A webhook is an event plus proof
The plain-language explanation is simple: one system rings another system's doorbell. The advanced version is where safety lives: who rang, what event type, what fields, what timestamp, what signature, whether it is a duplicate, and whether replay is allowed.
A public framing demo can show contract, sign, deliver, verify, retry, and replay states without sending real events or exposing secrets. Raw secrets, live event creation, replay, and durable endpoint changes belong behind the protected service boundary.
The AHA is that webhooks are receipts for cause and delivery. If the receipt fails, business logic should not run.
Aha moment
A webhook should be trusted only after the event contract, signature, idempotency, and delivery proof line up.
Try this
Design a sample webhook event and list the exact reasons a receiver should reject it before running business logic.
Watch for
- Raw secrets copied into public demos
- Replay treated as harmless because it is a retry
- Event summaries accepted without signature or schema proof