Forms & data
What is a webhook?
A webhook is a notification sent from one application to another when a chosen event happens. It delivers event data to a configured web address so the receiving application can respond.
By Plainview WebReviewed
The meaning
Instead of repeatedly asking whether something changed, an application can subscribe to an event, such as a submitted form or a completed payment. When that event occurs, the sending system makes an HTTP request to the receiving system's endpoint: a web address set up to accept and handle the notification.
The request carries a payload, meaning the event data, often formatted as JSON. The receiving application decides what to do with that data. Available events, payload fields and delivery behavior depend on the service providing the webhook; a webhook URL by itself does not create the connection.
An example
Example: routing a fictional project inquiry
POST https://example.com/hooks/project-inquiry
{
"event": "inquiry.submitted",
"event_id": "demo-event-1042",
"inquiry_id": "demo-inquiry-208",
"project_type": "website"
}A fictional studio uses a form service that supports webhooks. After a visitor submits a project inquiry, the service sends a notification to the studio's receiving application. That application checks the request and adds the inquiry to a review queue.
This simplified payload is an illustration, not a service's real format or a working endpoint. The event ID could help the receiver recognize a repeated delivery. Plainview's Form & Intake Planner can help define the questions and handoff, but it does not host a form or send webhooks.
When it matters
Webhooks can connect steps that otherwise depend on someone checking another system. Before building the connection, identify the event, the information needed and the receiving action. Send only the fields that action requires, and test with fictional data before using real submissions.
A working integration also needs a plan for failed or repeated deliveries. Use HTTPS and the provider's verification method, such as checking a signature. Keep secrets out of public code and URLs. Check that the intended action finished, not only that a delivery received a successful response; retries and duplicate handling vary by provider.
A common confusion
Receiving a webhook is not the same as finishing the work
A receiver may acknowledge a notification and queue the task for later. If the next step fails, the original delivery can still appear successful. Record enough information to trace the event to its outcome and avoid creating the same task twice when a provider sends it again.