Quick Guide to Implementing Webhooks in Proposify

Hey there, fellow Javascript devs! Ready to supercharge your Proposify 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 the API world – they'll notify you instantly when something interesting happens in Proposify. No more constant polling or refreshing. We're talking real-time, folks!

Prerequisites

Before we jump in, make sure you've got:

• A Proposify account with API access (you're not still using the free tier, are you?)
• Node.js environment (because, let's face it, who isn't using Node these days?)
• A basic grasp of RESTful APIs and webhooks (but don't worry, we'll keep it simple)

Setting Up Webhook Endpoints

First things first, let's create a simple Express server to catch those webhook events. It's easier than catching Pokémon, I promise.

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 server ready to receive webhooks. Easy peasy, right?

Registering Webhooks with Proposify API

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

const axios = require('axios');

axios.post('https://api.proposify.com/v1/webhooks', {
  url: 'https://your-server.com/webhook',
  events: ['proposal.opened', 'proposal.signed']
}, {
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
  }
})
.then(response => console.log('Webhook registered successfully'))
.catch(error => console.error('Oops!', error));

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key. Don't share it with anyone, not even your cat!

Handling Webhook Events

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

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const event = req.body;
  
  switch(event.type) {
    case 'proposal.opened':
      console.log('Someone's checking out your proposal!');
      break;
    case 'proposal.signed':
      console.log('Cha-ching! You've got a signature!');
      break;
    default:
      console.log('Something happened:', event.type);
  }
  
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Securing Webhooks

Security is sexy, so let's add some! Proposify sends a signature with each webhook. Here's how to 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 signature === digest;
}

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const signature = req.headers['x-proposify-signature'];
  const isValid = verifyWebhookSignature(JSON.stringify(req.body), signature, 'your_webhook_secret');
  
  if (!isValid) {
    return res.status(403).send('Nice try, hacker!');
  }
  
  // Process the webhook...
});

Error Handling and Retry Mechanism

Sometimes things go wrong. It's not you, it's the internet. Here's a simple retry mechanism:

function processWebhook(event, attempt = 1) {
  try {
    // Process the webhook...
  } catch (error) {
    if (attempt < 3) {
      console.log(`Retry attempt ${attempt + 1}`);
      setTimeout(() => processWebhook(event, attempt + 1), 1000 * attempt);
    } else {
      console.error('Failed to process webhook after 3 attempts');
    }
  }
}

Testing Webhooks

Proposify has some nifty tools for testing webhooks. But for local development, ngrok is your best friend. It's like having a secret tunnel to your localhost!

ngrok http 3000

Use the ngrok URL when registering your webhook with Proposify. Magic!

Scaling Considerations

If you're expecting to be the next big thing (and why wouldn't you be?), consider using a queueing system like RabbitMQ or Redis for processing high volumes of webhooks. Your server will thank you!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now a Proposify webhook wizard. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Use your newfound skills wisely, and may your conversions be ever in your favor!

For more in-depth info, check out the Proposify API docs. They're actually pretty good (and I don't say that about many API docs).

Happy coding, and may your proposals always be signed! 🚀📝