Liquid Webhooks

What are Liquid Webhooks?

Liquid webhooks are a powerful feature in Shopify that allow you to automate actions based on specific events, such as order creation, product updates, and more. When a specified event occurs, Shopify sends an HTTP POST request to a URL of your choice, which can then trigger further processing or actions.

Setting Up a Webhook in Shopify

To set up a webhook in Shopify, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to your Shopify admin panel.
2. Go to Settings > Notifications.
3. Scroll down to the Webhooks section and click Create webhook.
4. Select the event you want to listen for, such as Order creation.
5. Enter the URL where you want the webhook to send data.
6. Choose the format (JSON or XML) and save the webhook.

Once set, Shopify will send data to the specified URL whenever the event occurs.

Example: Order Creation Webhook

Let's say you want to trigger an action every time a new order is created on your Shopify store. Here's how you can achieve this using a webhook:

In this example, when an order is created, Shopify sends a JSON payload to your-server.com/webhook/order-created. Your server can then process this data to perform actions like sending a confirmation email or updating an inventory system.

Securing Your Webhooks

Security is crucial when dealing with webhooks, as they involve data transfer between Shopify and your server. Here are some best practices:

• Validate Payloads: Always validate the data received to ensure it is from a trusted source.
• Use HTTPS: Ensure your webhook endpoints use HTTPS to encrypt data in transit.
• Authenticate Requests: Implement authentication mechanisms such as HMAC verification to confirm that requests are genuinely from Shopify.

In this JavaScript example, the verifyShopifyWebhook function checks the HMAC signature of incoming requests to verify their authenticity. Ensure you replace process.env.SHOPIFY_WEBHOOK_SECRET with your actual secret key.