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Common Webhook Problems

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Webhook Not Receiving Messages

If your webhook isn’t receiving expected messages, check the following:
  1. Verify the webhook URL in your A1Base dashboard is correct and publicly accessible.
  2. Use the right URL route - sometimes people forget to add the specific route of the website (e.g. /apu/receive-message)
  3. Check your server logs for any incoming requests that might be failing
  4. Ensure your server is accepting POST requests with JSON content
  5. Confirm your firewall settings allow incoming webhook requests
  6. 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"}'

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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:
  1. 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
}
  1. Upgrade to Vercel Pro for longer function execution times
  2. Use a serverless queue like AWS SQS or a background job processor
  3. Consider moving webhook processing to a different hosting provider without strict timeout limits

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Using the Right Endpoint

Using incorrect webhook endpoints is a common issue that can prevent proper message delivery.Best Practices:
  1. Use dedicated endpoints for different services (e.g., /webhooks/a1base instead of a generic /webhook)
  2. Include version information in your webhook paths (e.g., /api/v1/webhooks/a1base)
  3. 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
Example of proper endpoint structure:
https://your-domain.com/api/webhooks/a1base
Not:
your-domain.com/webhooks
/api/webhooks

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Authentication and Security Issues

Securing your webhook is essential to prevent unauthorized access.Security Best Practices:
  1. Validate webhook signatures if provided by A1Base
  2. Implement IP whitelisting if A1Base provides a static IP range
  3. 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');
});
  1. Don’t expose sensitive information in your webhook response

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Network and Infrastructure Problems

Network issues can cause intermittent webhook failures.Troubleshooting Steps:
  1. Check your server’s connectivity and ensure it has stable internet access
  2. Monitor server load as high CPU or memory usage can cause webhook processing delays
  3. 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)));
    }
  }
}
  1. Use a monitoring service like Sentry, New Relic, or Datadog to track webhook reliability

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Debugging Webhook Payloads

When webhooks arrive but processing fails, payload issues might be the cause.Debugging Techniques:
  1. 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');
});
  1. Implement schema validation using libraries like Joi or Zod
  2. Create a webhook simulator for testing your handler with various payload types
  3. Set up alerting for malformed payloads to catch API changes early

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Advanced Troubleshooting

For persistent webhook issues, consider implementing these advanced solutions:
  1. Webhook queue system to handle high volumes of incoming webhooks
  2. Dead letter queue for failed webhook processing attempts
  3. Circuit breaker pattern to prevent cascading failures when dependent services are down
  4. 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.
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