Quick Guide to Implementing Webhooks in Follow Up Boss

Hey there, fellow JavaScript dev! Ready to supercharge your Follow Up Boss integration with webhooks? 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 Follow Up Boss. No more constant polling or wasted API calls. Sweet, right?

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you've got:

• A Follow Up Boss account (duh!)
• API access and credentials
• Your JavaScript hat on 🧢

Setting Up Webhook Endpoints

First things first, let's create an endpoint in your app to receive those juicy webhook payloads. Here's a quick Express.js setup:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

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

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

Registering Webhooks with Follow Up Boss API

Now, let's tell Follow Up Boss where to send those webhooks. Here's how you can register a webhook using Axios:

const axios = require('axios');

axios.post('https://api.followupboss.com/v1/webhooks', {
  url: 'https://your-app.com/webhook',
  event_types: ['lead.created', 'task.updated']
}, {
  auth: {
    username: 'your-api-key',
    password: 'X'
  }
})
.then(response => console.log('Webhook registered:', response.data))
.catch(error => console.error('Registration failed:', error));

Handling Webhook Payloads

When a webhook hits your endpoint, you'll want to process that data. Here's a simple example:

app.post('/webhook', express.json(), (req, res) => {
  const { event_type, data } = req.body;
  
  switch(event_type) {
    case 'lead.created':
      handleNewLead(data);
      break;
    case 'task.updated':
      updateTaskStatus(data);
      break;
    // Add more cases as needed
  }
  
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Webhook Event Types

Follow Up Boss offers a bunch of event types you can listen for. Some popular ones include:

• lead.created
• task.updated
• appointment.created

You can specify these when registering your webhook. Mix and match to your heart's content!

Security Considerations

Always verify those incoming webhooks! Here's a quick function to check the signature:

const crypto = require('crypto');

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

Error Handling and Retries

Sometimes, webhooks fail. It happens to the best of us. Implement a retry mechanism and handle errors gracefully:

app.post('/webhook', express.json(), async (req, res) => {
  try {
    await processWebhook(req.body);
    res.sendStatus(200);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Webhook processing failed:', error);
    res.sendStatus(500);
    // Implement retry logic here
  }
});

Testing Webhooks

Follow Up Boss provides tools to test your webhooks. But you can also whip up a quick tester:

const axios = require('axios');

function testWebhook() {
  axios.post('https://your-app.com/webhook', {
    event_type: 'lead.created',
    data: { name: 'Test Lead', email: '[email protected]' }
  })
  .then(() => console.log('Test webhook sent successfully'))
  .catch(error => console.error('Test failed:', error));
}

testWebhook();

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now ready to receive real-time updates from Follow Up Boss like a pro. Remember, webhooks are your friends - they'll keep your app in sync without breaking a sweat.

Need more info? Check out the Follow Up Boss API docs. Happy coding, and may your webhooks always deliver!