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Webhook Best Practices

Follow these proven practices to build robust, reliable webhook integrations that scale with your application.

Handler Implementation​

Respond Quickly​

Webhook sources expect fast responses:

  • Target < 30 seconds - Most services timeout after 30s
  • Ideal < 5 seconds - Better reliability and user experience
  • Use async processing for heavy work
// Good: Quick response with async processing
app.post('/webhooks', (req, res) => {
  // Respond immediately
  res.status(200).json({ received: true });
  
  // Process asynchronously
  setImmediate(() => {
    processWebhookData(req.body);
  });
});

Handle Idempotency​

Webhooks may be delivered multiple times:

  • Store event IDs to detect duplicates
  • Make operations idempotent - safe to repeat
  • Use database constraints to prevent duplicate processing
app.post('/webhooks', async (req, res) => {
  const eventId = req.body.id;
  
  // Check if already processed
  const existing = await ProcessedEvent.findOne({ eventId });
  if (existing) {
    return res.status(200).json({ message: 'Already processed' });
  }
  
  // Process and record
  await processEvent(req.body);
  await ProcessedEvent.create({ eventId, processedAt: new Date() });
  
  res.status(200).json({ received: true });
});

Security Implementation​

Verify Signatures​

Always verify webhook signatures when available:

const crypto = require('crypto');

function verifySignature(payload, signature, secret) {
  const expectedSignature = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', secret)
    .update(payload, 'utf8')
    .digest('hex');
    
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
    Buffer.from(signature, 'hex'),
    Buffer.from(expectedSignature, 'hex')
  );
}

app.post('/webhooks', (req, res) => {
  const signature = req.headers['x-signature'];
  const payload = JSON.stringify(req.body);
  
  if (!verifySignature(payload, signature, process.env.WEBHOOK_SECRET)) {
    return res.status(401).json({ error: 'Invalid signature' });
  }
  
  // Process verified webhook
});

Use HTTPS​

  • Always use HTTPS for production webhook URLs
  • Validate SSL certificates - don't accept self-signed
  • Use strong TLS versions - TLS 1.2 or higher

Error Handling​

Graceful Degradation​

Handle errors without breaking your application:

app.post('/webhooks', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    await processWebhook(req.body);
    res.status(200).json({ success: true });
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Webhook processing error:', error);
    
    // Log error but still return 200 for non-retryable errors
    if (error.code === 'VALIDATION_ERROR') {
      res.status(200).json({ 
        success: false, 
        error: 'Invalid data' 
      });
    } else {
      // Return 5xx for retryable errors
      res.status(500).json({ error: 'Processing failed' });
    }
  }
});

Retry Strategy​

Implement smart retry logic:

  • Use exponential backoff for retries
  • Set maximum retry attempts (usually 3-5)
  • Use dead letter queues for permanent failures

Monitoring and Observability​

Comprehensive Logging​

Log all webhook activity:

const winston = require('winston');

app.post('/webhooks', (req, res) => {
  const eventId = req.body.id;
  const eventType = req.body.type;
  
  winston.info('Webhook received', {
    eventId,
    eventType,
    source: req.headers['user-agent'],
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
  });
  
  try {
    processWebhook(req.body);
    winston.info('Webhook processed successfully', { eventId });
    res.status(200).json({ success: true });
  } catch (error) {
    winston.error('Webhook processing failed', { 
      eventId, 
      error: error.message 
    });
    res.status(500).json({ error: 'Processing failed' });
  }
});

Metrics and Alerts​

Track important metrics:

  • Processing time - How long handlers take
  • Success rate - Percentage of successful processing
  • Error types - Categories of failures
  • Volume trends - Event frequency over time

Development Workflow​

Environment Separation​

Use different endpoints for each environment:

Production:   https://api.myapp.com/webhooks/production
Staging:      https://staging-api.myapp.com/webhooks/staging  
Development:  Use CLI forwarding to localhost

Testing Strategy​

Comprehensive testing approach:

  • Unit tests for webhook processing logic
  • Integration tests with mock webhook data
  • End-to-end tests using test webhook sources
  • Load testing for high-volume scenarios

Performance Optimization​

Database Considerations​

  • Use proper indexes on frequently queried fields
  • Batch operations when processing multiple events
  • Consider read replicas for heavy webhook loads
  • Implement connection pooling for database efficiency

Caching Strategy​

Cache frequently accessed data:

  • User data for user-related events
  • Configuration that doesn't change often
  • Rate limiting counters in memory or Redis
  • Computed results that are expensive to recalculate

More best practices content coming soon. This covers the essential patterns for reliable webhook handling.