Quick Guide to Implementing Webhooks in CompanyCam

Hey there, fellow Javascript devs! Ready to supercharge your CompanyCam integration with some webhook magic? Let's dive right in and get those real-time updates flowing!

Introduction

Webhooks are like the cool kids of API integrations - they notify your app instantly when something happens in CompanyCam. No more constant polling or outdated data. Sweet, right?

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you've got:

• CompanyCam API credentials (you're awesome if you already have these)
• A Node.js environment (because, let's face it, Node.js rocks)
• Basic Express.js knowledge (don't worry, we'll keep it simple)

Setting Up Webhook Endpoint

First things first, let's create an endpoint to catch those webhook events. Fire up your favorite code editor and let's get cracking:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  console.log('Webhook received:', req.body);
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Webhook server running on port 3000'));

Boom! You've got a basic server ready to receive webhooks. Easy peasy, right?

Registering a Webhook with CompanyCam API

Now, let's tell CompanyCam where to send those juicy events. We'll use axios because, well, it's awesome:

const axios = require('axios');

axios.post('https://api.companycam.com/v2/webhooks', {
  url: 'https://your-server.com/webhook',
  events: ['photo.created', 'project.updated']
}, {
  headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN' }
})
.then(response => console.log('Webhook registered:', response.data))
.catch(error => console.error('Oops:', error));

Just replace YOUR_API_TOKEN with your actual token, and you're golden!

Handling Webhook Payloads

When those webhooks start rolling in, you'll want to do something cool with them. Here's a quick example:

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const { event, data } = req.body;
  
  switch(event) {
    case 'photo.created':
      console.log('New photo:', data.id);
      break;
    case 'project.updated':
      console.log('Project updated:', data.name);
      break;
    default:
      console.log('Unknown event:', event);
  }
  
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Implementing Webhook Security

Security is sexy, so let's add some! CompanyCam signs each webhook, and you should verify it:

const crypto = require('crypto');

function verifyWebhookSignature(payload, signature, secret) {
  const hmac = crypto.createHmac('sha256', secret);
  const digest = hmac.update(payload).digest('hex');
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(Buffer.from(signature), Buffer.from(digest));
}

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const signature = req.headers['x-companycam-signature'];
  const isValid = verifyWebhookSignature(JSON.stringify(req.body), signature, 'YOUR_WEBHOOK_SECRET');
  
  if (!isValid) {
    return res.sendStatus(401);
  }
  
  // Process the webhook...
});

Error Handling and Retry Mechanism

Sometimes things go wrong. No biggie! Let's handle it like pros:

app.post('/webhook', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    // Process webhook...
    res.sendStatus(200);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Webhook processing failed:', error);
    res.sendStatus(500);
  }
});

CompanyCam will retry failed webhooks, so you're covered!

Testing Webhooks

Testing locally? No problem! Use ngrok to expose your local server:

ngrok http 3000

Then use the ngrok URL when registering your webhook. Instant local testing - you're welcome!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now a CompanyCam webhook wizard. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility (and awesome real-time updates).

Want to dive deeper? Check out the CompanyCam API docs for more webhook goodness.

Now go forth and webhook all the things! 🚀