BlogPaddle Webhooks

How to Test Paddle Webhooks

Paddle Billing webhooks notify your app about subscriptions, transactions, and adjustments so revenue flows can update automatically.

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.

Paddle Official Webhook Docs

1. Paddle Webhook Events

Paddle can send the following webhook events to your endpoint:

subscription.created
subscription.updated
subscription.canceled
transaction.created
transaction.paid
transaction.completed
adjustment.created

2. Set Up a Test Endpoint with HookRay

Follow these steps to start receiving Paddle webhooks for testing:

  1. Go to HookRay and click "Start Testing — Free" to get your unique webhook URL.
  2. Copy the URL (e.g., https://h.hookray.com/abc123).
  3. In your Paddle dashboard, navigate to the webhook settings and paste the HookRay URL as your endpoint.
  4. Select the events you want to receive (see list above).
  5. Trigger a test event — HookRay will show the incoming webhook in real-time.

3. Sample Paddle Webhook Payload

Here's an example of what a Paddle webhook payload looks like:

payload.json
{
  "event_type": "transaction.paid",
  "occurred_at": "2026-03-20T10:10:00Z",
  "data": {
    "id": "txn_01hrzxy4g1v5ac7r7qyz2d5wdk",
    "status": "paid",
    "customer_id": "ctm_01hrzwx5x4gq6az7v6w1j7k7bp",
    "total": "1299",
    "currency_code": "USD"
  }
}

4. Frequently Asked Questions

How do I test Paddle webhooks without deploying?

Use HookRay to get an instant public webhook URL. Paste it into your Paddle 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 Paddle event types.

Why aren't my Paddle webhooks arriving?

The four most common causes: (1) the endpoint URL isn't publicly accessible — Paddle can't reach localhost; (2) the wrong events are subscribed in your Paddle dashboard; (3) signature verification is rejecting the request before your handler runs; (4) Paddle 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 Paddle configuration.

Why am I getting 400 or 500 errors from my Paddle webhook?

Paddle 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 Paddle dashboard while pointing at HookRay, the issue is in Paddle'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 Paddle webhook signatures?

Paddle signs each webhook request with a shared secret. Capture the raw headers and body using HookRay, then verify the signature in your application using Paddle's SDK or a standard HMAC library. Once verification works against HookRay-captured data, you can safely deploy. Paddle's docs (linked above) cover the exact signing algorithm.

Can I replay a captured Paddle 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 Paddle.

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 Paddle-specific fields highlighted automatically
  • Check the Paddle webhook documentation for the complete event reference

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Free 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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