TL;DR

A webhook is a URL that gets an HTTP POST whenever an event fires; Eloqra uses one so Telegram replies reach the visitor's chat widget in real time.

Key Points

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Webhooks are often called reverse or push APIs because the server pushes data to your URL as events occur, rather than your client repeatedly asking for it. [1][3]

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Eloqra registers a webhook with the Telegram Bot API; when an operator replies in Telegram, Telegram sends an HTTPS POST containing the message to Eloqra's endpoint. [2]

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That inbound payload is matched to the right [[conversation]] and stored as an Out-direction [[chat-message]] authored by the [[support-operator]].

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The visitor's [[live-chat-widget]] never receives the webhook directly; it picks up the new reply on its next [[http-polling|poll]], so the two transports work together.

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Telegram webhooks require HTTPS (TLS) and support an optional secret token header, so Eloqra can verify that a request genuinely came from Telegram. [2]

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Unlike a [[websocket]], a webhook is a one-shot, one-directional HTTP call per event, which is simpler to host and fits Eloqra's lightweight backend.

How a webhook differs from polling

With traditional polling a client sends an HTTP request at regular intervals until the server has data to return, which wastes requests while nothing has changed. ^[4] A webhook reverses this: the server delivers the payload to your registered URL as soon as the event fires, so it arrives about as fast as the data can travel. ^[4] Eloqra actually uses both transports for different legs of a conversation. The visitor-facing Live Chat widget relies on HTTP Polling every few seconds because a browser tab cannot easily expose a public callback URL. The operator side, on Telegram, uses a webhook because Eloqra's backend does have a stable HTTPS endpoint that Telegram can call. Each side uses whichever pattern its environment supports best. ^[1]

Eloqra's Telegram reply webhook

When you connect a project to Telegram, Eloqra calls the Bot API's setWebhook method to register its endpoint. After that, whenever there is an update for the bot, Telegram sends an HTTPS POST request containing a JSON-serialized Update to that URL. ^[2] If an operator uses reply-to-message on a forwarded visitor note, the update Eloqra receives includes the original message reference, so the backend can resolve which Conversation and which Website Visitor the reply belongs to. The reply is saved, the conversation's unread counter and status are updated, and the new Chat Message surfaces in the widget on its next poll. This webhook is the return half of Eloqra's Telegram Integration, completing the loop that started when the visitor's first message was forwarded out. ^[2]

Security and reliability

Because a webhook endpoint is publicly reachable, verifying the sender matters. Telegram mandates SSL/TLS encryption for every webhook and will not deliver to a plain-text HTTP URL. ^[2] It also lets you set a secret token that arrives as an X-Telegram-Bot-Api-Secret-Token header, which Eloqra checks to reject forged requests. ^[2] More broadly, webhook providers authenticate callbacks with shared secrets, HMAC signatures, or mutual TLS. ^[1] For reliability, Telegram retries a delivery and gives up only after a reasonable number of attempts if your endpoint returns a non-2XX status. ^[2] These guarantees let a small backend trust inbound operator replies without standing up a persistent WebSocket connection or a heavier REST API callback contract.

Sources & References

Webhook - Wikipedia ↗

Telegram Bot API - setWebhook ↗

What is a webhook? - Red Hat ↗

Marvin's Marvellous Guide to All Things Webhook - Telegram ↗

Last updated: June 25, 2026

Related Terms

Telegram Integration

Telegram Integration is the mechanism by which Eloqra routes every website chat into the project owner's Telegram, forwarding visitor messages to a Telegram bot and flowing operator replies back to the widget. It turns Telegram into the operator inbox, so there is no separate agent console to keep open.

HTTP Polling

HTTP polling is a real-time technique where the client repeatedly sends HTTP requests on a fixed interval to ask the server whether new data is available, instead of holding a persistent connection. Eloqra's chat widget uses short polling roughly every 4-5 seconds to fetch new messages and typing state.

WebSocket

WebSocket is a protocol (standardized as RFC 6455) that opens a single, persistent, full-duplex connection between a browser and a server, letting either side push data at any time without re-issuing HTTP requests. It is the transport many real-time apps reach for when they need low-latency, bidirectional messaging.

REST API

A REST API is a web interface that lets two systems exchange data over HTTP by treating each piece of data as a resource addressed by a URL and acted on with standard methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. It follows the Representational State Transfer architectural style, which favors stateless, uniform, cacheable interactions between client and server.

Conversation

A conversation is the threaded exchange of messages between a single website visitor and a project's operators, grouped as one unit with a status and unread counters. In Eloqra it is the container that holds every message, the visitor's captured context, and the assigned operator.

Support Operator

A support operator is the human on your side of a live chat who reads visitor messages and replies to them. In Eloqra the operator is whoever has access to the project's Telegram chat or Mini App inbox and answers incoming conversations from there.

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