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Webhook — OpenClaw Glossary

A method for one application to provide real-time data to another application as soon as an event happens, rather than forcing the second application to repeatedly ask if new data is available (polling).

Term
Webhook
OpenClaw Relevance
Messaging channels like Telegram and WhatsApp use webhooks to deliver messages t…
On this page
On this page
Hinglish Explanation

Webhook ek notification system hai. Polling mein bot baar-baar Telegram se poochta hai 'kya koi naya message aaya?'. Webhook mein, jab bhi koi message aata hai, Telegram turant aapke bot ko bata deta hai. Ye fast aur efficient hota hai, lekin iske liye aapka server internet se directly accessible (HTTPS ke sath) hona chahiye.

What is a Webhook?

A webhook is an HTTP-based callback function. It allows systems to communicate instantly.

Think of it like getting food delivered:

  • Polling: You call the restaurant every 5 minutes asking, “Is my food ready yet?”
  • Webhook: You give the restaurant your phone number, and they text you the exact moment it is ready.

Why it matters for OpenClaw

When a user sends a message to your OpenClaw bot on Telegram or WhatsApp, that message hits the provider’s servers first. The provider needs a way to send it to your Gateway.

There are two ways to do this:

  1. Polling: OpenClaw constantly asks Telegram, “Any new messages?” This works great locally or behind firewalls, but can be slightly slower.
  2. Webhooks: Telegram instantly POSTs the message to a specific URL on your server. This is faster and uses less bandwidth.

To use webhooks for production, you must provide Telegram with a public, HTTPS-secured URL (e.g., https://api.my-agent.com/webhook/telegram). This requires setting up a Reverse Proxy with an SSL certificate.

Common mistake

Configuring a webhook without HTTPS.

Telegram enforces strict security. If you tell Telegram to send webhooks to an http:// address, or an IP address, or an address with an invalid SSL certificate, Telegram will simply drop the messages. Your OpenClaw Gateway will never receive them, and your bot will not reply.

Fix: If you do not know how to configure Nginx and Let’s Encrypt for HTTPS, do not use webhooks. Use standard polling instead, which works perfectly behind an SSH Tunnel or NAT without exposing any ports.

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