Tracking API Webhook: From Alert to Action
A practical pipeline: detect the change, verify the event, deduplicate, and trigger the next step.
By AyeWatch Team3 min read
Short answer: A tracking API webhook turns a detected change into an event your system can act on. The pipeline is: monitor the source, verify the webhook signature, deduplicate by event ID, route by event type, and log the outcome.
AyeWatch detects page and topic changes and delivers a summary event to a webhook. Your system owns verification, routing, and the action.
The five stages
Detect, deliver, verify, route, act. Each stage has a failure mode. A missed detect is a silent monitor. A failed verify is a security hole. A missing route is a ticket in the wrong queue.
Build the stages as separate steps so you can test and monitor each one.
Verify before you parse
Check the signature header against the shared secret before you read the body. Reject requests from unexpected IPs if the vendor publishes them. Use HTTPS only.
A webhook endpoint is a public write path. Treat it like any other API input.
Deduplicate and order
Use the event ID as an idempotency key. Store it with a timestamp and a short TTL. If the same event arrives twice, acknowledge it and skip the action.
Do not assume ordering. Two changes can arrive out of sequence. Use the source timestamp when order matters.
Route by event type
A price change goes to the pricing queue. A legal clause goes to counsel. A job listing goes to recruiting. The event type should be machine-readable, not just a sentence.
If the vendor only sends prose, derive the type with a small classifier and keep the prose as context.
Log the outcome
Store the event, the route, the action, and the result. When the monitor misfires, the log is the only way to see what it saw. When the action fails, the log is the retry source.
AyeWatch Pro is $9/mo with 50 topics and hourly checks; Pro+ is $19/mo with 200 topics and ASAP mode. The pipeline guide covers the build in more detail.
| Stage | Failure | Guard |
|---|---|---|
| Detect | Silent monitor | Heartbeat and test page |
| Deliver | Dropped event | Retries and delivery log |
| Verify | Forged request | Signature check |
| Route | Wrong owner | Event type mapping |
| Act | Duplicate action | Idempotency key |
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Try it free for 7 daysThe bottom line
Build the five stages as separate steps. Test each one with a real change. The pipeline is ready when a duplicate delivery produces one action and a failed action produces one retry.
FAQ
What is a tracking API webhook?
A webhook that delivers a change event from a monitoring service to your system. It lets you automate the next step after a page or topic changes.
How do I secure a webhook endpoint?
Verify the signature header, use HTTPS, reject unexpected sources, and validate the payload schema before acting.
What if the webhook fails?
The vendor should retry with backoff and expose a delivery log. Your consumer should be idempotent so a retry does not duplicate the action.
Do I need a queue?
For low volume, no. For high volume or slow consumers, put a queue between the webhook and the action.