webhook
Also known as: callback URL · HTTP callback
A webhook is a mechanism where one system automatically sends a message to another address the moment a specific event happens.
Instead of one system repeatedly asking another whether anything has changed, known as polling, the sending system reaches out on its own the instant the event happens, say a new order or a status change. To make that possible, a target address is registered in advance, and the message gets sent there. Technically, a webhook is nothing more than an automatic call to that address carrying the relevant data.
In practice, setting up a webhook means entering a URL in the sending software and choosing which event should trigger it, such as 'new order' or 'payment received'. The receiving system needs to be reachable at that address and able to process the incoming message. Because the message arrives the instant the event happens, rather than at the next scheduled check, processes built on top of it behave in real time.
A typical mistake: webhooks get set up with no protection at all, meaning in theory anyone else could send messages to the same address too. On top of that, a message often just vanishes without a trace if the receiving system is briefly unreachable, unless someone has set up retry logic or at least an error notification.
What it means in practice
In practice, a webhook often replaces the colleague who used to manually re-enter every new order into the warehouse or accounting system. NDVDL uses webhooks where an event in one system needs to reliably and immediately trigger a reaction in another.
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