TopolearnWebhooks connect Zapier to in-house tools and apps without a ready-made Zapier integration.
Some systems aren't in Zapier's app list: your company's own tool, a niche service. Many of them can still send or receive webhooks.
A webhook is an automatic message one system sends to a web address when something happens. Think of it as the system "phoning" a URL (web address) and reading out the data, usually as JSON like the example below. Your developer or the app's settings page just needs the address to call.
Catching webhooks. Choose the Webhooks by Zapier trigger and the Catch Hook event. Zapier gives you a unique URL. Paste that URL into the other system's webhook settings, make it send one test event, then test the trigger. The JSON fields become normal fields you can map.
- If the system sends a list of objects in one call, the Zap runs once per object.
- Catch Raw Hook passes the data through untouched, plus the headers (extra labels sent with the request), for special cases.
Sending webhooks. The Webhooks by Zapier actions (such as POST or GET) send a request to another system's address. This is how you call an API (a door a service opens for other programs) when no ready-made action exists. The service's documentation tells you the URL, the fields it expects and how to send its API key.
Treat your Catch Hook URL like a password: anyone who knows it can start your Zap. The URL can change if the Zap moves to another owner, so update the sender then.
Example
{
"event": "invoice.paid",
"invoice_id": "INV-1042",
"amount": 249.00,
"customer": { "name": "Ana Lopez", "email": "ana@example.com" }
}Remember
- A webhook is a system calling a URL with data, usually JSON
- Catch Hook gives your Zap a URL other systems can call
- Webhook actions let you call APIs that have no Zapier integration
Watch out for
- Sharing the Catch Hook URL publicly, which lets anyone trigger the Zap.