Quick Guide to Implementing Webhooks in UKG Pro Recruiting

Hey there, fellow Javascript devs! Ready to dive into the world of webhooks with UKG Pro Recruiting? Let's get cracking!

Introduction

Webhooks are like the cool kids of real-time data transfer, and UKG Pro Recruiting is no exception. They're essential for keeping your user-facing integrations snappy and up-to-date. In this guide, we'll walk through setting up webhooks that'll make your UKG Pro Recruiting integration sing.

Prerequisites

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

• UKG Pro Recruiting API access (you've got this, right?)
• A Node.js environment ready to rock

Setting Up Webhook Endpoints

First things first, let's whip up a quick Express.js server to handle those incoming webhooks:

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

app.use(express.json());

app.post('/webhooks/ukg', (req, res) => {
  // We'll flesh this out soon!
  console.log('Webhook received:', req.body);
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

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

Registering Webhooks with UKG Pro Recruiting API

Now, let's tell UKG Pro Recruiting where to send those juicy webhook events:

const axios = require('axios');

async function registerWebhook() {
  try {
    const response = await axios.post('https://api.ukgprorecruiting.com/webhooks', {
      url: 'https://your-domain.com/webhooks/ukg',
      events: ['candidate.created', 'application.updated'],
      // Add more events as needed
    }, {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    });
    console.log('Webhook registered:', response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error registering webhook:', error);
  }
}

registerWebhook();

Handling Webhook Payloads

Time to beef up our webhook handler:

const crypto = require('crypto');

app.post('/webhooks/ukg', (req, res) => {
  const signature = req.headers['x-ukg-signature'];
  const payload = JSON.stringify(req.body);
  const expectedSignature = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', process.env.UKG_WEBHOOK_SECRET)
    .update(payload)
    .digest('hex');

  if (signature !== expectedSignature) {
    return res.status(403).send('Invalid signature');
  }

  const { event, data } = req.body;

  switch (event) {
    case 'candidate.created':
      handleNewCandidate(data);
      break;
    case 'application.updated':
      handleApplicationUpdate(data);
      break;
    // Add more cases as needed
  }

  res.sendStatus(200);
});

function handleNewCandidate(data) {
  // Your logic here
}

function handleApplicationUpdate(data) {
  // Your logic here
}

Error Handling and Retry Mechanism

Nobody's perfect, so let's plan for hiccups:

const Queue = require('bull');

const retryQueue = new Queue('webhook-retry');

app.post('/webhooks/ukg', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    // ... (previous validation code)

    await processWebhook(req.body);
    res.sendStatus(200);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error processing webhook:', error);
    await retryQueue.add(req.body, { attempts: 3, backoff: 60000 });
    res.sendStatus(202); // Accepted, but processing later
  }
});

retryQueue.process(async (job) => {
  await processWebhook(job.data);
});

async function processWebhook(data) {
  // Your webhook processing logic here
}

Testing Webhooks

UKG Pro Recruiting likely has a webhook tester in their developer portal. Use it! But for local testing, you can't beat a good ol' mock server:

const mockServer = express();

mockServer.post('/test-webhook', (req, res) => {
  axios.post('http://localhost:3000/webhooks/ukg', {
    event: 'candidate.created',
    data: { /* mock data */ }
  }, {
    headers: {
      'x-ukg-signature': 'mock-signature'
    }
  });
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

mockServer.listen(3001, () => console.log('Mock server running on port 3001'));

Security Considerations

• Always use HTTPS in production
• Whitelist UKG Pro Recruiting's IP addresses if possible
• Store your webhook secret in environment variables, not in your code!

Scaling Webhook Processing

As you grow, consider using a robust message queue like RabbitMQ:

const amqp = require('amqplib');

async function setupQueue() {
  const connection = await amqp.connect('amqp://localhost');
  const channel = await connection.createChannel();
  await channel.assertQueue('ukg-webhooks');
  return channel;
}

app.post('/webhooks/ukg', async (req, res) => {
  const channel = await setupQueue();
  channel.sendToQueue('ukg-webhooks', Buffer.from(JSON.stringify(req.body)));
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

// In your worker process:
async function startWorker() {
  const channel = await setupQueue();
  channel.consume('ukg-webhooks', (msg) => {
    if (msg !== null) {
      const data = JSON.parse(msg.content.toString());
      processWebhook(data);
      channel.ack(msg);
    }
  });
}

startWorker();

Best Practices and Tips

• Make your webhook handlers idempotent (able to handle duplicate events gracefully)
• Log everything, but be mindful of sensitive data
• Implement rate limiting to play nice with UKG's servers

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed with the knowledge to implement robust, scalable webhooks for UKG Pro Recruiting. Remember, the key is to start simple and iterate. Happy coding!

Additional Resources

• UKG Pro Recruiting API Docs (you should practically live here)
• Useful npm packages: axios, express, bull, amqplib
• Join the UKG Pro Recruiting developer community on their forum for more tips and tricks

Now go forth and webhook like a pro! 🚀