Webhooks - Welcome 👋

Overview

Webhooks allow your application to receive real-time notifications when events occur in your Vambe account. Instead of polling for changes, Vambe will send HTTP POST requests to your specified endpoint when events happen.

Common Use Cases

Message Notifications: Get notified when customers send messages
Ticket Updates: Track when tickets are created, updated, or closed
Pipeline Changes: Monitor when contacts move through pipeline stages
Contact Events: Know when new contacts are created
Integration Sync: Keep external systems in sync with Vambe data

How Webhooks Work

Configure Webhook: Set up a webhook URL in your Vambe account
Events Occur: Customer sends message, ticket created, stage changed, etc.
Vambe Sends Request: HTTP POST sent to your webhook URL
Your Server Responds: Process the event and return 200 OK
Retry Logic: If your server doesn’t respond, Vambe retries

Webhook Management API

Use the webhooks API to manage your webhook configurations programmatically.

Available Endpoints

Check the Automation & Pipelines API tab for webhook management endpoints:

Create Webhook: POST /api/webhooks
List Webhooks: GET /api/webhooks
Get Webhook: GET /api/webhooks/{id}
Update Webhook: PUT /api/webhooks/{id}
Delete Webhook: DELETE /api/webhooks/{id}
Restore Webhook: POST /api/webhooks/{id}/restore
Get Topics: GET /api/webhooks/topics
Get Webhook Calls: GET /api/webhooks/calls

Event Types (Topics)

Subscribe to specific events to receive notifications:

Message Events

message.received - Customer sends an inbound message

{
  "event": "message.received",
  "timestamp": "2024-09-30T10:00:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "contact_id": "df980fc8-b6db-4820-bf22-2969482d106d",
    "message_id": "46964423",
    "message_body": "Hello, I need help with my order",
    "platform": "whatsapp",
    "direction": "inbound",
    "contact_name": "Maria Rodriguez",
    "contact_phone": "+56912345678"
  }
}

message.sent - Your team sends an outbound message

{
  "event": "message.sent",
  "timestamp": "2024-09-30T10:01:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "contact_id": "df980fc8-b6db-4820-bf22-2969482d106d",
    "message_id": "46964424",
    "message_body": "Hi! How can I help you?",
    "platform": "whatsapp",
    "direction": "outbound",
    "sent_by": "agent" // or "ai"
  }
}

Ticket Events

ticket.created - New support ticket opened

{
  "event": "ticket.created",
  "timestamp": "2024-09-30T10:00:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "ticket_id": "ticket-123",
    "contact_id": "df980fc8-b6db-4820-bf22-2969482d106d",
    "contact_name": "Maria Rodriguez",
    "pipeline_id": "pipeline-456",
    "stage_id": "stage-789",
    "status": "OPEN"
  }
}

ticket.updated - Ticket status or assignment changes ticket.closed - Ticket is resolved/closed

Contact Events

contact.created - New contact added to system contact.updated - Contact information modified

Pipeline Events

stage.changed - Contact moves to different pipeline stage

{
  "event": "stage.changed",
  "timestamp": "2024-09-30T10:05:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "contact_id": "df980fc8-b6db-4820-bf22-2969482d106d",
    "previous_stage_id": "stage-789",
    "new_stage_id": "stage-890",
    "pipeline_id": "pipeline-456",
    "changed_by": "agent-123"
  }
}

Webhook Payload Structure

When an event occurs, Vambe sends a POST request to your webhook URL:

{
  "event": "message.received",
  "timestamp": "2024-09-30T10:00:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "contact_id": "df980fc8-b6db-4820-bf22-2969482d106d",
    "message_id": "46964423",
    "message_body": "Hello, I need help",
    "platform": "whatsapp",
    "direction": "inbound"
  }
}

Setting Up Webhooks

1. Create a Webhook Endpoint

Your server must have an endpoint that:

Accepts POST requests
Returns 200 OK status
Responds within 5 seconds
Processes events asynchronously (don’t block the response)

// Express.js webhook endpoint
const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.use(express.json());

app.post('/webhooks/vambe', async (req, res) => {
const event = req.body;

// Immediately return 200 OK
res.status(200).json({ received: true });

// Process event asynchronously
try {
await processVambeEvent(event);
console.log(`✅ Processed ${event.event}`);
} catch (error) {
console.error(`❌ Error processing ${event.event}:`, error);
}
});

async function processVambeEvent(event) {
switch (event.event) {
case 'message.received':
await handleNewMessage(event.data);
break;
case 'ticket.created':
await handleNewTicket(event.data);
break;
case 'stage.changed':
await handleStageChange(event.data);
break;
default:
console.log('Unknown event:', event.event);
}
}

app.listen(3000);

2. Configure in Vambe

Use the API to create a webhook configuration:

curl --request POST \
  'https://api.vambe.ai/api/webhooks' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here' \
  --data-raw '{
    "url": "https://your-domain.com/webhooks/vambe",
    "topics": ["message.received", "ticket.created"],
    "active": true
  }'

3. Test Your Webhook

Send a test message to trigger the webhook
Check your server logs to verify receipt
Ensure you’re returning 200 OK

Security Best Practices

Validate Requests: Verify requests are from Vambe
Use HTTPS: Always use secure endpoints
Verify Signatures: Check webhook signatures if provided
Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting on your endpoint
Idempotency: Handle duplicate events gracefully

Error Handling

If your webhook endpoint fails to respond:

Retry Logic: Vambe will retry failed webhooks
Backoff Strategy: Increasing delays between retries
Max Retries: After several failures, webhook may be disabled
Monitor Logs: Check webhook call logs via API

Real-World Use Cases

Use Case 1: Auto-Response to High-Priority Messages

async function handleNewMessage(data) {
  // If message contains "urgent" keyword
  if (data.message_body.toLowerCase().includes('urgent')) {
    // Tag contact as high priority
    await fetch(
      `https://api.vambe.ai/api/public/channels/whatsapp/${data.contact_phone}/tags`,
      {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          'x-api-key': process.env.VAMBE_API_KEY,
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({ tags: ['urgent', 'high-priority'] }),
      },
    );

    // Send notification to team
    await sendSlackAlert(`🚨 Urgent message from ${data.contact_name}`);
  }
}

Use Case 2: CRM Integration on Ticket Creation

async function handleNewTicket(data) {
  // Create deal in external CRM
  await externalCRM.createDeal({
    contact_id: data.contact_id,
    contact_name: data.contact_name,
    source: 'Vambe Chat',
    stage: 'New Lead',
    vambe_ticket_id: data.ticket_id,
  });

  console.log('Deal created in CRM for', data.contact_name);
}

Use Case 3: Update Analytics on Stage Change

async function handleStageChange(data) {
  // Track conversion funnel
  await analytics.track('Stage Changed', {
    contact_id: data.contact_id,
    from_stage: data.previous_stage_id,
    to_stage: data.new_stage_id,
    pipeline: data.pipeline_id,
    timestamp: new Date(),
  });

  // If moved to "Qualified" stage, notify sales team
  if (data.new_stage_id === 'qualified-stage-id') {
    await notifySalesTeam(data.contact_id);
  }
}

Use Case 4: Auto-Assignment Based on Message Content

async function handleNewMessage(data) {
  const messageText = data.message_body.toLowerCase();

  // Route based on message content
  let assigneeId;

  if (messageText.includes('billing') || messageText.includes('payment')) {
    assigneeId = 'billing-team-member-id';
  } else if (messageText.includes('technical') || messageText.includes('bug')) {
    assigneeId = 'tech-support-member-id';
  } else {
    assigneeId = 'general-support-member-id';
  }

  // Auto-assign to appropriate team member
  await fetch(
    `https://api.vambe.ai/api/public/contact/${data.contact_id}/assign-team-member/${assigneeId}`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'x-api-key': process.env.VAMBE_API_KEY },
    },
  );
}

Webhook Management with API

Create a Webhook

curl --request POST \
  'https://api.vambe.ai/api/webhooks' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here' \
  --data-raw '{
    "url": "https://your-domain.com/webhooks/vambe",
    "topics": ["message.received", "ticket.created", "stage.changed"],
    "active": true,
    "description": "Main webhook for production"
  }'

List All Webhooks

curl --request GET \
  'https://api.vambe.ai/api/webhooks' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here'

Update Webhook

curl --request PUT \
  'https://api.vambe.ai/api/webhooks/webhook-id-123' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here' \
  --data-raw '{
    "active": false
  }'

Delete Webhook

curl --request DELETE \
  'https://api.vambe.ai/api/webhooks/webhook-id-123' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here'

Get Available Topics

curl --request GET \
  'https://api.vambe.ai/api/webhooks/topics' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here'

View Webhook Call History

curl --request GET \
  'https://api.vambe.ai/api/webhooks/calls' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here'

Debugging Webhooks

Log Everything During Development

app.post('/webhooks/vambe', (req, res) => {
  console.log('=== Webhook Received ===');
  console.log('Headers:', req.headers);
  console.log('Body:', JSON.stringify(req.body, null, 2));
  console.log('Event Type:', req.body.event);
  console.log('========================');

  res.status(200).send('OK');

  // Process after response
  processEvent(req.body);
});

Test Webhook Locally with ngrok

# 1. Start ngrok tunnel
ngrok http 3000

# 2. Use ngrok URL for webhook
# https://abc123.ngrok.io/webhooks/vambe

# 3. Test by triggering events in Vambe
# 4. Watch logs in ngrok dashboard

Common Issues

Issue: Webhook not receiving events

✅ Verify webhook is active (GET /api/webhooks)
✅ Check URL is publicly accessible
✅ Verify subscribed to correct topics
✅ Check firewall/security groups

Issue: Receiving duplicate events

✅ Implement idempotency with event IDs
✅ Track processed events in database
✅ Return 200 OK even if duplicate

Issue: Webhook timing out

✅ Process events asynchronously
✅ Return 200 OK immediately
✅ Don’t wait for external API calls

Advanced Patterns

Idempotency Pattern

const processedEvents = new Set();

app.post('/webhooks/vambe', async (req, res) => {
  const event = req.body;
  const eventId = `${event.event}-${event.timestamp}-${event.data.contact_id}`;

  // Check if already processed
  if (processedEvents.has(eventId)) {
    console.log('Duplicate event, skipping');
    return res.status(200).send('OK');
  }

  // Mark as processed
  processedEvents.add(eventId);

  res.status(200).send('OK');

  // Process event
  await processVambeEvent(event);
});

Queue-Based Processing

// Use a queue for reliable processing
const Queue = require('bull');
const webhookQueue = new Queue('vambe-webhooks');

app.post('/webhooks/vambe', async (req, res) => {
  // Add to queue
  await webhookQueue.add(req.body);

  // Return immediately
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

// Process from queue
webhookQueue.process(async (job) => {
  const event = job.data;
  await processVambeEvent(event);
});

Event Filtering

// Only process certain events or conditions
app.post('/webhooks/vambe', async (req, res) => {
  const event = req.body;

  res.status(200).send('OK');

  // Filter: Only process messages with "order" keyword
  if (
    event.event === 'message.received' &&
    event.data.message_body.toLowerCase().includes('order')
  ) {
    await processOrderInquiry(event.data);
  }

  // Filter: Only process tickets in specific pipeline
  if (
    event.event === 'ticket.created' &&
    event.data.pipeline_id === 'sales-pipeline-id'
  ) {
    await processSalesTicket(event.data);
  }
});

Webhook API Reference - Full webhook management endpoints
Analytics - Monitor webhook event patterns
Integration Guide - API integration overview
Contact Management - Webhook data usage

Getting started

WhatsApp Integration

WhatsApp QR

Webchat Integration

Ecommerce

Advanced Integration

​Overview

​Common Use Cases

​How Webhooks Work

​Webhook Management API

​Available Endpoints

​Event Types (Topics)

​Message Events

​Ticket Events

​Contact Events

​Pipeline Events

​Webhook Payload Structure

​Setting Up Webhooks

​1. Create a Webhook Endpoint

​2. Configure in Vambe

​3. Test Your Webhook

​Security Best Practices

​Error Handling

​Real-World Use Cases

​Use Case 1: Auto-Response to High-Priority Messages

​Use Case 2: CRM Integration on Ticket Creation

​Use Case 3: Update Analytics on Stage Change

​Use Case 4: Auto-Assignment Based on Message Content

​Webhook Management with API

​Create a Webhook

​List All Webhooks

​Update Webhook

​Delete Webhook

​Get Available Topics

​View Webhook Call History

​Debugging Webhooks

​Log Everything During Development

​Test Webhook Locally with ngrok

​Common Issues

​Advanced Patterns

​Idempotency Pattern

​Queue-Based Processing

​Event Filtering

​Related Resources