Summary
Web Hooks let KnowledgeCity notify external systems automatically when integration events occur. You register an endpoint URL, choose which events it should receive, and KnowledgeCity sends a signed request to that URL whenever a matching event happens. This lets downstream applications react in near real time instead of repeatedly polling for changes.
Introduction
Most organizations run KnowledgeCity alongside other systems, and those systems often need to know when something changes. Web Hooks provide an outbound notification channel: rather than having an external tool ask KnowledgeCity for updates on a schedule, KnowledgeCity pushes an event to the tool the moment it occurs.
Web Hooks are configured by administrators and integration owners, the people responsible for connecting KnowledgeCity to the rest of the technology stack. They solve the problem of keeping external systems in sync with events as they happen, reliably and securely, without manual data entry or constant polling.
Key Concepts
- Web Hook: an outbound notification that KnowledgeCity sends to an external URL when a defined event occurs, so another system can react to the change automatically.
- Endpoint URL: the external address you control that receives the notification requests. It must be able to accept and verify incoming requests.
- Events: the specific integration occurrences you subscribe an endpoint to; KnowledgeCity sends a request only when a matching event happens.
- HMAC signature: each outbound request is HMAC signed so the receiving system can verify the message genuinely came from KnowledgeCity and was not tampered with.
- Retries with back-off: if a delivery does not succeed, KnowledgeCity retries with exponential back-off, making delivery reliable even when the endpoint is briefly unavailable.
- Audit log: a record that preserves every delivery attempt, so you can review what was sent and confirm receipt or diagnose failures.
Steps to Follow
Opening the Web Hooks settings
Sign in as an administrator and open the Integrations area from your account settings. From here you can manage the outbound Web Hooks for your account alongside your other connection points.
Registering an endpoint URL
In the Web Hooks section, register the external endpoint URL that should receive event notifications. Use an endpoint you control and that is prepared to accept incoming requests over HTTPS. Because notifications are pushed to this address as events happen, the endpoint should be reachable and able to respond promptly.
Selecting which events to receive
Choose which events the endpoint should be notified about. KnowledgeCity sends a request to your endpoint only when one of the selected events occurs, so subscribing to just the events your external system cares about keeps traffic focused and relevant.
Verifying signed deliveries
Every outbound request is HMAC signed. On the receiving side, verify this signature before acting on a notification to confirm the request genuinely originated from KnowledgeCity and has not been altered in transit. Rejecting requests that fail signature verification protects your endpoint from spoofed or tampered messages.
Relying on retries and reviewing the audit log
Delivery is designed to be reliable. If your endpoint is temporarily unreachable, KnowledgeCity retries with exponential back-off rather than dropping the notification. To confirm what was sent and when, review the audit log, which preserves every delivery attempt so you can verify successful receipt or investigate any failures.
Conclusion
Web Hooks give administrators a dependable way to push integration events out to the systems that depend on them. By registering a trusted endpoint URL, subscribing it to the right events, verifying the HMAC signature on each request, and relying on automatic retries and the audit log, you can keep external systems in sync in near real time while keeping delivery secure and verifiable.