What is a Webhook URL?
A webhook URL is the address that a webhook provider sends event notifications to. It serves as the address for the webhook endpoint: the endpoint is the code that handles deliveries, and the URL is where that code is reachable on the internet. It is sometimes also called a callback URL.
If an API consumer wants real-time updates from their API provider, they register a webhook URL where they would like to receive event notifications. This avoids the need to make constant requests and compare responses to see if anything changed. This is only possible if the API provider offers a webhook feature.
How to get a webhook URL
Which side of the exchange you are on determines where the URL comes from. If you are receiving webhooks into your own application, the webhook URL is simply a route you create on your server, something like https://api.example.com/webhooks/stripe, which you then register with the sending service. Our first webhook endpoint tutorial walks through creating one.
If you just need a URL for testing, [Svix Play]https://www.svix.com/play/?utm_source=resources&utm_medium=content) gives you a temporary webhook URL instantly, no setup required, and shows you every delivery it receives along with its headers and payload. Many no-code tools work the same way in production: Slack incoming webhooks and Zapier catch hooks are, at bottom, webhook URLs those platforms host for you.
If instead you are sending events into a chat tool, the platform generates the URL for you and you paste it into your own code. Each one hides it in a different place, so we have step-by-step guides for the three most common: getting a Slack webhook URL, making a Discord webhook, and getting a Microsoft Teams webhook URL. Those URLs carry their own secret in the path, which is why they should be stored like credentials rather than pasted into a shared document.
Keeping a webhook URL secure
A webhook URL is reachable by anyone who knows it, so treat it accordingly. Use HTTPS so payloads cannot be read in transit. Make the path unguessable rather than predictable, since an attacker who can guess your URL can send fake events to it. Most importantly, do not rely on the URL's secrecy alone: verify the webhook signature on every delivery so that even someone who discovers the URL cannot forge believable events. Avoid putting credentials in query parameters, because URLs end up in server logs, proxy logs, and browser histories.
Common webhook URL problems
The most frequent issue is registering a URL that senders cannot reach: localhost addresses and URLs behind firewalls or VPNs will never receive a delivery, which is why local development requires a tunnel or a hosted test URL; see our webhook testing guide. URL changes are the other classic mistake. If you move or rename the route, deliveries to the old URL start failing, and unless the sender retries long enough for you to notice, those events are gone. Treat webhook URLs like API contracts: keep them stable, and when you must migrate, run both endpoints during the transition.
At Svix we make it easy for API providers to offer their users a world-class webhook experience, including the endpoint management UI, without the headache and cost of building the infrastructure themselves.
Ready to send webhooks?
Svix handles signing, retries, rate limiting, and delivery observability for the webhooks you send to your users, so your team can stay focused on your product.
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