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Webhooks vs. Polling: When to use which method for courier integrations?
Practical comparison of webhooks and polling for courier integrations. Tips on choice, security and scaling for Swiss companies using courier APIs.
Quick answer
Short answer: Use webhooks when you need immediate delivery updates and lower server load. Use polling when firewalls or platform limits prevent incoming requests or when you prefer controlled polling intervals.
1. What are webhooks and polling?
Webhooks push event notifications: the courier service sends an HTTP request to your URL when something happens (e.g. pickup). Polling is your system regularly calling the API to check for new events.
2. Main benefits of webhooks
Immediate updates: events arrive as they happen. Lower load: calls occur only for real events. Efficient data flow: fewer wasted requests and lower compute cost at scale. Good for live tracking and customer notifications.
3. Main benefits of polling
Controlled retrieval: you set timing and retry behaviour. Easier with restrictive firewalls because outbound calls are usually permitted. Reliable when webhooks are not available or when you process data in batches.
4. Security considerations
Webhooks: verify payloads with HMAC signatures or shared secrets and use HTTPS/TLS. Optionally restrict sender IP ranges. Polling: protect API keys, implement rate limits and use OAuth2 or strong tokens. Log and validate all incoming data.
5. Scalability and cost
Webhooks are usually more cost‑efficient at high volume since only events generate traffic. Polling can create many empty requests and higher infra cost. Implement exponential backoff for retries and use queues (e.g. RabbitMQ, SQS) behind webhook endpoints to scale processing.
6. Implementation examples
Webhooks: 1) Create an HTTPS endpoint with auth. 2) Verify signature (HMAC SHA256). 3) Return 200 immediately and process asynchronously. Polling: 1) Use a scheduler (cron or cloud scheduler). 2) Use delta or updated_after parameters. 3) Handle pagination and rate limits. Use webhooks for real‑time customer tracking; use polling for nightly batch reconciliation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I combine both methods?
Yes. Many businesses use webhooks for real‑time events and polling as a fallback or for batch jobs. This gives low latency plus control during outages.
How do I test webhooks locally?
Use tools like ngrok or cloud tunnels to expose your local endpoint via HTTPS. Simulate signed payloads and verify retry behaviour.
How often should I poll?
It depends. For time‑sensitive needs 15–60 seconds. For batch processes 5–30 minutes. Always consider API limits and costs.
What if webhook endpoints are overwhelmed?
Respond 200 immediately, queue the payload and process asynchronously. Scale workers and use autoscaling for the queue consumers.