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The practical choice comes down to authentication, direction, and reuse: choose API by Zapier for reusable authenticated connections, and choose Webhooks by Zapier for inbound event notifications, simple HTTP calls, or one-off requests.
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What APIs and webhooks do in Zapier
An API is a request-and-response interface. One application sends a request to an endpoint, including a method such as GET or POST, headers, authentication, and possibly a data payload. The service processes that request and returns a response. Zapier uses this model whenever an app integration reads data from or writes data to a connected service.
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A webhook is an HTTP message sent automatically when an event occurs. Instead of Zapier repeatedly asking whether something changed, the source service sends a request to a URL as soon as it has new data. Zapier describes webhooks as “automated messages sent between apps” that include information about new items in those apps. See Zapier’s Webhooks guide.
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These are not competing technologies in every workflow. A single Zap can receive a webhook and then call an API, or receive data through an API trigger and send it to another service with a webhook.
How Zapier uses APIs
Standard app integrations
When you select a normal Zapier app, the integration handles the service’s API details for you. The app connection stores the authorization, while triggers retrieve records and actions send requests to the service. Depending on the integration, a trigger may poll an API for new records or use a service-provided push mechanism.
This is why using a prebuilt integration usually requires no knowledge of endpoint URLs, JSON structure, or authorization headers. Zapier presents the supported triggers and actions, then translates your field mappings into the API requests the service expects.
API by Zapier
API by Zapier is intended for services that expose an API but do not have a dedicated Zapier app, or for connections that need reusable authentication. Zapier’s API documentation, updated June 29, 2026, says that Webhooks by Zapier and API by Zapier can call any API endpoint even when the service has no dedicated integration: Ways to make API requests in Zapier.
API by Zapier supports OAuth 2.0, API keys, or no authentication, according to the endpoint’s requirements. The important distinction is where credentials live: authentication is held in an app connection that can be reused by multiple workflows and teammates, rather than being typed into every individual request step.
This makes API by Zapier a better fit when a connection will be used repeatedly, when an API key must be kept out of ordinary step fields, or when an OAuth consent flow is required.
API Request actions
An API Request action extends an existing Zapier integration when the app already exists but does not expose the particular API operation your Zap needs. It is designed for an action needed in one Zap, not necessarily a reusable integration for an entire team. The exact authentication behavior depends on the underlying integration.
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Custom Actions and the Developer Platform
If you need a reusable custom operation, advanced authentication, or a complete trigger-and-action package, use Custom Actions or build an integration on Zapier’s Developer Platform. Zapier’s platform documentation describes triggers as places where you get data from an API, using GET requests or webhooks, and says the integration code calls an API endpoint: Zapier Developer Platform: Platform UI.
For smaller transformations or unusual request logic, a Code step can call an API directly. Zapier groups code and API tools for advanced workflows in its guidance at Build advanced workflows using code and APIs.
How Zapier uses webhooks
Receiving an event with Catch Hook
With a Catch Hook trigger, Zapier gives the Zap a unique URL. An external application sends an HTTP request to that URL whenever its event occurs. Zapier captures the request body, parses the fields, and makes the sample data available to later steps.
Catch Raw Hook is the alternative when you need the unparsed request content. It is useful when the payload’s exact formatting matters or when Zapier’s normal field parsing would remove information you need.
A Catch Hook URL is effectively a secret. Zapier says the URL is linked to the Zap and does not change, and warns that anyone who obtains a public URL can send requests that spam the hook and trigger the Zap. Do not place it in client-side code or publish it in documentation intended for the public. The receiving workflow is covered in Trigger Zap workflows from webhooks.
Sending a request with Webhooks by Zapier
Webhooks by Zapier can send information from a Zap to an external URL. The documented methods are GET, POST, and PUT, with automatic data parsing, plus Custom Request for other HTTP methods or request formats. Zapier’s sending tutorial, updated August 10, 2026, explains these options at Send webhooks in Zap workflows.
Outbound webhook steps are useful when the receiving endpoint needs a straightforward HTTP request and does not require an OAuth connection managed as a reusable app. They can also be used for a single call to an internal service, a testing endpoint, or a tool that accepts Basic authentication.
API by Zapier versus Webhooks by Zapier
| Consideration | API by Zapier or an API request | Webhooks by Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Primary direction | Usually sends a request to an API endpoint; API Request actions and Custom Actions extend an existing integration. | Receives event payloads through Catch Hook or Catch Raw Hook, or sends HTTP requests to a URL. |
| Authentication | API by Zapier supports OAuth 2.0, API keys, or no authentication. API Request behavior depends on the integration. | The documented Webhooks feature supports Basic authentication or no authentication. |
| Credential storage | Credentials are stored in a reusable app connection. | Credentials are configured in the webhook step; step fields may be readable by people who can access the Zap. |
| Best fit | Reusable, authenticated actions and services without a dedicated Zapier app. | Inbound event pushes, simple or unauthenticated calls, and one-off requests. |
| Trigger model | Polling or request/response, depending on the integration. | Push notifications through Catch Hook or Catch Raw Hook, or polling a REST endpoint with Retrieve Poll. |
Which option should you choose?
Choose API by Zapier when authentication or reuse matters
- The service requires OAuth 2.0 authorization.
- The API key should remain in a managed app connection rather than in visible step fields.
- Several Zaps or teammates will use the same authenticated connection.
- You are connecting to an API that has no prebuilt Zapier app but has stable documentation.
Choose Webhooks by Zapier for direct endpoint work
- An external service needs to push an event into a Zap.
- The endpoint is unauthenticated or accepts Basic authentication.
- You need a simple GET, POST, PUT, or custom HTTP request.
- The request is a one-off and does not justify creating a reusable app connection.
Choose API Request, Custom Actions, or the Developer Platform for integration gaps
- Use an API Request action when a prebuilt integration exists but is missing one operation needed in a single Zap.
- Use Custom Actions when the operation should be reusable across workflows.
- Use the Developer Platform when you need a complete custom integration, advanced authentication, or custom triggers and actions.
How to receive a webhook and then call an API
Yes, Zapier can receive a webhook and call an API in the same automation. This pattern is useful when one system emits events but another system only accepts API requests.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors- Create the trigger: Start a Zap with Webhooks by Zapier and select Catch Hook or Catch Raw Hook, depending on whether you need parsed fields or the original payload.
- Copy the generated URL: Configure the source service to send its event request to that URL. Treat the URL as confidential.
- Send a test event: Trigger the source system once so Zapier can capture a representative payload and expose its fields for mapping.
- Add the API step: Select the destination app’s action if a supported integration exists. Otherwise choose API by Zapier for a reusable authenticated connection, or a Webhooks by Zapier outbound request for a simple endpoint.
- Map and authenticate: Map values from the webhook payload into the API path, query parameters, headers, and body. Select the required connection or configure the documented authentication method.
- Test the response: Confirm the destination returns the expected status and data before turning the Zap on.
The result is a push-to-request chain: the source pushes an event to Zapier, and Zapier makes a separate request to the destination API.
How to connect a service with no Zapier integration
A missing app listing does not automatically mean the service cannot be used. First read the service’s API documentation and identify its endpoint, HTTP method, authentication, required headers, request body, response format, and rate or pagination rules.
- Document the endpoint: Record the complete URL, method, required parameters, and an example request from the service’s documentation.
- Decide where credentials belong: Select API by Zapier when the API uses OAuth 2.0 or an API key that should be reusable. Select Webhooks by Zapier for no-auth or Basic-auth calls and one-off requests.
- Build a minimal request: Start with one endpoint and the smallest valid payload. Add fields only after the basic request succeeds.
- Test with a real sample: Check the returned status code, response body, and content type. Save the successful request shape for future maintenance.
- Choose a long-term implementation: If several workflows need the same operation, move from a one-off webhook to API by Zapier, Custom Actions, or a Developer Platform integration.
Authentication and security details
Authentication is the clearest dividing line between the two tools. OAuth 2.0 normally requires a managed connection and token lifecycle, which favors API by Zapier or a custom integration. API-key services can work with API by Zapier when the key is supplied in the supported header or query-parameter form.
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Webhooks are not inherently insecure, but a URL-based hook must be protected. Anyone who obtains a Catch Hook URL can submit requests. Use source-side signing or a secret field when the sending service supports it, reject unexpected payloads in later steps, and avoid exposing the URL in browser code. For outbound requests, remember that values entered into webhook step fields may be visible to people with Zap access.
Troubleshooting failed API and webhook steps
Most failures are configuration mismatches rather than a Zapier outage. Check the following in order:
- Endpoint: Confirm the full URL, including the correct version path and required identifier.
- Method: Make sure GET, POST, PUT, or the custom method matches the API documentation.
- Headers: Verify the content type, authorization header, API-version header, and any required idempotency or signature header.
- Authentication: Reconnect OAuth, check that an API key has not expired, and confirm whether the service expects a header or query parameter.
- Payload: Check JSON syntax, field names, nesting, data types, and required values. A field that looks correct in Zapier may still be the wrong type for the endpoint.
- Webhook sample: Send a fresh event if the trigger has no fields or displays stale sample data. Use Catch Raw Hook when parsing changes the payload you need.
- Response: Read the HTTP status and response body. A 401 or 403 usually indicates authentication or permissions; a 404 indicates the endpoint or identifier; a 400 commonly indicates method, payload, or validation errors; a 429 indicates rate limiting.
Zapier’s webhook tutorials assume familiarity with HTTP and API documentation and suggest using command-line requests such as curl or an API client such as Postman to generate and inspect a known-good request before reproducing it in a Zap.
Is Zapier itself an API?
Zapier is an automation platform, not one single API that every user calls in the same way. It operates as an API client when its integrations make requests to connected services, as a webhook receiver when a Catch Hook accepts an event, and as a webhook sender when it posts data to another URL. Its Developer Platform also lets builders package API calls and webhook triggers into custom integrations.
That distinction matters when planning an architecture: you choose the service endpoint and the communication pattern, while Zapier supplies the workflow logic, field mapping, authentication options, and execution between the systems.
Bottom line: API or webhook?
Use API by Zapier for authenticated, reusable API connections, especially OAuth 2.0 or API-key services that lack a native integration. Use Webhooks by Zapier when a system needs to push events into a Zap, when you need a direct URL request, or when the call is simple and temporary. If neither tool provides the reuse, authentication, or trigger behavior you need, an API Request action, Custom Action, Code step, or Developer Platform integration fills the gap.
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