# What is a messaging webhook?

> A messaging webhook is an HTTPS endpoint on your server that a messaging platform calls to push you real-time events — delivery receipts, inbound (mobile-originated) messages, and status changes — instead of you polling an API for them. It is how your application learns that a message was delivered, failed, or received, the instant it happens, so you can react programmatically.

- Canonical URL: https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-a-messaging-webhook
- Language: en
- Last reviewed: 2026-07-22
- Publisher: BroadNet (https://www.broadnet.me)

## What events it delivers

The two most common are delivery receipts (DLRs), which report whether each message reached the handset and why it failed, and inbound messages, which let you build two-way flows and STOP handling. See /answers/what-is-dlr and /answers/what-is-mo-vs-mt.

## Why push beats polling

Polling an API for status wastes requests and adds latency; a webhook delivers the event the moment it occurs, so your OTP retries, support routing, and analytics react in real time. See /developers/webhooks.

## Verify and secure it

Because anyone can POST to a public URL, sign webhook payloads (for example with HMAC-SHA256) and verify the signature before trusting an event, and always serve the endpoint over HTTPS. See /answers/hmac-sha256-dlr-signing and /tools/webhook-signature-validator.

## Make it resilient

Return a fast 2xx and process asynchronously, expect retries and occasional duplicates (so handle events idempotently), and monitor for failures so you never silently miss a delivery event. See /developers/webhooks.

## Related

- [All answers](https://www.broadnet.me/answers)
- [Glossary](https://www.broadnet.me/answers)
- [What is a DLR (Delivery Receipt)?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-dlr)
- [MO vs MT — what's the difference?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-mo-vs-mt)
- [HMAC-SHA256 for DLR webhook signing — how and why](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/hmac-sha256-dlr-signing)
- [What is two-way messaging?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-two-way-messaging)
- [Webhook setup](https://www.broadnet.me/developers/webhooks)
- [Webhook validator](https://www.broadnet.me/tools/webhook-signature-validator)
- [SMS API](https://www.broadnet.me/products/sms-api)