An Incoming Webhook is generated from the Zoho Cliq admin panel or from within a specific channel’s settings. Cliq provides a unique HTTPS URL tied to that channel. Any external system, such as a CI/CD pipeline, a monitoring tool, or a custom application, can send an HTTP POST request to this URL with a JSON payload containing a text field or a structured card message. Cliq displays the message in the designated channel under the webhook’s display name.
Use an Incoming Webhook for one-way notification alerts where no response or interaction is needed: build success or failure alerts, server health warnings, new order notifications from an e-commerce platform, or payment gateway confirmations. If the recipient needs to act on the message through a button or a reply that triggers back-end logic, a Bot with interactive message cards is more appropriate than a webhook.
Treat the webhook URL as a secret. Anyone who has it can post messages to your channel, so do not commit it to public code repositories. If a URL is compromised, regenerate it from the Cliq admin panel, which invalidates the old one immediately. There may be rate limits on how frequently you can post to the same webhook; check your Zoho Cliq plan documentation for specifics before building high-frequency alert systems.
You can create an Incoming Webhook in two places: from the Zoho Cliq admin panel under Integrations, or directly from within a channel by opening its settings. In both cases, you name the webhook, select the target channel, and optionally set a display name and icon. Cliq generates a unique HTTPS URL that you copy and configure in your external system.
The minimum required payload is a JSON object with a “text” key containing the message string. You can also send a “card” object to display structured card messages with titles, links, and buttons. The exact card schema is documented in Zoho’s Cliq developer guide. Plain text payloads are sufficient for simple notification use cases and require no special formatting knowledge.
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