A webhook, sometimes referred to as a \u201creverse API\u201d, is an integration technique that\u2019s used to handle events or event-based actions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how it works: A downstream application registers a webhook endpoint* in another system that\u2019s geared towards a specific event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once that predefined event takes place, the system makes a call to that webhook. The webhook responds with a simple status message (e.g., \u201cSuccess\u201d) and provides the information associated with that event to the downstream application in, or near, real-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, let\u2019s say that our downstream application is Salesforce<\/a> and we want to collect lead records from Marketo<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You would register a webhook in Marketo, specifying the event you care about (new lead records). From there, any time a new lead gets added to Marketo, the application calls the webhook URL, leading the record to get added to SFDC and the webhook to respond to Marketo with a message like \u201cSuccess\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n *A webhook endpoint is a URL that\u2019s provided by the downstream application. It includes a \u201cpayload\u201d, which specifies the information that needs to be collected, either in JSON or XML format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it\u2019s easy to conflate application programming interfaces<\/a> (APIs) with webhooks, the two operate differently. Using the former, the downstream application would have to make calls to a system\u2019s API endpoint in time-based increments (i.e., polling) to check for new events.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, when looked at from a broader lens, you\u2019ll find that APIs offer two-way communication while webhooks provide one-way communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s because when an application calls the webhook, the webhook doesn\u2019t respond with any specific information\u2014it only lets the application know whether it received the message. APIs, on the other hand, send back the information that was requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related: <\/em>API integration defined<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s all but impossible to list out all the ways you can use webhooks, as your organization likely has dozens, if not hundreds, of processes that need to operate in real-time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, here are a few examples (in addition to the one above) that highlight the value of leveraging webhooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As your customer support team manages specific client issues, your account managers\u2014or whoever else manages the business relationship with clients\u2014need to stay abreast of the status for each. Only then can an account manager understand the health of their accounts and engage with them effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help your account managers keep up to date on issues, you can register a webhook from the application your account managers rely on\u2014like Salesforce\u2014in the application your support team uses\u2014like Jira<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The latter application can then call that webhook any time an issue gets updated or created, triggering the following workflow automation:<\/p>\n\n\n If an account doesn\u2019t exist for the client in Salesforce, it will be created. Moreover, if the case doesn\u2019t exist, it would then get added. Once the account and the associated case are present in Salesforce, the case will be updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related: 3 conditional workflow examples<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your marketing team is likely working hard to organize and execute compelling events for your target audience. However, without a streamlined way of adding registrants to your CRM, their efforts might go to waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure that every new registrant is followed up with quickly and intelligently by sales, you can register a webhook from your CRM to your event management platform (e.g., Eventbrite<\/a>) that\u2019s called when a new order for a particular event comes in.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once that event occurs, and the event management platform calls to that webhook, the automation can work as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n If the email address associated with an order doesn\u2019t already exist in Salesforce, the registrant gets added as a lead in the CRM; otherwise, the workflow ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your organization is likely to run up against all kinds of issues, from application outages to broken equipment to stolen files. Whenever one of these issues transpires, you\u2019ll need the response team within IT to be made aware as soon as possible so that they can respond promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To enable just that, you can perform some version of the following: Register a webhook from the business communications platform your organization uses (e.g., Slack<\/a>) to the security software IT relies on (e.g. Splunk<\/a>) that\u2019s called whenever an alert gets added to the latter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From there, you can post a Slack message to a specific channel in your business comms platform that allows IT to not only learn of the alert but also have the necessary context to take action.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related: The benefits and drawbacks of using an iPaaS<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are just a few reasons to use webhooks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since webhooks operate in near real-time, they\u2019re effective at keeping information consistent and accurate across applications. In turn, different teams within the organization can more easily stay aligned and make informed, productive decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As you saw from our examples, various types of information need to become available to the appropriate stakeholders within a certain time frame. Otherwise, these stakeholders can\u2019t respond promptly\u2014thus compromising their ability to reap the desired outcomes from their actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Webhooks neatly address this as they allow the right employees to access time-sensitive information in near real-time and within the applications they\u2019re already using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Polling is not only inefficient (as most of your API calls won\u2019t yield the desired response) but also\u2014potentially\u2014expensive. Reason being, polling can lead you to exceed your API request limit for a given application, forcing you to pay more for additional calls to that application\u2019s API endpoints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Webhooks don\u2019t involve making API calls to an application, you can avoid unnecessary requests\u2014and the ensuing additional costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The process of registering a webhook manually is relatively straightforward, as the applications that offer them generally provide clear guidance on how they can be registered. In addition, once a webhook is set up, there\u2019s no additional maintenance required\u2014allowing your team to \u201cset it and forget it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Workato, the leader in enterprise automation, dynamically creates and registers webhooks for countless application connectors<\/a>\u2014allowing your team to not have to worry about setting them up manually. Instead, your team can focus on ideating, designing, and implementing powerful automations for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/the-connector\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/webhook-example-between-Salesforce-and-Marketo.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWebhooks vs APIs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Webhook use cases<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Add or update cases in your CRM when an issue in your ITSM tool changes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/the-connector\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/BOYTpsggKOS7giiRKhDp2Oe2E4cnD1dvF1wbi1-oOCz618xHq7oQ4oza5LG88AVjYi-HFlmv0wUB9LQBAeufYrgw5YAvUIqmmEDaa2DyvfLcjZwlUyBr3nlgah6zyHsaOj7S22a-7QLRPI7oGxnk8invwrok9RcabzGvvN75eCpCzqXaBJZ3dAmJZw.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n2. Add event registrants as leads in your CRM<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/the-connector\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/bA699zjO-ZQpNvoSbqb94NHgO8r1NeWs7ATt7RHuAzGYJa_XIdUzJWdZjBaM65eu5wqcFPkOeWrkC7ONdc_n0WQ6Qy-UGMPSJahLrCO_GXA_E-rp5U2-J8xkilU-nPlQu9oZAWt5I6vBmHVuzrrNDNW741Oyco7qEnCPVIz27Sx1eG5TNWg1HYUnbQ.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n3. Notify the appropriate stakeholders in IT when business-critical issues occur<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benefits of webhooks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Keeps information up to date<\/strong> across your tech stack<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Enables employees to act on time-sensitive data<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Drives cost savings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Offers a straightforward implementation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Leverage webhooks effectively with Workato<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n