Webhooks: event-driven push notifications for file arrivals

A webhook is a mechanism for push notifications: when a file arrives in ZenTransfer, ZenTransfer makes an HTTP POST request to a URL you specify, carrying the file event data as a JSON payload. Your server receives that POST and acts on it immediately — no polling required.

Custom webhook support in ZenTransfer is currently on the roadmap. This page explains the planned capability, the current alternative, and when webhooks will be the right choice compared to other integration options.

Current status

Custom webhooks — where you provide a URL and ZenTransfer POSTs to it on file arrival — are not yet available. They are a confirmed roadmap item. If webhook support is important to your workflow, the roadmap tracks its status, and feedback through GitHub Issues helps prioritise it.

Zapier is the current push mechanism

The Zapier integration is how ZenTransfer currently delivers push events. When a file arrives, ZenTransfer pushes the event to Zapier immediately — typically within seconds. Zapier can then forward that event to any of 5,000+ connected applications, including your own server via Zapier's Webhooks by Zapier action.

If your integration target is: - A SaaS application (Slack, Trello, Airtable, etc.) — Zapier handles this directly - A custom endpoint you control — Zapier's "Webhooks by Zapier" action can POST to any URL, making it a functional bridge until native webhooks are available

The API as a polling alternative

The ZenTransfer API provides the other half of the integration pattern. Where webhooks push events to you, the API lets you pull file records on demand. A service that polls the API every 30 seconds using the since parameter achieves near-real-time awareness of new files with no push infrastructure required.

For many integration scenarios — newsroom ingest pipelines, backup scripts, custom dashboards — polling the API at a sensible interval is entirely sufficient and simpler to operate than maintaining a webhook receiver.

When native webhooks will matter

Once available, native ZenTransfer webhooks will be the right choice when:

• You control a server that can receive HTTP POST requests and want the lowest latency between file arrival and your system acting on it
• You need to avoid Zapier's per-task pricing for high-volume event processing
• You want to build a direct integration without Zapier as an intermediary
• Your infrastructure runs a custom ingest pipeline that is easier to trigger via webhook than via API polling

The payload format, authentication mechanism, and retry behaviour for ZenTransfer webhooks will be documented here when the feature launches.

Staying informed

To be notified when webhooks become available, watch the ZenTransfer GitHub repository or check the roadmap periodically. If this feature is blocking a specific integration for you, opening a GitHub Issue helps signal its priority.