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webhook-security
Secure webhook endpoints. Use when a user asks to verify webhook signatures, prevent replay attacks, handle webhook retries, or implement secure webhook receivers for Stripe, GitHub, Slack, or any provider.
#webhooks#security#signatures#hmac#api
terminal-skillsv1.0.0
Works with:claude-codeopenai-codexgemini-clicursor
Usage
$
✓ Installed webhook-security v1.0.0
Getting Started
- Install the skill using the command above
- Open your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Cursor)
- Reference the skill in your prompt
- The AI will use the skill's capabilities automatically
Example Prompts
- "Deploy the latest build to the staging environment and run smoke tests"
- "Check the CI pipeline status and summarize any recent failures"
Documentation
Overview
Webhooks deliver real-time data to your app, but an open endpoint is an attack surface. Without verification, anyone can POST fake events to your webhook URL. This skill covers signature verification, replay protection, idempotency, and reliable processing patterns.
Instructions
Step 1: Signature Verification
Every major provider signs webhook payloads with HMAC. Verify before processing.
typescript
// lib/webhooks/verify.ts — Generic HMAC verification
import crypto from 'crypto'
export function verifyHmacSignature(
payload: string | Buffer,
signature: string,
secret: string,
algorithm: string = 'sha256'
): boolean {
const expected = crypto
.createHmac(algorithm, secret)
.update(payload)
.digest('hex')
// Timing-safe comparison prevents timing attacks
return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
Buffer.from(signature),
Buffer.from(expected)
)
}
Step 2: Stripe Webhook Verification
typescript
// routes/webhooks/stripe.ts — Stripe webhook handler
import Stripe from 'stripe'
const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY!)
export async function handleStripeWebhook(req: Request) {
const body = await req.text() // raw body, NOT parsed JSON
const sig = req.headers.get('stripe-signature')!
let event: Stripe.Event
try {
event = stripe.webhooks.constructEvent(
body,
sig,
process.env.STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET!
)
} catch (err) {
console.error('Webhook signature verification failed:', err.message)
return new Response('Invalid signature', { status: 400 })
}
// Process event idempotently
switch (event.type) {
case 'checkout.session.completed':
await handleCheckoutComplete(event.data.object)
break
case 'invoice.payment_failed':
await handlePaymentFailed(event.data.object)
break
case 'customer.subscription.deleted':
await handleSubscriptionCanceled(event.data.object)
break
}
return new Response('OK', { status: 200 })
}
Step 3: Replay Protection
typescript
// lib/webhooks/idempotency.ts — Prevent duplicate processing
import { redis } from '../redis'
export async function processOnce(
eventId: string,
handler: () => Promise<void>
): Promise<boolean> {
// Set with NX (only if not exists) and 48h expiry
const isNew = await redis.set(`webhook:${eventId}`, '1', 'NX', 'EX', 172800)
if (!isNew) {
console.log(`Duplicate webhook ${eventId}, skipping`)
return false
}
try {
await handler()
return true
} catch (err) {
// Remove key so retry can work
await redis.del(`webhook:${eventId}`)
throw err
}
}
// Usage
await processOnce(event.id, async () => {
await db.order.update({ where: { stripeSessionId: session.id }, data: { status: 'paid' } })
})
Step 4: GitHub Webhook Verification
typescript
// routes/webhooks/github.ts — GitHub webhook handler
import crypto from 'crypto'
function verifyGitHubSignature(payload: string, signature: string, secret: string): boolean {
const expected = 'sha256=' + crypto
.createHmac('sha256', secret)
.update(payload)
.digest('hex')
return crypto.timingSafeEqual(Buffer.from(signature), Buffer.from(expected))
}
export async function handleGitHubWebhook(req: Request) {
const body = await req.text()
const sig = req.headers.get('x-hub-signature-256')!
if (!verifyGitHubSignature(body, sig, process.env.GITHUB_WEBHOOK_SECRET!)) {
return new Response('Invalid signature', { status: 401 })
}
const event = req.headers.get('x-github-event')
const payload = JSON.parse(body)
switch (event) {
case 'push':
await handlePush(payload)
break
case 'pull_request':
await handlePR(payload)
break
}
return new Response('OK', { status: 200 })
}
Guidelines
- ALWAYS verify signatures before processing. Never trust unverified webhooks.
- Use
crypto.timingSafeEqual— regular string comparison leaks timing information. - Parse the raw body for verification, not JSON-parsed data (parsing may alter the payload).
- Implement idempotency — webhooks are at-least-once delivery; you WILL receive duplicates.
- Return 200 quickly and process asynchronously (queue) to avoid timeout retries.
- Store webhook event IDs for 24-48h to detect replays.
Information
- Version
- 1.0.0
- Author
- terminal-skills
- Category
- DevOps
- License
- Apache-2.0