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This guide walks you through using ngrok to receive DocuSign webhooks on your localhost app. By integrating ngrok with DocuSign, you can:
  • Develop and test DocuSign webhooks locally without deploying to a public environment or setting up HTTPS.
  • Inspect and troubleshoot requests from DocuSign in real time via the inspection UI and API.
  • Modify and replay DocuSign webhook requests with a single click instead of reproducing events manually in your DocuSign account.
  • Secure your app with DocuSign webhook validation provided by ngrok. Invalid requests are blocked by ngrok before reaching your app.

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What you’ll need

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1. Start your app

For this tutorial, you can use the sample Node.js app on GitHub. To install the sample, run the following in a terminal: 
git clone https://github.com/ngrok/ngrok-webhook-nodejs-sample.git
cd ngrok-webhook-nodejs-sample
npm install
Then start the app: 
npm start
The app runs on port 3000 by default. You can confirm it’s running by visiting http://localhost:3000. The app logs request headers and body in the terminal and shows a message in the browser.

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2. Expose your app with ngrok

Once your app is running locally, you’re ready to put it online securely using ngrok.
The ngrok agent uses your authtoken to authenticate when you start a tunnel.
  • Start ngrok: 
    ngrok http 3000
  • Copy the URL ngrok displays. Your app is now exposed at that URL for use with DocuSign.

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3. Configure DocuSign to send webhooks

DocuSign can send webhook requests to your app when events occur in your account. To register for those events:
  • Sign in to DocuSign.
  • In the top menu, click Settings and then click Connect under INTEGRATIONS in the left menu.
  • On the Connect page, click ADD CONFIGURATION and then click Custom.
  • On the Add Custom Configuration page, enter a name in Name, enter your ngrok URL in URL to Publish (for example, https://1a2b-3c4d-5e6f-7g8h-9i0j.ngrok.app).
  • Under Trigger Events, expand Envelope and Recipients, click Envelope Sent, and then click ADD CONFIGURATION at the bottom.

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Run webhooks with DocuSign and ngrok

DocuSign sends different request body contents depending on the event. To trigger new calls from DocuSign to your app:
  • Click Manage in the top menu and then START NOW to open your DocuSign inbox.
  • On the Upload a Document and Add Envelope Recipients page, click UPLOAD and then Desktop.
  • Select a document, expand Add recipients, and click I’m the only signer.
You can optionally select a user from the Name list.
  • Click SIGN at the bottom right.
Confirm your localhost app receives the envelope event and logs both headers and body in the terminal. You can verify the webhook in DocuSign: go to Settings, Connect, and the LOGS tab.

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Inspecting requests

ngrok’s Traffic Inspector captures all requests made through your ngrok endpoint to your localhost app. Select any request to view detailed information about both the request and response.
To avoid exposing secrets, accounts only collect traffic metadata by default. You must enable full capture in the Observability section of your account settings to capture complete request and response data.
Use the traffic inspector to:
  • Validate webhook payloads and response data
  • Debug request headers, methods, and status codes
  • Troubleshoot integration issues without adding logging to your app

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Replaying requests

Test your webhook handling code without triggering new events from your service using the Traffic Inspector’s replay feature:
  1. Send a test webhook from your service to generate traffic in your Traffic Inspector.
  2. Select the request you want to replay in the traffic inspector.
  3. Choose your replay option:
    • Click Replay to send the exact same request again
    • Select Replay with modifications to edit the request before sending
  4. (Optional) Modify the request: Edit any part of the original request, such as changing field values in the request body.
  5. Send the request by clicking Replay.
Your local application will receive the replayed request and log the data to the terminal.

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Secure webhook requests

ngrok can verify that incoming requests are from your DocuSign webhook so only that traffic reaches your app.
Webhook verification is limited to 500 validations per month on free accounts. If you need more, you can upgrade to Hobbyist or Pay-as-you-go. See TPU Pricing for details.
To add verification:
  • In DocuSign, go to Settings and Connect, open the CONNECT KEYS tab, click ADD SECRET KEY, and copy the key value.
  • In the APPLICATIONS tab, click your webhook and enable Include HMAC Signature in Integration and Security Settings.
  • Create a Traffic Policy file named docusign_policy.yml. Replace {your connect key} with the value you copied: 
    on_http_request:
  - actions:
      - type: verify-webhook
        config:
          provider: docusign
          secret: "{your connect key}"
  • Restart ngrok with the policy file: 
    ngrok http 3000 --traffic-policy-file docusign_policy.yml
  • Create a new envelope in DocuSign to trigger the webhook.
Your app should receive the request and log it in the terminal.