Webhooks instantly send relevant data to an app when an event happens in another app, eliminating the need for manual data transfers and frequent API calls. They allow you to connect your apps and automate specific actions.
What are webhooks and how do they work?
Webhooks are automated, real-time notifications sent from one app to another when a specific event happens. These notifications are sent to a predefined URL and include data about the event (e.g., event name, date, and contact ID).
With webhooks, you can:
- Automate processes without manual data transfers,
- Integrate external apps efficiently,
- Instantly sync data, trigger automations, and keep platforms up to date in real time.
How are webhooks different from APIs?
Webhooks and APIs both allow you to integrate and sync data between apps, but they are not the same. The two main differences between webhooks and APIs are:
Webhooks and APIs both allow you to integrate and sync data between apps, but they are not the same:
| Webhooks | APIs | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Perform one action: send data when an event happens (POST) | Perform multiple actions: send (POST), retrieve (GET), update (PUT), or delete (DELETE) data |
| Triggering | Automatically sends data when new information is available | Requires manual requests (polling) to fetch data |
Why use webhooks?
Webhooks allow real-time data transfers between Brevo and external apps. There are two types of webhooks you can create:
Inbound webhooks: receive data in Brevo
Inbound webhooks allow you to receive data in Brevo from an external app. Once received, you can automatically:
- Create a custom event
- Update an existing contact
- Add a new contact
Here are some real-world use cases for inbound webhooks:
When a new customer is created in Stripe, an inbound webhook updates or adds the contact in Brevo with their email and name.
When a customer places an order in Shopify, an inbound webhook triggers a transactional email in Brevo to confirm their purchase.
When someone books a meeting in Calendly, their details are sent to Brevo, adding them to a specific contact list and triggering an email sequence.
When a user fills out a Typeform survey, their responses are sent to Brevo, updating their contact properties or triggering an automation.
➡️ To learn more, check our dedicated article Create inbound webhooks to receive real-time data in Brevo.
Outbound webhooks: send data from Brevo
Inbound webhooks allow you to send data from Brevo to an external app. Once received, the external app can automate actions based on this data.
Here are some real-world use cases for outbound webhooks:
When a new contact is added to a Brevo list, an outbound webhook notifies a Slack channel with their details.
When a contact's details are updated in Brevo, an outbound webhook logs the change in a Google Sheets spreadsheet for tracking.
When a contact clicks a link in an email campaign, an outbound webhook notifies Zapier, which can then trigger further actions in other apps (e.g., updating a CRM like HubSpot or adding a task in Trello).
If a contact engages with a promotional email in Brevo, an outbound webhook updates their profile in WooCommerce, tagging them as an engaged customer.
➡️ To learn more, check our dedicated article New webhooks - Create outbound webhooks to send real-time data from Brevo to an external app.
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