noun

webhook

WEB-huuk

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Webhook (noun) means 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. Example: “Set up a webhook so we get told the moment a payment clears.”

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."

"The webhook fires every time somebody submits the form."

technical The web address itself that such messages are sent to.

"Paste your webhook into the settings page of the payment provider."

How to use webhook

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA way for one website to tell yours the moment something happens.

When to use it

Technical; standard wording in developer documentation.

Memory tip

Think of it as leaving your phone number with a shop: rather than ringing every hour to ask whether the order has arrived, you get a call when it does.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

API → endpoint → polling → callback →

Common pairings

webhook URL incoming webhook webhook payload fire a webhook webhook secret

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C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

Set up a _____ so we get told the moment a payment clears.

Etymology

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

Origin: English

Synonyms

View more →

callback URL HTTP callback event notification reverse API webhook URL endpoint

Antonyms

polling

Related words

finish voting destination halt polling termination omega terminus

Rhymes for webhook

ook book look cook rook hook nook kook sook fook mook wook

See all rhymes for 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.

What is the meaning of webhook?

"webhook" (noun) means 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.

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finish voting destination halt polling termination omega terminus