Loading...
Loading...
Learn how to test webhooks in under 5 minutes. This guide covers everything you need to know to start debugging webhook integrations.
Webhooks are automated messages sent from one application to another when a specific event occurs. Unlike traditional APIs where you request data, webhooks push data to your application in real-time. They're commonly used for payment notifications, repository events, order updates, and many other automated workflows.
For example, when a customer completes a purchase on Stripe, Stripe sends a webhook to your server with the payment details. Your server can then update the order status, send a confirmation email, or trigger other business logic.
Testing webhooks during development can be challenging because external services need a publicly accessible URL to send data to. Running a local development server behind a firewall or NAT makes it impossible to receive webhooks directly.
Webhook.it solves this problem by providing instant, publicly accessible URLs that capture and display incoming requests. You can see exactly what data is being sent, verify the payload structure, and debug integration issues without deploying your code.
Visit the Webhook.it homepage. A unique webhook URL is automatically generated for you when the page loads. This URL is your personal endpoint that can receive HTTP requests from any source. No registration or authentication is required.
Click the "Copy" button to copy the URL to your clipboard. You can also click "Generate URL" to create additional endpoints if you need to test multiple webhook sources simultaneously.
Go to the service you want to test (Stripe, GitHub, Shopify, etc.) and navigate to their webhook configuration settings. Paste your Webhook.it URL as the destination endpoint. Most services have a "Webhooks" or "Developer" section in their dashboard.
Select the events you want to receive. For testing purposes, you might want to enable all events initially, then narrow down to specific ones once you understand the payload structure.
Most webhook providers offer a way to send test events. Look for a "Send test webhook" or "Test endpoint" button. Alternatively, you can trigger a real event by performing the action in the service (e.g., creating a test payment, pushing a commit, or placing a test order).
You can also test your endpoint manually using curl or any HTTP client. The homepage provides ready-to-use curl commands that you can copy and run in your terminal.
Return to Webhook.it and watch the events list. New requests appear automatically within a few seconds thanks to auto-refresh. Click on any event to see the full details including headers, body content, and timestamp.
The request body is displayed in a formatted JSON view, making it easy to understand the payload structure. Headers show important metadata like content type, user agent, and any custom headers sent by the webhook provider.
Dive deeper with these practical guides for common webhook scenarios:
Step-by-step guides for testing webhooks from popular services: