# Webhook Best Practices

DevFeed: [Webhook Best Practices](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/webhook-best-practices-1270.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://shopify.engineering/17488672-webhook-best-practices>)

Author: Shopify Engineering

Published: 2012-01-11T15:32:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Shopify Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/shopify-engineering.md>), [Shopify Engineering - Shopify Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/shopify-engineering-shopify-engineering.md>)

Topics: [Shopify](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/shopify.md>), [API](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data.md>), [App](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/app.md>)

Tags: [api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api.md>), [apps](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apps.md>), [best-practices](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/best-practices.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data.md>), [developer](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer.md>), [rest](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/rest.md>), [shopify](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/shopify.md>), [updates](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/updates.md>)

## AI overview

This article presents best practices for using Shopify webhooks. It explains when webhooks are preferable to polling, including responding to events and maintaining searchable local data when an API does not support the required queries. The example synchronizes a local product catalog through the REST API and a product update webhook, and the article discusses fast responses, delivery failures, timeouts, and retries.

## Source excerpt

Webhooks are brilliant when you're running an app that needs up-to-date information from a third party. They're simple to set up and really easy to consume. Through working with our third-party developer community here at Shopify, we've identified some common problems and caveats that need to be considered when using webhooks. Best practices, if you will. When Should I Be Using Webhooks? Let's start with the basics. The obvious case for webhooks is when you need to act on specific events.