Why Your Bubble Webhooks Fail Between Dev and Live Versions
If you're integrating third-party services like Assembly AI with your Bubble app using webhooks, you've likely encountered a frustrating issue: your webhook works perfectly in development but fails completely in your live version. This common problem has a simple solution that every Bubble developer should master.
The Root Cause of Version-Specific Webhook Failures
When you're using services like Assembly AI for speech-to-text processing, you provide a webhook URL so the service can notify your Bubble app when processing is complete. The issue arises because most developers hardcode their webhook URLs, pointing third-party services to their development version even when their live app is running.
This means Assembly AI continues sending notifications to your dev version endpoint, leaving your live version completely unaware that processing has finished.
Building Dynamic Webhook URLs in Bubble
The solution lies in creating dynamic webhook URLs that automatically adapt to your current app version. Instead of hardcoding your endpoint, you can use Bubble's built-in website home URL function to generate version-appropriate URLs.
Start by setting up an API workflow to handle your webhook data. When you need to pass the webhook URL to your third-party service, construct it dynamically using the website home URL expression. This ensures your webhook URL will automatically include "version-test" for development or "version-live" for production.
Essential Deployment Considerations for Webhooks
Creating dynamic URLs is only half the battle. Remember these critical deployment steps:
Remove the "initialize" parameter from your API workflows before going live. While initialize is essential for testing and development, it must be removed for production webhooks to function properly.
Always deploy your app to live after implementing webhook changes. Your dynamic URL generator and updated API workflows need to exist in your live version to handle incoming webhook notifications.
Testing Your Version-Specific Webhook Implementation
Before deploying, verify your dynamic webhook URL construction works correctly. Preview your page or workflow to confirm the URL adapts appropriately to your current version. In development, you should see "version-test" in the URL, while live versions will show "version-live" or exclude version parameters entirely.
This approach ensures your webhooks work seamlessly across all your Bubble app versions, eliminating the frustrating disconnect between development and production environments.