Setting Up Webhook Templates

To proactively prevent misconfigurations and ensure seamless operations, we strongly recommend you adhere to the best practices outlined below when setting up new templates. These guidelines are essential for avoiding common pitfalls and maintaining system integrity.

Template configuration best practices

• Destination URL validation: Ensure that all destination URLs are valid and properly formed. Avoid using “test” or other placeholder values.

• Generic event template binding limits: To maintain system performance and clarity, limit the number of templates bound to generic events (e.g., LOAN_ACCOUNT_ACTIVITY). Over-binding to such events can lead to increased processing overhead and potential delays.

• Deactivation of unused templates: To optimize processing efficiency and minimize system overhead, you must deactivate any unused webhook templates. This measure directly contributes to improved resource allocation and operational fluidity.

2. Webhook endpoint design recommendations

• Asynchronous processing implementation: We strongly recommend implementing asynchronous processing within webhook endpoints. This entails returning an HTTP 200 OK status immediately when you receive a webhook, followed by internally queuing the payload for subsequent processing. This approach prevents timeouts and ensures prompt acknowledgment.

• Idempotency and retry safety: Ensure that all webhook endpoints are idempotent and retry-safe. This design principle is crucial for handling duplicate requests and retries gracefully, thereby preventing unintended side effects.

• Optimizing response times: To avoid potential timeouts and maintain seamless communication, design endpoints to exhibit minimal response times. Avoid prolonged processing within the synchronous response path to ensure timely acknowledgment of webhook events.

• Continuous endpoint availability: To guarantee reliable communication and prevent data loss, ensure the continuous availability of the webhook endpoint. Implement robust infrastructure and monitoring to minimize downtime and ensure that the endpoint is operational at all times to receive incoming requests.

• Rate limit awareness and management: When managing webhook endpoints, carefully consider any applicable rate limits the system imposes. Proactive awareness and management of these limits are essential to prevent receiving HTTP 429 "Too Many Requests" responses, which can lead to processing delays.

Monitoring and alerting

• Comprehensive logging and monitoring: Establish detailed logging and monitoring for all webhook endpoint activities. This includes logging incoming payloads, processing outcomes, and any errors encountered. Robust monitoring with appropriate alerting thresholds is vital for quickly identifying and addressing issues.

• Client-side alerting for persistent issues: We strongly encourage the implementation of client-side alerting mechanisms to notify users or administrators of persistent HTTP 5xx errors (server errors) or significant response time slowdowns. Proactive client-side alerts enable rapid identification and resolution of operational issues, minimizing impact on service consumption.

• Alerting on HTTP 4xx client errors: Configure alerts for an unusual increase in HTTP 4xx (client-side errors) the system receives. Such alerts are crucial for identifying issues stemming from incorrect client configurations, invalid requests, or unauthorized access attempts, allowing for prompt remediation of client-specific problems.

• Health checks: Implement proactive health checks on your endpoints to ensure they are always reachable and responsive. Configure alerts for any failed health checks.