Handling Stripe Webhooks

Imagine you're waiting for a package. You could constantly call the delivery company (polling) to ask for updates, or they could simply call you (webhook) when the package arrives. Webhooks are automated messages sent by one system to another when a specific event occurs.

They act like a notification system, allowing applications to communicate in real-time about changes or events.

Payment processing is often asynchronous. This means an action, like a payment, might not complete instantly. It could take time, or even fail, after your user initiates it.

Stripe uses webhooks to notify your application about these crucial asynchronous events. Instead of constantly asking Stripe for updates, Stripe tells your app when a payment succeeds, a subscription renews, a refund is issued, or a failure occurs.