Webhook

An online store receives a payment event from a processor, and a configured webhook sends event details to the store's server, which can check the payment and update the order, so the store should not rely on the browser returning to a success page as proof that payment settled. Stripe documents receiving webhook events and GitHub describes delivery best practices, but their exact retry and security mechanics vary by service, so always use the provider's current specification.

The sender defines event types and payloads while the receiver chooses an endpoint and what it does with a valid event, and a webhook differs from polling, where the receiver repeatedly asks whether anything has changed. "Near real time" is safer than promising instant delivery, since network and sender queues can introduce delay, and a recipient should acknowledge an event promptly under the provider's rules and process longer work safely.

Verify the sender using the provider's signing or authentication method, because a familiar-looking JSON body is not proof of origin, and store signing secrets securely and rotate them according to the integration guidance. Use HTTPS and restrict access appropriately, since the endpoint is a surface exposed to incoming requests.

Read the event identifier and make processing idempotent, so a retry does not create a second order, charge or customer message after the first succeeded. A timeout after a successful downstream write is especially risky, so check the current state before repeating the write, and do not assume events arrive in the order business actions happened but retrieve current source state when order matters.

Treat payload data as untrusted input by validating fields and avoiding letting text inside an event dictate unrelated actions. Some webhook payloads contain only a reference, so fetch the authoritative object when the workflow needs current details rather than relying on a stale snapshot.

A payment-intent event and a settled-payment outcome may be different, so use the event that matches the business decision. A webhook can trigger a draft, inventory update or notification, but each downstream effect still needs its own authorization and checks, and if several systems depend on the event, each result should be tracked separately because one successful receipt does not mean every consumer succeeded.

Log receipt, verification, processing result and errors with privacy-safe detail, and do not expose customer personal data in logs or error messages merely because it arrived in a webhook. Set an alert for failed deliveries or growing queues, because an endpoint that silently drops events can leave orders, subscriptions or inventory records stale, and plan replay or reconciliation when the endpoint was down, since a daily comparison with the source can catch missed updates.

Avoid a chain of retries that overwhelms a failing service by using backoff and dead-letter handling where appropriate. Version the handler and test against changes in the provider's payload schema, and for development use the provider's test mode or safe fixtures and verify that the test endpoint cannot change live records.

Document endpoint ownership, event subscriptions and a fallback path before the original developer leaves, and use exact event IDs, source timestamps and correlation IDs where available for audit and troubleshooting. Check whether the provider can resend events manually and how long event history is retained, because a well-run webhook workflow verifies, deduplicates, processes and reconciles, rather than trusting one incoming request blindly.