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This guide shows you how to use ngrok to receive Orbit webhooks on your localhost app. By integrating ngrok with Orbit, you can:
  • Develop and test Orbit webhooks locally without deploying to a public environment or setting up HTTPS.
  • Inspect and troubleshoot requests from Orbit in real time via the inspection UI and API.
  • Modify and replay Orbit webhook requests with a single click instead of reproducing events manually in your Orbit account.
  • Secure your app with Orbit 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 Orbit.

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3. Configure Orbit to send webhooks

Orbit can send webhook requests to your app when events occur in your account. To register for those events:
  • Sign in to Orbit.
  • Click Workspace Settings and then Webhooks.
  • On the Webhooks page, click + New Webhook.
  • On New webhook, enter a name in Webhook Name, select a new activity is added to a member in Event Subscription, and enter your ngrok URL in Webhook URL (for example, https://1a2b-3c4d-5e6f-7g8h-9i0j.ngrok.app).
  • Click Create Webhook.

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Run webhooks with Orbit and ngrok

Orbit sends different request body contents depending on the event. To trigger new calls from Orbit to your app:
  • In Orbit, click Members and then one of your members.
  • On the Member popup, click Actions and Add Activity.
  • On Add activity, select an Activity Type, enter a Title (for example, Test), and click Submit.
Confirm your localhost app receives the event and logs both headers and body in the terminal.

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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 Orbit 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 Orbit, go to Workspace Settings and Webhooks.
  • Click the three dots for your webhook and Update.
  • On Update Webhook, enter a value in Webhook Secret (for example, 12345) and click Save Changes.
  • Create a Traffic Policy file named orbit_policy.yml. Replace {your webhook secret} with the value you entered: 
    on_http_request:
  - actions:
      - type: verify-webhook
        config:
          provider: orbit
          secret: "{your webhook secret}"
  • Restart ngrok with the policy file: 
    ngrok http 3000 --traffic-policy-file orbit_policy.yml
  • Add an activity to a member in Orbit to trigger the webhook.
Your app should receive the request and log it in the terminal.