Webhooks

Webhooks are a way for web applications to communicate with each other in real-time. They allow one application to send data to another application as soon as an event occurs.

Core Concepts

• Event-Driven: Webhooks are triggered by specific events in an application.
• HTTP Callbacks: They use HTTP requests to send data to a specified URL.
• Real-Time Communication: Enables real-time data transfer between applications.

Use Cases

• Payment Processing: Notify a system when a payment is completed.
• Continuous Integration: Trigger builds or deployments when code is pushed.
• Social Media: Update user feeds or profiles when new content is posted.

Advantages

• Efficiency: Reduces the need for polling by pushing data only when necessary.
• Scalability: Easily integrates with various services and platforms.
• Flexibility: Can be used for a wide range of applications and services.

Implementation Example

To implement a webhook, you need to:
1. Define the event that will trigger the webhook.
2. Set up an endpoint to receive the webhook data.
3. Handle the incoming data and perform the desired action.

```javascript
// Example of a simple webhook receiver in Node.js
const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const eventData = req.body;
  console.log('Received webhook:', eventData);
  // Process the event data
  res.status(200).send('Webhook received');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Webhook server is running on port 3000');
});