How to retrieve the data received by the "Webhook Received" trigger in downstream Actions?

[Kelvin]

The “Webhook Received” trigger is an advanced feature that requires specific configuration. Here’s a step-by-step guide to capture and use its output data, using an example where data sent via Postman is stored in a database via Bika Automation:

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Configuration Steps

1. Add the Trigger:
   Create a new Automation and select the “Webhook Received” trigger. Click “Save” to generate the unique webhook URL (this URL is only created after saving).

   

2. Enable the Automation:
   Activate the Automation to make the webhook URL live. If not enabled, requests to the URL will return an error.

   

3. Test with Postman:
   Send a POST request to the generated webhook URL using Postman, including a JSON payload (see example image below).

   

   or you can use curl in terminal:

   curl --location --request POST 'https://bika.ai/api/automation/webhook/{your_trigger_id}' \
   --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
   --data-raw '{
       "text": "Hello, this is a messsage from the webhook"
   }'
   

4. Verify Data Reception:
   Click the “Run Test” button under the “Webhook Received” trigger editor. If successful, you’ll see the JSON data sent from Postman.

   

5. Create Record Action:

• Add a “Create Record” Action to write data to your database.

• Map fields by clicking the gear icon next to each field and selecting “Variable Component”.

  

• Choose the output variable from the “Webhook Received” trigger (e.g., Triggers/WEBHOOK_RECEIVED/body/text) to reference the incoming JSON.

  

This workflow ensures seamless data flow from the webhook trigger to your database. Let me know if you encounter issues!

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One More Thing

Using the “Webhook Received” trigger not only allows you to receive data from external systems but also lets you ​customize the HTTP response sent back to the requester.

When an Automation workflow uses “Webhook Received” as its trigger, it essentially becomes a ​custom API endpoint with business logic. The output of the ​last Action in the workflow will automatically serve as the HTTP response to the webhook request. For example:

• If your final Action is “Create Record,” the response will include the output of that Action (e.g., the newly created record’s data).
• Check the Postman screenshot above—the response you see after sending a request to the webhook URL is actually the output of your final Action!

This feature unlocks powerful use cases:

• Return custom status codes or messages (e.g., {"status": "success", "id": 123}).
• Validate incoming data and send error responses if validation fails.
• Build your own API server with Bika Automation, tailored to your business needs.