Why webhooks push notifications in Rest API - Visual Breakdown

Concept Flow - Why webhooks push notifications

Event Happens

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Webhook Server Detects Event

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Server Sends HTTP POST to Client URL

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Client Receives Notification

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Client Processes Data

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Client Responds with Status

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Server Logs Success or Retries on Failure

When an event occurs, the server immediately sends a notification to the client via HTTP POST, allowing real-time updates without the client asking repeatedly.

Execution Sample

Rest API

POST /webhook-endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: client.example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{"event":"order_created","order_id":12345}

This shows the server pushing a notification to the client's webhook URL with event details.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Data Sent	Client Response	Server Reaction
1	Event occurs on server	N/A	N/A	Prepare webhook payload
2	Server sends POST request	{"event":"order_created","order_id":12345}	Waiting	Waiting for client response
3	Client receives POST	{"event":"order_created","order_id":12345}	200 OK	Logs success
4	Server logs success	N/A	N/A	No retry needed
5	If client fails to respond	N/A	Timeout or error	Retry or alert admin

💡 Notification process ends after client responds successfully or retries exhausted

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	Final
event_detected	False	True	True	True
payload_sent	None	{"event":"order_created","order_id":12345}	{"event":"order_created","order_id":12345}	{"event":"order_created","order_id":12345}
client_response	None	Waiting	200 OK	200 OK
server_status	Idle	Sending	Success	Success

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the server send data without the client asking?

Because webhooks push notifications automatically when events happen, so the client gets updates instantly without polling. See execution_table step 2.

What happens if the client does not respond?

The server waits for a response and may retry sending or alert an admin if it times out, as shown in execution_table step 5.

Why is the client’s response important?

The client’s response tells the server the notification was received successfully, so the server can stop retrying. See execution_table step 3.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what data does the server send at step 2?

A {"status":"waiting"}

B No data sent

C {"event":"order_created","order_id":12345}

D Client response data

💡 Hint

Check the 'Data Sent' column at step 2 in the execution_table

At which step does the server log a successful notification?

A Step 1

B Step 4

C Step 3

D Step 5

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Server Reaction' column for when success is logged

If the client never responds, what will the server do according to the table?

A Retry sending or alert admin

B Stop immediately

C Send a different event

D Ignore and continue

💡 Hint

See the last row in execution_table under 'Server Reaction'

Concept Snapshot

Webhooks push notifications by sending HTTP POST requests from server to client when events happen.
This avoids client polling and provides real-time updates.
Client must respond to confirm receipt.
Server retries if client fails to respond.
Used for instant communication between systems.

Full Transcript

Webhooks push notifications work by the server detecting an event and immediately sending an HTTP POST request to a client URL. This POST contains event data so the client knows what happened. The client receives this notification and processes it, then responds with a status code like 200 OK to confirm receipt. The server logs this success and stops retrying. If the client does not respond or returns an error, the server may retry sending or alert an administrator. This push method means the client does not have to keep asking the server for updates, saving resources and enabling real-time communication.