Webhook Trigger vs. Webhook Action
It’s important to understand the difference between a Webhook Trigger and a Webhook Action, as they serve opposite purposes.Webhook Trigger (Starts a Workflow)
A Webhook Trigger starts a workflow from an external event. It provides a unique URL that waits for an incoming HTTP POST request from a third-party service. When the request is received, the workflow begins, and the request’s body and headers become the initial data.
Webhook Action (Used in a Workflow)
A Webhook Action sends an HTTP request to an external service during a workflow. It is a step within your automation used to call a third-party API, send a notification, or push data to another system.
Available Trigger Types
Scheduled Trigger
Use a Scheduled Trigger to run workflows automatically on a recurring basis. This is perfect for maintenance tasks, generating reports, or syncing data periodically. Common Use Cases:- Run a daily health check on all sites.
- Generate and email a weekly performance report.
- Sync data with an external system every 15 minutes.
Configuration
The type of recurrence for the schedule.
Schedule Type Options
Schedule Type Options
interval: Runs at a fixed interval. Requires aschedule_valuelike"5 minutes"or"2 hours".cron: Runs based on a standard cron expression. Requires aschedule_valuelike"0 9 * * 1"(Every Monday at 9:00 AM).daily: A simplified option to run the workflow once per day at a specific time.weekly: Runs the workflow on a specific day of the week at a specific time.monthly: Runs the workflow on a specific day of the month at a specific time.
Webhook Trigger
Use a Webhook Trigger to start a workflow from an external system in real-time. This trigger provides a secure, unique URL to receive HTTP POST requests. Common Use Cases:- Process a payment confirmation from a service like Stripe.
- Handle a new form submission from a website.
- Respond to an alert from a third-party monitoring system.
Configuration
This trigger has no user-configurable options. The secure URL is automatically generated when you save the workflow.Output
The output of the Webhook Trigger node will be a JSON object containing thebody and headers of the incoming HTTP request, which can be used in subsequent steps.
Manual Trigger
Use a Manual Trigger for workflows that require on-demand execution by a user from the SDX dashboard. Common Use Cases:- Run a one-time diagnostic script on a specific site.
- Manually provision a new user or resource.
- Execute an emergency “lockdown” procedure.
Configuration
You can define a JSON schema for the input data. When a user runs the workflow, the UI will generate a form based on this schema, ensuring they provide the correct data.
SNS Trigger (Advanced)
Use an SNS Trigger to start a workflow in response to internal Altostrat platform events. This allows for deep, event-driven integration with the platform’s lifecycle. Common Use Cases:- When a new site is created, automatically apply a set of default tags.
- When a
WAN Failoverevent occurs, create a ticket in an external system. - When a user is added to your team, send them a welcome message.
Configuration
The specific platform event pattern to listen for. Wildcards (
*) are supported. For example, site.created or fault.*.You can listen for multiple events (e.g.,
site.created,site.updated), but they must belong to the same root category.Workflow Trigger
Use a Workflow Trigger to create modular, reusable “sub-workflows” that can be called by other workflows. This is essential for building complex, maintainable automations. Common Use Cases:- A reusable “Send Slack Notification” workflow that can be called by dozens of other workflows.
- A common “Error Handling” workflow that logs details to a specific service.
- A “User Validation” workflow that checks user data and returns a standardized result.
Configuration
Define the data structure you expect to receive from the calling workflow. This is for documentation and helps validate the incoming payload.