Webhooks simulator

You can use the simulator to post a mock webhook event message to any listener on HTTPS port 443. Alternatively, the Webhooks Management API can be used to trigger simulated events.

Using the simulator

  1. Go to the Webhooks simulator. Click Log In.
  2. Enter your webhook listener URL, and select a sample event from the drop-down list.
  3. Click Send Test. The simulator queues and attempts to send the event to your webhook listener URL.

Simulator queues the message

Once the simulator queues the event message, it will reach your webhook listener URL shortly, often within a minute.

Note: These simulated events are for demonstration purposes, to validate the functionality of a webhook listener. You can self-verify the signature of simulated webhooks using the webhook ID string: WEBHOOK_ID. Because they are mock events:

  • They are not associated with any App, and will not appear in the dashboard event viewer
  • They cannot be resent, and their details do not correspond to any real event or transaction
  • They cannot be verified by posting back to the PayPal verify-webhook-signature endpoint

The simulator will show the status and details of the mock message that was sent:

Your event has been successfully queued at May 15, 2024, 9:42:52

If sent successfully, below will be the body event payload of a mock message that was sent. Example:

1{
2  "id": "8PT597110X687430LKGECATA",
3  "create_time": "2013-06-25T21:41:28Z",
4  "resource_type": "authorization",
5  "event_version": "1.0",
6  "event_type": "PAYMENT.AUTHORIZATION.CREATED",
7  "summary": "A payment authorization was created",
8  "resource": {
9    "id": "2DC87612EK520411B",
10    "create_time": "2013-06-25T21:39:15Z",
11    "update_time": "2013-06-25T21:39:17Z",
12    "state": "authorized",
13    "amount": {
14      "total": "7.47",
15      "currency": "USD",
16      "details": {
17        "subtotal": "7.47"
18      }
19    },
20    "parent_payment": "PAY-36246664YD343335CKHFA4AY",
21    "valid_until": "2013-07-24T21:39:15Z",
22    "links": [
23      {
24        "href": "https://api-m.paypal.com/v1/payments/authorization/2DC87612EK520411B",
25        "rel": "self",
26        "method": "GET"
27      },
28      {
29        "href": "https://api-m.paypal.com/v1/payments/authorization/2DC87612EK520411B/capture",
30        "rel": "capture",
31        "method": "POST"
32      },
33      {
34        "href": "https://api-m.paypal.com/v1/payments/authorization/2DC87612EK520411B/void",
35        "rel": "void",
36        "method": "POST"
37      },
38      {
39        "href": "https://api-m.paypal.com/v1/payments/payment/PAY-36246664YD343335CKHFA4AY",
40        "rel": "parent_payment",
41        "method": "GET"
42      }
43    ]
44  },
45  "links": [
46    {
47      "href": "https://api-m.paypal.com/v1/notfications/webhooks-events/8PT597110X687430LKGECATA",
48      "rel": "self",
49      "method": "GET"
50    },
51    {
52      "href": "https://api-m.paypal.com/v1/notfications/webhooks-events/8PT597110X687430LKGECATA/resend",
53      "rel": "resend",
54      "method": "POST"
55    }
56  ]
57}

Simulator fails to deliver the message

If the simulator fails to connect to the listener and deliver the message, the event status is updated with error details. See Troubleshooting delivery problems in the integration guide for information on why deliveries might be failing.

See also