Webhook

A webhook is a way for one application to automatically notify another the instant a specific event occurs, instead of that other application having to repeatedly ask "did anything change yet?" (called polling). Practically, it's a URL that one system calls automatically, with details about what just happened, whenever a defined event fires.

What webhooks are used for

• A payment provider notifying your application the moment a payment succeeds or fails

• A CRM alerting another system when a new lead is created

• A CI/CD pipeline kicking off automatically when code is pushed to a repository

• Keeping two systems in sync in near real time without either one constantly checking the other

What to get right

A webhook endpoint needs to verify that the request genuinely came from the sender (usually via a signature), handle the same event arriving more than once without causing duplicate effects (idempotency), and respond quickly, since the sending system is usually waiting on a timely reply and will retry if it doesn't get one.

Vulpo and Webhook

We build and consume webhooks routinely: connecting payment providers, CRMs, and internal systems so a client's Laravel-built software reacts to events as they happen, instead of relying on scheduled checks that introduce delay.