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

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3. Configure Zoom to send webhooks

Zoom can send webhook requests to your app when meeting and other events occur. This guide uses the Webhook Only app type (free Zoom account).
  • Sign in to the Zoom Marketplace.
  • Click Develop > Build App, select Webhook Only, enter a Name, and click Create.
  • Complete registration with Company Name, developer Name, and Email, then click Continue.
  • On Feature, turn Event subscriptions on and click Add Event Subscriptions.
  • Enter your ngrok URL in Event notification endpoint URL (for example, https://1a2b-3c4d-5e6f-7g8h-9i0j.ngrok.app).
  • Copy the Secret Token for use in verification.
  • Click Add Events, select events (e.g. Start Meeting, End Meeting), click Done, then Save and Continue.
  • When you see Your app is activated on the account, Zoom is ready to send events. You can review the webhook under Manage on the Marketplace page.

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Run webhooks with Zoom and ngrok

After the webhook is added, start a meeting in your Zoom account and end it after a few seconds. Your localhost app receives notifications for both events.
Zoom sends different request body contents and headers depending on the event. Each request includes an authorization header with the Secret Token; you can validate this in your app or use ngrok’s webhook verification below.
You can review Manage > Call Logs > Webhook Logs in the Marketplace to compare request bodies with what your app received.

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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 Zoom 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:
  • Use the Secret Token you copied when configuring the webhook (see Configure Zoom to send webhooks).
  • Create a Traffic Policy file named zoom_policy.yml. Replace {your secret token} with that value: 
    on_http_request:
  - actions:
      - type: verify-webhook
        config:
          provider: zoom
          secret: "{your secret token}"
  • Restart ngrok with the policy file: 
    ngrok http 3000 --traffic-policy-file zoom_policy.yml
  • Start and then end a meeting in Zoom to trigger the webhook.
Your app should receive the request and log it in the terminal.