Solution / Private event retrieval

Receive Events Without a Public Webhook Endpoint

Use outbound polling when an application needs to retrieve events but cannot or should not expose an inbound endpoint.

Solution pattern; current pending-read foundation

The practical network problem

Some applications run behind NAT, firewalls, private gateways or shared hosting. They can make outbound HTTPS requests but cannot reliably accept inbound connections from a sender.

Polling as the return path

A sender leaves a small authenticated signal in a pending mailbox. The receiver polls when it is ready, processes the signal in its own environment and ACKs after the business action succeeds. This is different from a webhook sender pushing directly to a receiver.

Trade-offs

  • the receiver controls connection timing;
  • private topology is simpler;
  • polling adds latency and scheduling responsibility;
  • the receiver must make processing idempotent and bound retries.

HeartbeatHook boundary

Tier 1 currently provides authenticated pending reads and ACK around small signals. It does not provide generic webhook delivery, a queue endpoint or a guarantee of exactly-once business execution.

Compare webhooks and polling