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This guide explains how to use ngrok to receive Zendesk webhooks on your localhost app. By integrating ngrok with Zendesk, you can:
  • Develop and test Zendesk webhooks locally without deploying to a public environment or setting up HTTPS.
  • Inspect and troubleshoot requests from Zendesk in real time via the inspection UI and API.
  • Modify and replay Zendesk webhook requests with a single click instead of reproducing events manually in your Zendesk account.
  • Secure your app with Zendesk 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:
Then start the app:
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:
  • Copy the URL ngrok displays. Your app is now exposed at that URL for use with Zendesk.

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3. Configure Zendesk to send webhooks

Follow Zendesk’s documentation for creating a webhook, and set the following:
  • Endpoint URL: your ngrok URL (for example, https://1a2b-3c4d-5e6f-7g8h-9i0j.ngrok.app).
  • Request method: POST.
  • Request format: JSON.
  • Authentication: None for this tutorial.
To send events, connect the webhook to a trigger or automation. For this example, create an automation that fires on a high-priority incident ticket and add a Notify webhook action that calls your webhook.

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Run webhooks with Zendesk and ngrok

Create a ticket that matches your automation’s conditions, such as a high-priority incident. Zendesk evaluates automations on a schedule, so the webhook may take some time to fire. Confirm your localhost app receives the request and logs both the 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 Traffic Inspector 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 Zendesk 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 Zendesk, go to Admin Center > Apps and integrations > Webhooks and click your webhook.
  • Click Reveal secret and Copy to copy the Secret key.
  • Create a Traffic Policy file named zendesk_policy.yml. Replace {your secret key} with the value you copied:
  • Restart ngrok with the policy file:
  • Create another high-priority incident ticket (as in Run webhooks with Zendesk and ngrok) to trigger the webhook.
Your app should receive the request and log it in the terminal.