WebHooks: The API Strikes Back at CloudConf 2017

These days many APIs are more than just simple REST services. Through WebHooks, APIs are talking back, giving us more information and prompting further action from our applications. But what is the best way to react to these demanding APIs?

We'll look at some services that use Webhooks, exploring reasons to use WebHooks and the emerging best practices. Then we'll look at the other side, implementing WebHook endpoints. Does consuming WebHooks make our application an API? What are the easiest ways to develop and test with WebHooks? We'll cover security, performance and standards all wrapped up with some live coded examples.

By the end we'll know how to handle anything an API can throw back at us.

Transcript

2. WeB HookS
3. The api StrikeS bacK
4. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
6. Phil Nash @philnash http:/ /philna.sh philnash@twilio.com
7. WeB HookS
8. Today • What are WebHooks? • Sending WebHooks • Receiving WebHooks
9. WHAT ARE WEBHOOKS?
10. WHY USE WEBHOOKS?
11. REAL TIME DATA
12. http:/ /www.flickr.com/photos/25834786@N03/4585036818 - secretlondon123
13. GETTING THE RIGHT RESPONSE
14. WHO USES WEBHOOKS?
15. Webhooks everywhere • Twilio • GitHub • Heroku • Braintree • Stripe • MailChimp • SendGrid • DropBox • ...and many more
16. DEMO
17. SENDING WEBHOOKS
18. BE A GOOD HTTP CLIENT
19. CACHING AND COOKIES
20. DEALING WITH ERRORS
21. RETRIES OR FALLBACKS?
22. SECURITY
23. HTTPS
24. HTTP AUTH
25. SIGN REQUESTS
26. Sending Webhooks • Be a good HTTP client • Deal with failures • Sign requests
27. WORKING WITH WEBHOOKS
29. NGROK
30. SECURITY
31. USE HTTPS
32. VERIFY THE SIGNATURE
33. SOME WEBHOOK PROVIDERS DON'T SIGN THEIR REQUESTS
34. ¯\_( ツ)_/¯
35. SHARE SECRETS
36. PERFORMANCE
37. BE GOOD TO YOURSELF AND THE WEBHOOK
38. DELAY LONG RUNNING TASKS
39. IDEMPOTENCE
40. WHAT ABOUT THE RETRIES?
41. Webhooks • Tunnelling for development • Verify signatures • Use HTTPS • Respond quickly to Webhooks • Idempotence
42. Thanks! @philnash http:/ /philna.sh philnash@twilio.com