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

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3. Configure TikTok to send webhooks

TikTok can send webhook requests to your app when events occur in your TikTok app. To register for those events:
  • Sign in to the TikTok Developer Portal.
  • Click Manage apps and Connect an app (or open an existing app).
  • Upload an App icon, set Category to Others, add a Description, enable Configure for Web, enter a Website URL, and click Save changes.
  • On the app page, click Add products and Add for Webhooks (you may need to add Login Kit first).
  • Under Webhooks, enter your ngrok URL in Callback URL (for example, https://1a2b-3c4d-5e6f-7g8h-9i0j.ngrok.app).
  • Click Test URL and Send, confirm your app receives the notification and returns 200, then click Done and Save changes.
You may need to set Terms of Service URL, Privacy Policy URL, and Redirect domain in Login Kit. If the app is not published, click Submit for review.

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Run webhooks with TikTok and ngrok

By default you are subscribed to all events. TikTok sends different request body contents depending on the event. After your app is approved, associate a user with your app. TikTok will send notifications to your localhost app for events such as account deauthorization, video upload failure, or video published. Confirm your localhost app receives these event notifications 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 TikTok 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 the TikTok Developer Portal, open Manage apps, click your app, click the eye icon to reveal Client secret, and copy the value.
  • Create a Traffic Policy file named tiktok_policy.yml. Replace {your webhook secret} with the value you copied: 
    on_http_request:
  - actions:
      - type: verify-webhook
        config:
          provider: tiktok
          secret: "{your webhook secret}"
  • Restart ngrok with the policy file: 
    ngrok http 3000 --traffic-policy-file tiktok_policy.yml
  • Use your TikTok app (or trigger an event as in Run webhooks with TikTok and ngrok) to send a request.
Your app should receive the request and log it in the terminal.