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Webhooks allow you to send certificate notifications to any HTTP endpoint, enabling custom integrations with your own systems.

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Setting Up Webhooks

1

Go to Channels

Navigate to Channels in the sidebar.
2

Add Webhook Channel

Click Add Channel and select Webhook.
3

Enter Webhook URL

Enter the URL that should receive notifications.
4

Configure Settings

  • Set a name for the webhook
  • Add custom headers if needed
  • Choose notification types
5

Save

Click Add Channel to complete setup.

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Webhook Payload

CertWatch sends a JSON payload to your endpoint: 
{
  "event": "certificate.expiring",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-08T12:00:00Z",
  "certificate": {
    "id": "cert_abc123",
    "domain": "example.com",
    "status": "expiring",
    "daysUntilExpiry": 7,
    "expiresAt": "2025-01-15T15:00:00Z",
    "issuer": "Let's Encrypt",
    "subject": "example.com"
  },
  "organization": {
    "id": "org_xyz789",
    "name": "Acme Inc"
  },
  "threshold": 7
}

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Event Types

EventDescription
certificate.expiringCertificate is within alert threshold
certificate.expiredCertificate has expired
certificate.renewedNew certificate detected
certificate.errorError checking certificate

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HTTP Details

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Request Method

All webhooks use POST requests.

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Headers

Content-Type: application/json
User-Agent: CertWatch/1.0
X-CertWatch-Event: certificate.expiring
X-CertWatch-Delivery: del_abc123

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Custom Headers

You can add custom headers for authentication: 
Authorization: Bearer your-secret-token
X-Custom-Header: your-value

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Response Handling

CertWatch expects:
Response CodeMeaning
2xxSuccess - notification delivered
4xxClient error - check configuration
5xxServer error - will retry

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Retries

If your endpoint returns an error, CertWatch will retry:
  • 1st retry: 1 minute
  • 2nd retry: 5 minutes
  • 3rd retry: 30 minutes
  • Final retry: 2 hours
After all retries fail, the webhook will be marked as having an error.

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Use Cases

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PagerDuty Integration

{
  "url": "https://events.pagerduty.com/v2/enqueue",
  "headers": {
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  }
}

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Zapier Integration

Connect to Zapier’s webhook trigger to automate workflows:
  • Create tickets in Jira
  • Send SMS via Twilio
  • Update spreadsheets
  • Trigger custom automations

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Custom Monitoring

Post to your own systems:
  • Update internal dashboards
  • Trigger renewal automation
  • Log to custom systems
  • Integrate with ITSM tools

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Security

Protect your webhook endpoints from unauthorized access.
Best practices:
  1. Use HTTPS - Always use secure endpoints
  2. Verify source - Check the User-Agent header
  3. Use secrets - Require authentication headers
  4. Validate payload - Verify the JSON structure

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Testing Webhooks

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Send Test

  1. Go to Channels
  2. Find your webhook
  3. Click Send Test
  4. Verify your endpoint receives the test payload

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Local Development

For testing locally, use a tunnel service:

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Troubleshooting

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Webhook Not Receiving Data

  • Verify the URL is publicly accessible
  • Check your server logs for incoming requests
  • Ensure your firewall allows CertWatch IPs
  • Test with a service like webhook.site

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Invalid Payload

  • Verify you’re parsing JSON correctly
  • Check the Content-Type header handling
  • Log the raw request body for debugging