A webhook is a notification that something happened, not a guarantee that you will process it exactly once and in the correct order. Reliability is built when the consumer tolerates duplicates, delays and temporary failures.
Verify the origin
Check the signature, timestamp and replay window before reading the payload. Keep secrets separate and support secure rotation.
Respond quickly and process asynchronously
Store the event in a durable queue and return a successful response. Lengthy business logic within the HTTP request increases retries and timeouts.
Make the action idempotent
Use an event ID or business key so that a repeat does not create a second charge or record. A duplicate is a normal operating condition, not an edge case.
Do not trust the order
Use a version, occurred_at timestamp and retrieval of the current state where necessary. An update can arrive before creation or after a newer event.
Add reconciliation
Periodically compare your own state with the source system and reprocess dead-letter queues. Webhooks reduce latency but do not replace completeness checks.
This framework is an original editorial methodology developed by DigitalNow.