I’m heavily caching Airtable data on my own server via the API, and if Airtable could notify my server when a record is updated, created, or destroyed, that would help me invalidate the cached data and re-request it.
Ultimately that would mean less calls from my server to the Airtable API, which I imagine would please Airtable.
Wait…what? There are no webhooks for responding to record updates?!
Sigh. So is the current best practice polling from an external service? That won’t work in the long term, but if webhooks are in the pipeline, polling could work for awhile as we get our MVP up and running.
TL;DR— :heavy_plus_sign: 1️⃣ for webhooks @Airtable_Team :nerd_face: :grey_exclamation:
Fwiw, I just found this bullet point in my API docs under “API ROADMAP”:
“Receiving notifications about changed records.”
Hard to say whether that’s going to be implemented via webhooks, but at least it’s a reason to remain hopeful. That and the design and implementation quality of the product so far; they’re definitely capable of getting this right. :crossed_fingers:
Also, Matt Bush from Airtable did say they’re working on webhooks here (in June 2017 :flushed: 😞Last Modified Timestamp
Given how long people have been clamoring for these foundational features (created/modified timestamps and webhooks), it would be fabulous if someone from AirTable could chime in briefly to explain what the holdup is. It’s hard to believe that a team capable of creating something so great is incapable of tackling these features.
In other words @Airtable_Team | @Airtable_Admin | @Airtable_Support, I think I speak for many of us here when I say that a) we’re super supportive of you guys, and b) that support is hard to maintain without timestamps and webhooks. :grimacing:
I take the lack of response from Airtable since the message on June 2017 as “this is a lot of work” and perhaps “it’s more complex than we originally thought” :slightly_smiling_face:
Which is a completely fair position.
Once it is implemented, webhooks for changed records has the potential to be a game-changer for Airtable, and if done well, could massively open up the types of systems and solutions that can be developed on the platform.
Any update from admin on where the state of webhooks is? Would love to use webhooks also. I assumed (unfairly) that airtable would have them before joining :frowning:
