How to Create Webhooks in Shopify

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What Are Webhooks?
3. Why Use Webhooks?
4. Setting Up Webhooks
5. Summary
6. FAQ

Introduction

Ever wondered how some Shopify apps can instantly react to changes in a store? The magic behind this real-time interaction is webhooks! Webhooks are essential tools for developers seeking to create responsive and dynamic applications. They help your app stay updated with events happening in your Shopify store without constant polling. In this blog post, you will learn how to create webhooks in Shopify, understand their significance, and get a step-by-step guide on setting them up through the Admin API. Whether you are a seasoned developer or just starting, this guide will offer valuable insights.

What Are Webhooks?

Webhooks are automated messages sent from apps when something happens. They act as a "reverse API," pushing data to a specified endpoint immediately when an event occurs, eliminating the need for continuous API polling.

Applications of webhooks include actions like:

• Sending notifications when a new order is placed.
• Updating your inventory system when stock levels change.
• Triggering marketing emails upon cart abandonment.

By subscribing to specific topics, webhooks allow apps to execute actions in response to these events, thus making them more efficient and responsive.

Why Use Webhooks?

Real-Time Updates

Webhooks provide instant notifications, ensuring your app is always synchronized with the latest data.

Reduced API Calls

Since webhooks deliver pertinent data only when specific events occur, you reduce the number of unnecessary API calls, thereby making your app more efficient.

Enhanced App Performance

By minimizing the dependency on periodic API polling, webhooks contribute to better app performance, freeing up resources for other tasks.

Setting Up Webhooks

Prerequisites

Before diving into webhook creation, ensure you have:

1. A Shopify store.
2. Admin access to the store.
3. Basic understanding of API calls.
4. An endpoint to receive the webhook data.

Creating a Shopify App

Firstly, you need to create an app in Shopify to get API credentials.

1. Navigate to the Apps section on your Shopify admin dashboard.
2. Click on Manage private apps.
3. Click Create a new private app.
4. Fill in the necessary details such as app name and developer email.
5. Under the Admin API section, grant your app the necessary permissions.

After saving, you'll be provided with API credentials which include an API key and password. These credentials are essential for authenticating API requests.

Authenticating API Requests

For private apps, authentication can be done using basic authentication, an authorization token, or an access token. The simplest method involves using the API key and password:

https://{apikey}:{password}@{hostname}/admin/api/{version}/webhooks.json

Alternatively, you can use the X-Shopify-Access-Token header for authentication by setting its value to your app's password.

Creating a Webhook Using the API

To create a webhook, you need to send a POST request to the /admin/api/{version}/webhooks.json endpoint. Here is an example of how to structure the request body:

{
  "webhook": {
    "topic": "orders/create",
    "address": "https://your-endpoint-url.com/webhook",
    "format": "json"
  }
}

Using an HTTP client like curl or Postman, you can make the request as follows:

curl -X POST \
  https://{apikey}:{password}@your-shopify-store.myshopify.com/admin/api/{version}/webhooks.json \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"webhook": {"topic": "orders/create", "address": "https://your-endpoint-url.com/webhook", "format": "json"}}'

Upon successful execution, Shopify will send webhooks to your specified URL whenever the "orders/create" event occurs.

Testing the Setup

After creating the webhook, verify its functionality by triggering the subscribed event. For instance, if you subscribed to the orders/create topic, create a new order through your Shopify store.

You should see the webhook payload being posted to your specified endpoint. Use logging tools to verify that you are receiving and processing the webhook correctly.

Handling Webhook Payloads

It's crucial to verify and process the received webhook payload correctly. Shopify sends an X-Shopify-Hmac-Sha256 header with each webhook request, which you can use to verify its authenticity. The following example shows how to handle and verify a webhook in Node.js:

const crypto = require('crypto');

function verifyShopifyWebhook(request, response, buf) {
  const hmac = request.headers['x-shopify-hmac-sha256'];
  const secret = process.env.SHOPIFY_API_SECRET;
  const hash = crypto.createHmac('sha256', secret).update(buf, 'utf8').digest('base64');

  if (hash === hmac) {
    console.log('Webhook verified');
    // Process webhook
  } else {
    response.status(401).send('Unauthorized');
  }
}

app.post('/webhook', bodyParser.raw({ type: 'application/json' }), (req, res) => {
  verifyShopifyWebhook(req, res, req.body);
});

Ensure you're comparing the calculated hash with the X-Shopify-Hmac-Sha256 header to secure your webhook processing.

Summary

Webhooks are a powerful feature in Shopify that enable real-time communication between your store and external applications. By sending instant data upon specific events, they enhance app efficiency and performance. Setting up webhooks involves creating a Shopify app, authenticating API requests, and subscribing to specific topics. Testing and verifying webhook payloads ensure secure and accurate data processing. Following this guide will help you create and manage webhooks effectively, making your Shopify apps more dynamic and responsive.

FAQ

Q: What are some common webhook topics in Shopify?
A: Common topics include orders/create, products/update, carts/update, and customers/delete.

Q: How can I manage my existing webhooks?
A: You can list, update, and delete webhooks using the Shopify Admin API. Endpoints such as GET /admin/api/{version}/webhooks.json are available for these operations.

Q: What should I do if a webhook fails?
A: Shopify retries failed webhook deliveries with an exponential backoff. After 30 unsuccessful attempts, the webhook is deleted. Ensure your server responds with a 200 status within 5 seconds to avoid failure.

Q: What is a webhook subscription?
A: A webhook subscription specifies the topic, endpoint, and format for the webhooks you want to receive. You create it by making a POST request to the /admin/api/{version}/webhooks.json endpoint.

Q: Can I use third-party services to handle webhooks?
A: Yes, services like Hookdeck can help manage, process, and debug webhooks from any platform, including Shopify.