Forem: Rakul Agn

How to Debug Webhooks Easily (Step-by-Step Guide for Developers)

Rakul Agn — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:05:13 +0000

Webhooks are powerful, but debugging them can be frustrating.

Unlike regular API requests, webhooks are sent by external systems, and when something goes wrong, it’s often unclear what actually happened.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to debug webhooks step by step.

What Makes Webhooks Hard to Debug?

You don’t control when requests are sent
No UI to inspect incoming data
Failures can be silent
Payloads may differ between environments

Step 1: Verify Your Endpoint

Make sure your webhook endpoint is:

Publicly accessible
Returning a 200 OK response
Not timing out

Step 2: Capture Incoming Requests

The most important step is to actually see what data is being sent.

Use a webhook capture tool to inspect:

Headers
Request body
Event type

Step 3: Check Payload Structure

Compare the incoming payload with what your code expects.

Common issues:

Missing fields
Different data types
Nested objects not handled correctly

Step 4: Validate Signatures

Many services (like payment gateways) send signed requests.

Make sure:

You are using the raw request body
The secret key is correct
Signature verification logic is implemented properly

Step 5: Replay Webhook Requests

Instead of waiting for the event again, replay the webhook request to test your fixes.

This saves time and makes debugging faster.

Step 6: Log Everything

Always log:

Incoming payload
Headers
Errors

Logs are your best friend when debugging production issues.

A Faster Way to Debug Webhooks

If you want to skip setup and debug quickly, you can use a webhook tester:

👉 https://online-webhooks.com

Generate an instant webhook URL
Capture incoming requests
Inspect payload and headers
Replay requests easily

No login. No setup.

Final Thoughts

Debugging webhooks doesn’t have to be complicated.

Once you can see what’s happening and replay requests, most issues become much easier to solve.

Focus on visibility, and the rest becomes straightforward.

Webhook Tester vs Local Setup: What’s the Fastest Way to Debug Webhooks?

Rakul Agn — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:05:06 +0000

When working with webhooks, one of the first challenges is figuring out how to test and debug incoming requests.

Most developers start with a local setup — running their server, exposing it via tunneling, and inspecting logs.

But is that really the fastest way?

The Traditional Approach (Local Setup)

A typical webhook debugging setup looks like this:

Run your backend locally
Expose it using tools like ngrok
Configure webhook URL
Check logs manually

This works, but it comes with friction:

Setup takes time
Requires additional tools
Logs are often hard to inspect
Replaying requests is not straightforward

The Alternative: Webhook Tester

A webhook tester simplifies this process by giving you an instant endpoint to capture requests.

Instead of setting up your local server, you:

Generate a webhook URL
Paste it into your service (Stripe, APIs, etc.)
Inspect incoming requests instantly

Key Differences

Feature	Local Setup	Webhook Tester
Setup Time	High	Instant
Ease of Use	Moderate	Very Easy
Replay Requests	Manual	Built-in
Visibility	Logs	Structured View

When Should You Use Each?

Use Local Setup when:

You are testing full backend logic
You need deep integration testing

Use a Webhook Tester when:

You want to quickly inspect payloads
You are debugging issues
You need fast iteration

A Simple Way to Debug Faster

If your goal is speed, using a webhook tester can save a lot of time.

You can try it here:

👉 https://online-webhooks.com

Generate a webhook URL instantly
Capture incoming requests
Inspect headers and payload
Replay requests easily

No setup required.

Final Thoughts

Both approaches have their place, but if you're looking for speed and simplicity, a webhook tester is often the better choice.

Especially during debugging, removing setup friction makes a big difference.

Why Stripe Webhooks Work Locally but Fail in Production (and How to Debug Them)

Rakul Agn — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:54:42 +0000

If you've worked with Stripe webhooks, you've probably faced this frustrating situation:

Everything works perfectly in local development using the Stripe CLI… but once you deploy to production, webhooks suddenly stop working.

You're not alone. This is one of the most common issues developers face when integrating webhooks.

Why This Happens

There are a few common reasons why Stripe webhooks behave differently in production:

Public URL issues: Your local environment uses Stripe CLI to forward events, but production requires a publicly accessible endpoint.
Signature verification failures: The raw request body may be altered during parsing.
Different payload structure: Production events may include additional fields.
Server misconfiguration: Incorrect routes or missing middleware.

The Real Problem

The biggest issue is simple:

You can't see what Stripe is actually sending to your server.

Without visibility into the incoming request, debugging becomes guesswork.

How to Debug Stripe Webhooks Properly

Here’s a simple approach that works reliably:

1. Use a Temporary Webhook Endpoint

Instead of pointing Stripe directly to your backend, use a temporary webhook endpoint to inspect incoming requests.

2. Trigger Test Events

Use Stripe dashboard or CLI to trigger events and observe what is being sent.

3. Inspect Headers and Payload

Check:

Request body
Headers (especially Stripe signature)
Event type

4. Replay Requests

Once you identify the issue, replay the webhook to your backend after fixing your code.

A Simpler Way to Do This

To make this easier, I built a simple webhook debugger:

👉 https://online-webhooks.com

It lets you:

Generate an instant webhook URL
Capture incoming requests
Inspect headers and payload
Replay requests for testing

No login. No setup. Just paste the URL into Stripe and start debugging.

Final Thoughts

Webhook issues can be frustrating, especially when everything works locally but breaks in production.

The key is visibility — once you can see exactly what’s coming in, debugging becomes much easier.

If you're working with Stripe or any webhook-based system, having a quick debugging tool can save hours of time.

🔧 Try it yourself

If you’re debugging Stripe webhooks, the easiest way is to actually see what payload is being sent.

You can try this here:

👉 https://online-webhooks.com

Generate a webhook URL instantly
Paste it into your Stripe webhook settings
Trigger an event and inspect the payload
Replay the request after fixing your code

No signup. No setup.

If you try it, I’d love to know if it helped or what’s missing.

I Made Email Signatures Free Because $9/Month for a Name and Logo is Ridiculous

Rakul Agn — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 02:59:07 +0000

Last month, I needed to update my email signature. New job, new title, new headshot.

I opened WiseStamp. $9/month.
Tried MySignature. $6/month.

Exclaimer? $75/month.

For a name, job title, and LinkedIn icon?

No thanks.

So I built GetSkrive. And made it actually free.

Not "free trial." Not "free but useless." Actually free.

What You Get for $0
✅ 2 email signatures
✅ 4 professional templates
✅ AI website extractor (paste URL → auto-fill your info)
✅ Full click analytics (see who clicks your links)
✅ 1 scheduled campaign
✅ 1 document signature download

That's more than what competitors charge $9/month for.

Most people never need more than this.

Why Does a Paid Plan Even Exist? (Fair question).

The free plan covers 90% of people. If you just need a professional signature for Gmail or Outlook, you're set. Forever. No catch.

The paid plans are for specific situations:

Solo ($12/mo) is for:

Freelancers with 10+ clients who need different signatures

People who want ALL 21 templates (not just 4)

Heavy AI users (unlimited bio generation, style advisor, CTA generator)

One-click Gmail install (skip the copy-paste nightmare)

Unlimited scheduled campaigns (holiday banners, promos, launches)

Unlimited document signature downloads

Team ($24/mo) is for:

Agencies and companies who need consistent team branding

Unlimited team members (not per-seat pricing)

Shared template library

Team-wide analytics

But here's the thing: If you never upgrade, that's fine. The free plan isn't a demo. It's a real product.

What Makes This Different
🆓 Analytics Are Free

Other tools charge $6/month JUST for analytics.

On GetSkrive, every plan (including free) gets:

Click tracking

Geographic data

Device breakdown

Link performance

Why? Because knowing if people click your links shouldn't cost extra.

✍️ Document Signatures Included

Need to sign a PDF? A contract? An NDA?

Don't print-sign-scan. Don't pay for DocuSign.

Just:

Draw or type your signature

Download transparent PNG

Insert into document

Done

Free users get 1 download. Usually that's enough — your signature doesn't change often.

🤖 AI That Actually Helps

Paste your website URL. AI extracts:
Your name
Job title
Company
Logo
Brand colors

This is free. Other AI features (bio generator, style advisor) are paid, but the quick-start extractor is free because it saves everyone time.

📧 One-Click Gmail Install (Paid)

This is the one feature I couldn't make free (Google API costs add up).

But if you've ever spent 20 minutes trying to paste HTML into Gmail settings and watching it break... $12/month starts to feel reasonable.

GetSkrive Free > Most paid competitors.

Who Should NOT Pay
You need 1-2 signatures → Stay free

You're happy with 4 templates → Stay free

You don't need team features → Stay free

You can copy-paste HTML into Gmail → Stay free

Seriously. I'm not trying to convert everyone to paid.

Who Should Pay
Freelancers juggling 10+ client signatures

Teams who need brand consistency

Power users who want every AI tool

People who update signatures weekly and hate copy-paste

Anyone running multiple promotional campaigns

That's maybe 10% of users. And that's fine.

Try It
🔗 https://getskrive.com

Create your first signature in 10 seconds.

No credit card. No trial expiration. No "upgrade to unlock basic features."

If the free plan works for you, use it forever. I'd rather have happy free users than annoyed paying ones.

Unlocking the Power of AWS Secrets Manager: A Beginner's Guide

Rakul Agn — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 01:09:30 +0000

As a developer, securing sensitive information like API keys, database passwords, and other credentials is crucial. Enter AWS Secrets Manager - a powerful service that helps you protect the secrets needed to access your applications, services, and IT resources. In this article, we'll explore what AWS Secrets Manager is, why it's important, and how to use it effectively in your projects using the aws-secrets-manager-wrapper package.

What is AWS Secrets Manager?

AWS Secrets Manager is a secure and scalable secrets management service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

It allows you to:

Store and manage sensitive information
Rotate secrets automatically
Control access to secrets using fine-grained permissions
Audit secret usage with AWS CloudTrail

Why Use AWS Secrets Manager?

Enhanced Security: Centralize the storage of secrets, reducing the risk of exposure.
Simplified Management: Easily update and rotate secrets without redeploying applications.
Compliance: Meet regulatory requirements by securely managing access to sensitive information.
Integration: Seamlessly works with other AWS services and your applications.

Getting Started with AWS Secrets Manager using aws-secrets-manager-wrapper

Step 1: Install the Package

npm install aws-secrets-manager-wrapper

Step 2: Set Up the AWSSecretsManager Client
Here's how to initialize the client:

import { AWSSecretsManager } from 'aws-secrets-manager-wrapper';
const secretsManager = new AWSSecretsManager({  region: 'us-west-2', 
// or use process.env.AWS_REGION  
// Optional: provide credentials if not using IAM roles  
// accessKeyId: 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID',  
// secretAccessKey: 'YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY', 
});

Step 3: Retrieve a Secret
To get a secret from AWS Secrets Manager:

async function getMySecret() {  
try {  
const secret = await secretsManager.getSecret('my-secret-name');  
console.log('Retrieved secret:', secret);  
} catch (error) {  
console.error('Error retrieving secret:', error);  
 } 
}
getMySecret();

Step 4: Create a New Secret
To create a new secret:

async function createNewSecret() {  
try {  
const secretName = 'my-new-secret';  
const secretValue = { username: 'admin', password: 'supersecret' };  
const arn = await secretsManager.createSecret(secretName, secretValue, {  description: 'My application credentials',  
tags: [{ Key: 'Environment', Value: 'Production' }],  
});  
console.log('Created secret with ARN:', arn);  
} catch (error) {  
console.error('Error creating secret:', error);  
 } 
}

createNewSecret();

Step 5: Update an Existing Secret
To update a secret:

async function updateMySecret() {  
try {  
const secretName = 'my-secret-name';  
const newSecretValue = { username: 'admin', password: 'newpassword' };  
const arn = await secretsManager.updateSecret(secretName, newSecretValue);  
console.log('Updated secret with ARN:', arn);  
} catch (error) {  
console.error('Error updating secret:', error);  
 } 
}
updateMySecret();

Step 6: Delete a Secret
To delete a secret:

async function deleteMySecret() {  
try {  
const secretName = 'my-secret-to-delete';  
await secretsManager.deleteSecret(secretName, { forceDelete: true });  
console.log('Secret deleted successfully');  
} catch (error) { 
 console.error('Error deleting secret:', error); 
 } 
}
deleteMySecret();

Conclusion

AWS Secrets Manager, combined with the aws-secrets-manager-wrapper package, provides a robust and easy-to-use solution for managing sensitive information in your Node.js applications. By centralizing and securing your secrets, you can focus on building great applications without worrying about credential exposure.

As you continue your journey with AWS Secrets Manager, explore more advanced features like cross-account secret sharing and multi-region replication to further enhance your application's security posture.

Happy coding, and stay secure!