoming requests. That might be a route on your own server, a serverless function, or a webhook step in an automation tool.
2. The sender is told that URL and which events should trigger a request.

From then on, each time the event happens, the sender posts the data to the URL. The receiver usually replies with a success status code to confirm it got the message. What happens when a delivery fails, such as retries, depends on the sending app.

A few practical points come up with any webhook:

• Security. Anyone who knows the URL could send it data, so receivers often check a secret or signature before trusting a request.
• Format. The receiver has to know the field names in the JSON to map them to its own records.
• Speed. Data arrives within moments of the event, which is the main advantage over checking on a schedule.

Why it matters at live events

Webhooks matter when an event's contacts need to go somewhere a standard integration doesn't reach: an in-house CRM, a custom registration database, a ticketing system, or a team chat channel that announces each new booth lead. Sign-ups arrive in bursts at events, and a webhook sends each one on as it comes in, so the receiving system is current before the session ends.

In Textiful, "send to a webhook" is one of the actions a capture flow can run when it finishes. It sends the contact as JSON to the URL you give it. If you'd rather not run your own endpoint, Zapier's "New Contact" trigger connects Textiful to thousands of other apps, and Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, and HubSpot are built in. See integrations for the full list, or email service provider if your goal is getting contacts onto an email list.

Key takeaways

• A webhook is an HTTP request one app sends to another when an event happens, usually with JSON data.
• The receiver provides a URL; the sender posts to it each time the event occurs.
• Check a secret or signature before trusting incoming data.
• Textiful can send each finished flow's contact to a webhook as JSON.

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