Quick Guide to Implementing Webhooks in VideoAsk

Hey there, fellow Javascript devs! Ready to supercharge your VideoAsk integrations with some real-time magic? Let's dive into the world of webhooks and see how we can leverage the VideoAsk API to create some seriously cool user-facing integrations.

Prerequisites

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

• A VideoAsk account with API access
• Node.js installed on your machine
• A basic grasp of RESTful APIs (but hey, you're a JS dev, so I'm sure you've got this!)

Setting up the Webhook Endpoint

First things first, let's create a simple Express server to handle our webhooks. 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 webhook endpoint ready to rock.

Configuring Webhooks in VideoAsk

Now, let's tell VideoAsk where to send those juicy webhook events. We'll use the VideoAsk API to set this up:

const axios = require('axios');

async function createWebhook() {
  try {
    const response = await axios.post('https://api.videoask.com/webhooks', {
      url: 'https://your-server.com/webhook',
      events: ['submission.created']
    }, {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
      }
    });
    console.log('Webhook created:', response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error creating webhook:', error);
  }
}

createWebhook();

Replace 'YOUR_API_KEY' with your actual VideoAsk API key, and you're good to go!

Handling Webhook Payloads

When VideoAsk sends a webhook, it's packed with useful data. Let's parse and handle it like pros:

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const { event, data } = req.body;
  
  switch (event) {
    case 'submission.created':
      handleNewSubmission(data);
      break;
    // Add more cases as needed
    default:
      console.log('Unhandled event:', event);
  }
  
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

function handleNewSubmission(data) {
  console.log('New submission received:', data);
  // Do something awesome with the submission data
}

Implementing Webhook Events

Let's focus on the submission.created event as an example. This fires when a user completes a VideoAsk form:

function handleNewSubmission(data) {
  const { submission_id, answers } = data;
  
  // Process the answers
  answers.forEach(answer => {
    console.log(`Question: ${answer.question}, Answer: ${answer.answer}`);
  });
  
  // Maybe send a thank you email?
  sendThankYouEmail(data.contact.email);
}

Security Considerations

Security is crucial, folks! VideoAsk signs its webhook payloads, so let's verify that signature:

const crypto = require('crypto');

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const signature = req.headers['x-videoask-signature'];
  const payload = JSON.stringify(req.body);
  const expectedSignature = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', 'YOUR_WEBHOOK_SECRET')
    .update(payload)
    .digest('hex');
  
  if (signature !== expectedSignature) {
    return res.status(403).send('Invalid signature');
  }
  
  // Process the webhook...
});

Replace 'YOUR_WEBHOOK_SECRET' with the secret provided by VideoAsk.

Testing and Debugging

Want to test locally? ngrok is your best friend:

1. Install ngrok: npm install -g ngrok
2. Run your server: node server.js
3. In another terminal: ngrok http 3000

Use the ngrok URL as your webhook URL in the VideoAsk API, and you're set for local testing!

Error Handling and Retries

Always respond to webhooks promptly, even if you encounter an error:

app.post('/webhook', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    await processWebhook(req.body);
    res.sendStatus(200);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error processing webhook:', error);
    res.sendStatus(200); // Still return 200 to acknowledge receipt
  }
});

Best Practices

1. Idempotency: Always handle webhooks idempotently. VideoAsk might send the same event multiple times, so make sure your processing can handle that.

2. Async Processing: For time-consuming tasks, acknowledge the webhook quickly and process in the background:

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  res.sendStatus(200); // Respond immediately
  setImmediate(() => processWebhook(req.body));
});

Wrapping Up

And there you have it! You're now equipped to create some seriously cool integrations with VideoAsk using webhooks. Remember, this is just the beginning – there's so much more you can do with real-time data from VideoAsk.

Keep experimenting, keep building, and most importantly, have fun with it! If you run into any snags, the VideoAsk API docs are a great resource. Now go forth and webhook like a boss! 🚀