Webhooks
The inverse of the API: they enable agents that react to events, not just ones triggered by humans.
In one sentence
The inverse of the API: the external system notifies the agent when something happens, such as a lead coming in or a payment confirmation. This lets the agent react to events, in addition to being triggered by humans.
Before
Agent checks from time to time
What it does
The system notifies when it happens
After
Agent reacts to the event
Example
Instead of running every hour asking, "did a new report arrive?", the field system notifies when it arrives. The agent wakes up, processes that report, and goes back to sleep.
This eliminates the waiting queue and the cost of constantly checking.
In practice
- Verify the signature before processing anything.
- Respond quickly and process later. A webhook that processes inline can bring down the sender.
- Deduplicate by event id. Redelivery happens.
How to make it tangible
An endpoint that receives the event from the external system and triggers the agent.
Connects with
Translated from Portuguese with AI assistance.