Zoom users who would like to learn more about webhooks and WebSockets and how they can be used to enhance real-time communications. Might be interested to know that the official Zoom blog has published a new guide explaining exactly what are Zoom webhooks and WebSockets and their availability in a beta release.
The services have been enabled by Zoom to provide its customers with even more tools to create innovative and engaging experiences for users worldwide. In simple terms WebSockets and webhooks are essential tools that can be used for creating web-based interactive applications, providing seamless and efficient updates, low latency, cost-efficiency, and scalability.
WebSockets in general can be a good option for those developing applications in industries like banking, finance, and healthcare, come with an additional layer of security as the connection is established directly between the client and the server. When implementing webhooks, a developer needs to make extra efforts to secure their endpoint, like validating the request and whitelisting the IPs.
What are webhooks and WebSockets?
“Webhooks and WebSockets are key components of modern applications, as they provide crucial event notification services. Both webhooks and WebSockets allow you to receive notifications about events in your Zoom account in real time. They also support applications that need to respond to changes or updates as soon as they happen. However, there are some key differences between webhooks and WebSockets that you should consider when deciding which one is the right fit for your use case, such as ease of implementation, speed of delivery, reliability, architecture, and other factors.”
Protocols and ease of implementation
Webhooks use the HTTP protocol, while WebSockets use the WebSocket protocol (ws or wss). Because of this, webhooks are generally easier to implement, as they only require an endpoint URL to receive HTTP POST requests. WebSockets require a more complex setup, including obtaining an access token and opening a connection to the server.
Speed of delivery
WebSockets are generally faster in terms of delivery than webhooks because they offer a duplex communication channel. WebSockets allow for a single connection to be established between the client and server, enabling the exchange of data in real time without the need for additional HTTP requests. Compared to webhooks, a persistent connection can result in faster delivery of event notifications and more efficient use of resources.
Reliability
When evaluating options for event-based communication, reliability is critical. Webhooks send a notification to a specific URL when an event occurs. However, if the endpoint is experiencing problems, the event notification may not be processed correctly. WebSockets, alternatively, maintain a persistent connection with the server, allowing for more consistent and reliable communication.
Architecture
Webhooks are based on a “push” model, where Zoom pushes event notifications to endpoints as they occur. xWebSockets are based on a “pull” model, where the client establishes a connection with the server and then receives event notifications as they occur.
Stateless vs. stateful
Webhooks are stateless, meaning that each event notification is independent and carries all the necessary information about the event. WebSockets are stateful, meaning that the client and server maintain a persistent connection and can share state information throughout the lifetime of the connection.
Use cases
Webhooks may be a better solution when an app only needs to receive a small number of event notifications. Let’s say you have a marketplace app that needs to receive a notification when a user creates, updates, or deletes a meeting. In this case, webhooks work well because the app only needs to receive a small number of event notifications (i.e., a notification on meeting-related events). Setting up a simple endpoint to receive these notifications via webhooks is more efficient than implementing WebSockets.
To learn more about the beta release of Zoom webhooks and WebSockets jump over to the official Zoom blog by following the link below.
Source : ZB
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