How to Test ActiveCampaign Webhooks
ActiveCampaign webhooks post contact, deal, and campaign data to your endpoint when automation triggers fire.
Looking for the broader picture? See the 7 best webhook testing tools (2026), or if you're already on Webhook.site, the 60-second migration to HookRay.
ActiveCampaign Official Webhook Docs1. ActiveCampaign Webhook Events
ActiveCampaign can send the following webhook events to your endpoint:
contact_addcontact_updatecontact_tag_addeddeal_adddeal_updatedeal_tasktype_addcampaign_opencampaign_bounce2. Set Up a Test Endpoint with HookRay
Follow these steps to start receiving ActiveCampaign webhooks for testing:
- Go to HookRay and click "Start Testing — Free" to get your unique webhook URL.
- Copy the URL (e.g.,
https://h.hookray.com/abc123). - In your ActiveCampaign dashboard, navigate to the webhook settings and paste the HookRay URL as your endpoint.
- Select the events you want to receive (see list above).
- Trigger a test event — HookRay will show the incoming webhook in real-time.
3. Sample ActiveCampaign Webhook Payload
Here's an example of what a ActiveCampaign webhook payload looks like:
{
"type": "contact_tag_added",
"date_time": "2026-03-20T12:30:00-05:00",
"contact": {
"id": "42",
"email": "lead@example.com",
"first_name": "Morgan",
"last_name": "Blake",
"tags": "trial-user, webhook-testing"
},
"tag": "trial-user"
}4. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I test ActiveCampaign webhooks without deploying?
Use HookRay to get an instant public webhook URL. Paste it into your ActiveCampaign dashboard's webhook configuration, trigger an event, and watch the payload arrive in real time. No code, no ngrok, no deployment required. The free tier captures 100 requests per month and works on all ActiveCampaign event types.
Why aren't my ActiveCampaign webhooks arriving?
The four most common causes: (1) the endpoint URL isn't publicly accessible — ActiveCampaign can't reach localhost; (2) the wrong events are subscribed in your ActiveCampaign dashboard; (3) signature verification is rejecting the request before your handler runs; (4) ActiveCampaign can't reach your server because of a firewall, expired SSL certificate, or wrong DNS. Use HookRay's URL to isolate which of these four is failing — if HookRay receives the webhook, the problem is in your handler. If HookRay doesn't, the problem is in ActiveCampaign configuration.
Why am I getting 400 or 500 errors from my ActiveCampaign webhook?
ActiveCampaign reports the response status your endpoint returned. HookRay accepts any payload and returns 200 OK by default, so if you see 400/500 in your ActiveCampaign dashboard while pointing at HookRay, the issue is in ActiveCampaign's configuration (wrong event, malformed signing secret, etc.). If you point at your own endpoint and get 400/500, the issue is in your handler — capture the request with HookRay, replay it locally, and debug from the captured payload.
How do I verify ActiveCampaign webhook signatures?
ActiveCampaign signs each webhook request with a shared secret. Capture the raw headers and body using HookRay, then verify the signature in your application using ActiveCampaign's SDK or a standard HMAC library. Once verification works against HookRay-captured data, you can safely deploy. ActiveCampaign's docs (linked above) cover the exact signing algorithm.
Can I replay a captured ActiveCampaign webhook?
Yes — HookRay's replay feature re-sends any captured webhook to a different endpoint with one click. This is the fastest way to fix a buggy handler: capture the payload once, fix your code, and replay until it works. No need to re-trigger the event in ActiveCampaign.
5. Next Steps
- Use HookRay's webhook replay feature to re-send captured webhooks while building your handler
- Enable smart parsing (Pro plan) to see ActiveCampaign-specific fields highlighted automatically
- Check the ActiveCampaign webhook documentation for the complete event reference
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Start Testing ActiveCampaign Webhooks — FreeFree PDF: Webhook Testing Cheat Sheet 2026
One-page reference for 50+ APIs — canonical events, signing methods, sample payloads. Print it, pin it, share it.
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