Webhooks vs Polling: How Apps Know Something Changed
Polling asks a service for updates on a schedule. A webhook receives an event sent by another service when something happens. Both approaches can support automation. Choose based on the provider's capabilities, the required response time and how you will handle missed or repeated events.
Why it matters
Event delivery and completed work are different things. A webhook may arrive more than once, while a polling job may revisit records it already processed. Your workflow needs a way to recognise the same event.
A practical workflow
- Identify the event you care about and check whether the source service offers an appropriate webhook.
- Define how the receiver authenticates the event and validates its contents before starting work.
- Store an event or record identifier so retries and repeated deliveries do not repeat the final action.
- Plan monitoring and recovery, including a way to reconcile records if an event or scheduled check is missed.
An example
An event registration service might send a webhook after a new sign-up. A receiver can validate the event and create one draft task. If the service retries delivery after a timeout, the same registration identifier should prevent a second task.
A mistake to avoid
Do not treat an obscure webhook URL as the only security measure. Follow the provider's signing or authentication guidance, and avoid logging sensitive payloads when you only need a small subset of the event fields.
Try it and check the result
Replay a harmless sample event and temporarily interrupt the receiver in a controlled environment. Check that duplicates are handled and that you can identify and recover any event that did not complete.
Reference and further reading
The workflows and examples in this guide are illustrative. Product controls and availability can change; check the linked official guidance for your setup.
Continue with Run a Weekly Review with AI Without Creating More Admin or explore all blog topics.