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MongoDB Academy · Lesson

HTTPS Endpoints as Lightweight Webhooks

Learners will expose an Atlas Function as an HTTPS endpoint and configure request validation for use as a webhook receiver.

HTTPS Endpoints as Lightweight Webhooks is a free MongoDB Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 4 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the MongoDB Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

What Are Atlas HTTPS Endpoints?

Atlas HTTPS Endpoints (formerly Webhooks) expose an Atlas Function as a publicly accessible URL that accepts HTTP requests. They let external services (GitHub, Stripe, Twilio, Shopify, custom CI/CD pipelines) call your Atlas Function by posting to a URL — turning your database into a lightweight API backend with no separate server required.

Creating an HTTPS Endpoint

In Atlas App Services, go to HTTPS Endpoints and click Add an Endpoint. Configure: Route (URL path, e.g., /api/orders), HTTP Method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, or ANY), Authentication (application auth, user auth, or no auth for public endpoints), and the Linked Function that handles the request. The generated URL looks like: https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/APP_ID/endpoint/api/orders.

// The HTTPS endpoint URL format:
// https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/{APP_ID}/endpoint{route}

// Example endpoint configuration:
// Route: /webhook/stripe
// HTTP Method: POST
// Auth: no auth (Stripe handles its own signature)
// Function: handleStripeWebhook

The Request Object

The linked function receives a single argument — the request object — which contains all HTTP request data: body (raw body or parsed JSON), headers (a map of header name to array of values), query (URL query parameters), httpMethod, and rawUrl. Parse the body with EJSON.parse(body.text()) for JSON payloads.

exports = async function(request) {
  // Access headers, query params, and body
  const contentType = request.headers['Content-Type']
  const page = parseInt(request.query.page) || 1
  const bodyText = request.body.text()
  const payload = EJSON.parse(bodyText)

  console.log('Received ' + request.httpMethod + ' with page=' + page)
  console.log('Body:', JSON.stringify(payload))
}

Returning a Response

The function's return value becomes the HTTP response. Return a plain object to send it as JSON (Atlas automatically serialises it with a 200 status). To control the status code and headers explicitly, use Atlas's Response object or return a specific shape. Always return a response — an undefined return becomes an empty 200.

exports = async function(request) {
  // Simple JSON response (200 OK)
  return { success: true, data: [1, 2, 3] }

  // Custom status code and headers
  // return {
  //   statusCode: 201,
  //   headers: { 'X-Request-Id': ['abc123'] },
  //   body: JSON.stringify({ id: newDoc._id })
  // }

  // Error response
  // return {
  //   statusCode: 400,
  //   body: JSON.stringify({ error: 'Missing required field: email' })
  // }
}

Webhook Signature Validation

When acting as a webhook receiver for services like Stripe, GitHub, or Twilio, always validate the request signature before processing it. Each service sends a header (e.g., Stripe-Signature, X-Hub-Signature-256) that contains an HMAC of the request body signed with your webhook secret. Verify it before touching the database.

exports = async function(request) {
  // Validate Stripe webhook signature
  const sigHeader = request.headers['Stripe-Signature'][0]
  const bodyText = request.body.text()
  const webhookSecret = context.values.get('STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET')

  // Compute expected signature (simplified — use a library in real code)
  const crypto = require('crypto')
  const timestamp = sigHeader.split(',').find(p => p.startsWith('t=')).split('=')[1]
  const expectedSig = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', webhookSecret)
    .update(timestamp + '.' + bodyText)
    .digest('hex')
  const receivedSig = sigHeader.split(',').find(p => p.startsWith('v1=')).split('=')[1]

  if (receivedSig !== expectedSig) {
    return { statusCode: 401, body: JSON.stringify({ error: 'Invalid signature' }) }
  }

  // Safe to process
  const event = EJSON.parse(bodyText)
  // ...
}

Authentication Options

HTTPS endpoints support several authentication modes: No Auth — public endpoint, anyone with the URL can call it (use signature validation). Application Auth — caller must provide an App Services API key or JWT token. User Auth — caller must be an authenticated App Services user, and context.user is populated. Choose based on the caller: external webhooks usually use No Auth + signature validation; internal services use API keys.

// Calling a user-authenticated endpoint from a client app
const response = await fetch(
  'https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/APP_ID/endpoint/api/profile',
  {
    method: 'GET',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + userJwtToken,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
  }
)
const data = await response.json()

Building a Lightweight REST API

You can use HTTPS endpoints to build a lightweight REST API backed by MongoDB without any Node.js server. Each route gets its own endpoint (or you use a single ANY-method endpoint and parse the path/method in the function). This is suitable for low-traffic microservices, prototypes, and internal tools where the overhead of a full application server is not justified.

// Single ANY-method endpoint handles multiple routes
exports = async function(request) {
  const db = context.services.get('mongodb-atlas').db('mydb')
  const path = request.rawUrl.split('/endpoint')[1]  // e.g., '/api/orders'

  if (request.httpMethod === 'GET' && path === '/api/orders') {
    const orders = await db.collection('orders').find({}).limit(20).toArray()
    return { statusCode: 200, body: EJSON.stringify(orders) }
  }

  if (request.httpMethod === 'POST' && path === '/api/orders') {
    const body = EJSON.parse(request.body.text())
    const result = await db.collection('orders').insertOne(body)
    return { statusCode: 201, body: JSON.stringify({ id: result.insertedId }) }
  }

  return { statusCode: 404, body: JSON.stringify({ error: 'Not found' }) }
}

Idempotency for Webhook Receivers

External services often retry webhook deliveries if your endpoint returns an error or times out. This means your endpoint function may be called multiple times with the same event. Design it to be idempotent: use the event's unique ID as a deduplication key. Check if the event was already processed before doing work, and use upserts rather than inserts.

exports = async function(request) {
  const event = EJSON.parse(request.body.text())
  const db = context.services.get('mongodb-atlas').db('mydb')

  // Idempotency check: has this event been processed?
  const existing = await db.collection('processed_events').findOne({ _id: event.id })
  if (existing) {
    return { statusCode: 200, body: JSON.stringify({ status: 'already_processed' }) }
  }

  // Process the event
  await handleEvent(db, event)

  // Mark as processed (atomic upsert)
  await db.collection('processed_events').updateOne(
    { _id: event.id },
    { $set: { processedAt: new Date(), type: event.type } },
    { upsert: true }
  )

  return { statusCode: 200, body: JSON.stringify({ status: 'ok' }) }
}

CORS and Browser Access

If you call an HTTPS endpoint from a browser (SPA or mobile web app), you need to configure CORS headers. In the endpoint settings, enable CORS and specify allowed origins. Atlas will add the appropriate Access-Control-Allow-Origin headers to responses and handle OPTIONS preflight requests automatically.

// Manual CORS headers if you need custom control
exports = async function(request) {
  const corsHeaders = {
    'Access-Control-Allow-Origin': ['https://myapp.com'],
    'Access-Control-Allow-Methods': ['GET, POST, OPTIONS'],
    'Access-Control-Allow-Headers': ['Content-Type, Authorization']
  }

  // Handle preflight
  if (request.httpMethod === 'OPTIONS') {
    return { statusCode: 204, headers: corsHeaders, body: '' }
  }

  // Handle actual request
  const data = await getData()
  return { statusCode: 200, headers: corsHeaders,
    body: JSON.stringify(data) }
}

Rate Limiting and Abuse Prevention

Public HTTPS endpoints can be abused. Atlas has built-in rate limits (requests per second per endpoint), but for additional protection: validate request signatures for webhooks, add IP-based rate limiting by recording request counts per IP in MongoDB with a TTL index, and keep endpoint functions lightweight by offloading heavy processing to a database trigger or queue.

// Simple IP-based rate limiting
exports = async function(request) {
  const ip = request.headers['X-Forwarded-For'][0]
  const db = context.services.get('mongodb-atlas').db('mydb')
  const windowMs = 60 * 1000  // 1 minute
  const maxRequests = 30

  const now = Date.now()
  const record = await db.collection('rate_limits').findOneAndUpdate(
    { _id: ip, resetAt: { $gt: new Date(now) } },
    { $inc: { count: 1 }, $setOnInsert: { resetAt: new Date(now + windowMs) } },
    { upsert: true, returnDocument: 'after' }
  )

  if (record && record.count > maxRequests) {
    return { statusCode: 429, body: JSON.stringify({ error: 'Rate limit exceeded' }) }
  }
  // Proceed...
}

Logging and Debugging Endpoints

Use console.log() in your endpoint function for debugging — all output appears in the App Services execution log with a timestamp and invocation ID. For production, log the HTTP method, route, response status, and duration. Avoid logging sensitive data (API keys, passwords, full request bodies with PII). The execution log retains entries for 30 days in Atlas.

exports = async function(request) {
  const start = Date.now()
  const route = request.httpMethod + ' ' + request.rawUrl.split('/endpoint')[1]
  try {
    const result = await handleRequest(request)
    console.log(JSON.stringify({ route, status: result.statusCode || 200, ms: Date.now() - start }))
    return result
  } catch (err) {
    console.error(JSON.stringify({ route, status: 500, error: err.message, ms: Date.now() - start }))
    return { statusCode: 500, body: JSON.stringify({ error: 'Internal server error' }) }
  }
}

Quick Check

Test your understanding of MongoDB & NoSQL Databases concepts from this lesson.

Lesson Recap

In this lesson you learned: Atlas HTTPS Endpoints expose an Atlas Function as a public URL for receiving webhooks and building lightweight APIs, always validate webhook signatures using the service's HMAC header before processing the payload, and idempotency with a processed-events deduplication collection prevents duplicate side effects from retried webhook deliveries. Next up: Time Series Collections in MongoDB 5.0+.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “HTTPS Endpoints as Lightweight Webhooks” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “HTTPS Endpoints as Lightweight Webhooks” is free to read here on the web, and the MongoDB Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the MongoDB Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “HTTPS Endpoints as Lightweight Webhooks”?

Learners will expose an Atlas Function as an HTTPS endpoint and configure request validation for use as a webhook receiver. You practise MongoDB Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start MongoDB Academy?

No prior experience is required. MongoDB Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 4 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “HTTPS Endpoints as Lightweight Webhooks” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this MongoDB Academy lesson?

Yes. Every MongoDB Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. Database Triggers: Reacting to CRUD Events
  2. Scheduled Triggers and Cron Jobs
  3. Writing Atlas Functions in JavaScript
  4. HTTPS Endpoints as Lightweight Webhooks
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