webhook

6 synonyms and 1 antonym for webhook, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — An arrangement in which one online service automatically sends a message to a web address you have given it whenever a particular event happens, so your own system finds out immediately instead of having to keep asking.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

callback URL HTTP callback event notification reverse API webhook URL endpoint

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun technical

An arrangement in which one online service automatically sends a message to a web address you have given it whenever a particular event happens, so your own system finds out immediately instead of having to keep asking.

“Set up a webhook so we get told the moment a payment clears.”

callback URL HTTP callback event notification reverse API

Opposites

polling

2. noun technical

The web address itself that such messages are sent to.

“Paste your webhook into the settings page of the payment provider.”

webhook URL callback URL endpoint

How to use webhook

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

webhook URL incoming webhook webhook payload fire a webhook webhook secret

Technical; standard wording in developer documentation.

Etymology

A compound of web and hook, in the programming sense of a hook as a place where extra behaviour can be attached.

Full origin of webhook →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a webhook and an API?

Both move data between systems, but the direction of the first move differs. With an ordinary API call your program asks and the service answers. With a webhook the service contacts your program without being asked, because an event occurred. Webhooks are often described as part of a service's API.

What is the difference between a webhook and polling?

Polling means repeatedly asking a service whether anything has changed, which wastes requests and adds delay. A webhook removes the asking: the message arrives when the event happens.

Do webhooks need to be secured?

Yes. Because a webhook address is contacted from outside, receiving systems normally verify that a message genuinely came from the expected sender, commonly by checking a signature the sender includes.

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polling endpoint

Nearby words

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