How to Test Webhooks Locally: Complete 2026 Guide

How to Test Webhooks Locally Testing webhooks during local development is one of those problems that sounds simple until you actually try to do it. Your localhost isn't accessible from the internet, so services like Stripe, GitHub, or Shopify can't reach your development server. Here's the thing: there are several ways to solve this, and the right choice depends on your situation. The Core Problem When Stripe wants to notify you about a successful payment, it sends an HTTP POST request to your webhook URL. In production, that's straightforward—your server has a public URL. But during development? Your app is running on localhost:3000 . Stripe can't reach that. Neither can any other webhook provider. Solution 1: Tunneling Tools The most common approach is creating a tunnel from the public internet to your local machine. ngrok ngrok is the go-to tool for this. Install it, run ngrok http 3000 , and you get a public URL like https://abc123.ngrok.io that forwards to your local server. ngrok