Definition
A webhook is an HTTP request that a platform sends to a URL you provide whenever an event happens, such as a message being delivered, read or failed, or a customer reply arriving, so your system learns about it immediately without polling.
You register an endpoint (for example https://example.com/hooks/messaging). When an event occurs, the platform sends a POST request with a JSON body describing it: message ID, status, timestamp, channel and error details. Your server should respond quickly with a 2xx code and process the event asynchronously.
Build for real-world delivery: webhooks can arrive late, out of order or more than once. Use the message ID and status to deduplicate, never move a status backwards (for example from READ to DELIVERED), and keep a retry-safe, idempotent handler.
Security: accept only HTTPS, verify a signature or shared secret on every request, and do not trust the payload until it is verified. Industry conventions such as the Standard Webhooks specification describe common signing and retry patterns.
In messaging, webhooks feed delivery reports, read rates, inbound replies, opt-outs and channel fallback decisions.
OmniChannels.ai sends webhooks for delivery statuses (SUBMITTED, SENT, DELIVERED, READ, FAILED, REJECTED), normalised into one format across channels.
Example
{"messageId":"msg_123","channel":"whatsapp","status":"DELIVERED","timestamp":"2026-10-10T09:15:02Z"}