Webhook Issues
Troubleshooting common webhook problems and how to resolve them
Common Webhook Problems
Webhook Not Receiving Messages
If your webhook isn’t receiving expected messages, check the following:
- Verify the webhook URL in your A1Base dashboard is correct and publicly accessible.
- Use the right URL route - sometimes people forget to add the specific route of the website (e.g. /apu/receive-message)
- Check your server logs for any incoming requests that might be failing
- Ensure your server is accepting POST requests with JSON content
- Confirm your firewall settings allow incoming webhook requests
- Verify SSL/TLS certificates if you’re using HTTPS (required for production)
Quick Test:
# Test if your endpoint is publicly accessible
curl -X POST https://your-webhook-url.com/path \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"test":"payload"}'
Vercel Timeout Issues
Vercel has a default function timeout of 10 seconds for hobby plans and 60 seconds for pro plans. If your webhook processing takes longer, you might experience timeouts.
Solutions:
- Acknowledge webhooks immediately and process them asynchronously:
app.post('/whatsapp/incoming', async (req, res) => {
// Immediately acknowledge receipt to prevent timeout
res.status(200).json({ success: true });
// Then process the webhook asynchronously
try {
await processWebhookAsync(req.body);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error processing webhook:', error);
}
});
async function processWebhookAsync(data) {
// Your time-consuming processing logic here
}
-
Upgrade to Vercel Pro for longer function execution times
-
Use a serverless queue like AWS SQS or a background job processor
-
Consider moving webhook processing to a different hosting provider without strict timeout limits
Using the Right Endpoint
Using incorrect webhook endpoints is a common issue that can prevent proper message delivery.
Best Practices:
-
Use dedicated endpoints for different services (e.g.,
/webhooks/a1baseinstead of a generic/webhook) -
Include version information in your webhook paths (e.g.,
/api/v1/webhooks/a1base) -
Verify the correct endpoint format in the A1Base dashboard:
- Must be a complete URL including
https:// - Must point to a publicly accessible server
- Should not include query parameters unless necessary
- Must be a complete URL including
Example of proper endpoint structure:
https://your-domain.com/api/webhooks/a1base
Not:
your-domain.com/webhooks
/api/webhooks
Authentication and Security Issues
Securing your webhook is essential to prevent unauthorized access.
Security Best Practices:
-
Validate webhook signatures if provided by A1Base
-
Implement IP whitelisting if A1Base provides a static IP range
-
Use a webhook secret to validate authentic requests:
import crypto from 'crypto';
app.post('/whatsapp/incoming', (req, res) => {
const signature = req.headers['x-webhook-signature'];
const payload = JSON.stringify(req.body);
const secret = process.env.WEBHOOK_SECRET;
const expectedSignature = crypto
.createHmac('sha256', secret)
.update(payload)
.digest('hex');
if (signature !== expectedSignature) {
return res.status(403).send('Invalid signature');
}
// Process valid webhook
res.status(200).send('Success');
});
- Don’t expose sensitive information in your webhook response
Network and Infrastructure Problems
Network issues can cause intermittent webhook failures.
Troubleshooting Steps:
-
Check your server’s connectivity and ensure it has stable internet access
-
Monitor server load as high CPU or memory usage can cause webhook processing delays
-
Implement retry logic in your webhook handler:
async function processWebhookWithRetry(data, maxRetries = 3) {
let retries = 0;
while (retries < maxRetries) {
try {
await processWebhook(data);
return; // Success
} catch (error) {
retries++;
console.error(`Attempt ${retries} failed:`, error);
if (retries >= maxRetries) {
console.error('Max retries reached. Giving up.');
// Consider logging to a monitoring service or error tracker
break;
}
// Exponential backoff
await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 1000 * Math.pow(2, retries)));
}
}
}
- Use a monitoring service like Sentry, New Relic, or Datadog to track webhook reliability
Debugging Webhook Payloads
When webhooks arrive but processing fails, payload issues might be the cause.
Debugging Techniques:
- Log the complete webhook payload during development:
app.post('/whatsapp/incoming', (req, res) => {
console.log('Webhook received:', JSON.stringify(req.body, null, 2));
// Implement validation to ensure all required fields are present
const { thread_id, message_id, message_content } = req.body;
if (!thread_id || !message_id || !message_content) {
console.error('Missing required fields in webhook payload');
return res.status(400).send('Invalid payload');
}
// Process valid webhook
res.status(200).send('Success');
});
-
Implement schema validation using libraries like Joi or Zod
-
Create a webhook simulator for testing your handler with various payload types
-
Set up alerting for malformed payloads to catch API changes early
Advanced Troubleshooting
For persistent webhook issues, consider implementing these advanced solutions:
- Webhook queue system to handle high volumes of incoming webhooks
- Dead letter queue for failed webhook processing attempts
- Circuit breaker pattern to prevent cascading failures when dependent services are down
- Comprehensive logging and monitoring to track webhook reliability over time
If you continue experiencing webhook issues after trying these solutions, please contact our support team at [email protected] with details about your specific problem.