Imagine you’re waiting for an important package to be delivered. You could stand by the door all day, repeatedly checking to see if it’s arrived, but that would be an exhausting waste of time, especially if the delivery won’t come for hours. Instead, you leave your contact information with the delivery company, and they’ll send you a message or ring your doorbell as soon as your package is at the door. Simple, right?
Webhooks work in a similar way for web applications. Instead of constantly checking for updates from Cirrus, you can set up a webhook, and Cirrus will notify you automatically when something important happens. This method is not only more efficient, but it also ensures you’re staying within Cirrus’ Fair Use policy, which discourages unnecessary polling.
What are webhooks, and how do they work?
A webhook in Cirrus is like a notification system. Instead of your system repeatedly calling Cirrus’ API to check if something has happened (like asking every minute, “Are exam results ready?”), Cirrus will send a notification to your system when those results become available.
Here’s how it works – You give Cirrus an endpoint—basically, an address where it can send a message when certain events happen. In this case, the event is the completion of exam results. When new results are ready, Cirrus sends a message with basic details like the candidate ID and exam ID directly to your endpoint. No more refreshing or waiting around; the key info comes to you instantly.
Keep in mind that the webhook only sends basic information. You’ll need to make another API call to get the full exam results. This keeps things simple and secure, while still giving you all the details when you need them.
Why use this setup? Using the API to fetch results lets you automate everything, so you don’t have to manually export or import data. It ensures that your results are always up-to-date and ready wherever you need them. Even if you don’t have integrations yet, this approach can help streamline your processes and make things more efficient in the long run.
What does Cirrus offer?
Currently, Cirrus provides one webhook: Exam Results Ready. This webhook notifies your system as soon as new exam results are available, which is extremely useful because polling (repeatedly asking Cirrus for updates) is not allowed under Cirrus’ Fair Use policy. By using the webhook, you avoid unnecessary strain on your system and Cirrus’ resources.
The perks
- Efficiency: Webhooks eliminate the need for continuous polling, saving both time and bandwidth.
- Real-time updates: You get notified as soon as exam results are ready, so there’s no delay in processing.
- Compliance: Polling isn’t permitted under Cirrus’ Fair Use policy, so using webhooks ensures you’re operating within those guidelines.
- Automation: Once the webhook is set up, the process is hands-free. You receive the information automatically and can trigger further actions based on that data.
Webhooks are a seamless, efficient, and fair-use-compliant way for Cirrus to push information to other systems. They make sure you’re notified when important events are ready—without unnecessary back-and-forth.
Curious to learn more? Visit our Knowledge Base!
