How to make a webhook in Discord – full guide

To make a webhook in Discord, open Server Settings > Integrations, select Create Webhook, pick the channel, then select Copy Webhook URL.

This guide covers the permission you need, how to test the URL, message and embed formats, mentions, files, JavaScript and Python examples, GitHub, and fixes for common errors.

How To Create A Webhook In Discord

You need the Manage Webhooks permission on the server. Webhooks post into text channels, so create the channel first if it does not exist.

1. Open your Discord server in the desktop app or browser.
2. Select the server name, then Server Settings.
3. Open the Integrations tab.
4. Select Create Webhook.
5. Type a name, choose the target text channel from the dropdown and, optionally, select the avatar to upload an image.
6. Select Copy Webhook URL and save your changes.

The URL looks like https://discord.com/api/webhooks/<id>/<token>. Anyone holding it can post to that channel, so store it like a password.

What Is A Discord Webhook?

A Discord webhook is a URL that lets another service or script post messages into one channel. It needs no bot user and no login; the token in the URL is the only credential.

Question	Answer
Direction	Incoming: other services send messages into Discord
Can it read messages?	No; it only posts, edits and deletes its own messages
Can it reply to commands?	No; that needs a bot or an app
How it is triggered	An HTTP POST request with JSON or form data
Typical senders	GitHub, CircleCI, Datadog, CI pipelines and your own scripts

What You Need Before Creating A Webhook

Requirement	Why
Manage Webhooks permission (or server owner)	Discord requires it to create, edit or delete webhooks
A target text channel	Each webhook posts into one channel; forum channels need a thread name or ID
Discord desktop app or browser	Server Settings is easiest to use on a computer
A service or script that sends HTTP POST requests	A webhook does nothing on its own
A safe place for the URL	The token in the URL grants posting access

If you do not have the app, download Discord for Windows or Mac, or use Discord in a web browser instead.

How To Test A Discord Webhook

Send one plain message from a terminal with curl. Replace the URL with the one you copied.

curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d "{\"content\": \"Webhook test\"}" https://discord.com/api/webhooks/ID/TOKEN

Sends a POST request with a JSON body whose content field becomes the message text.

You should see: The message "Webhook test" appears in the channel, and curl prints nothing because Discord answers 204 No Content.

In PowerShell, run Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://discord.com/api/webhooks/ID/TOKEN" -Method Post -ContentType "application/json" -Body '{"content":"Webhook test"}'. API clients such as Postman work too: choose POST, set a raw JSON body and send.

How Discord Webhook Messages Work

Every request must include at least one of content, embeds, file or poll. The other fields change how the message looks.

Field	What it does	Limit
content	Message text, with Discord markdown such as bold and code	2,000 characters
username	Overrides the webhook's name for this message	Cannot contain "clyde" or "discord"
avatar_url	Overrides the avatar for this message	A public image URL
embeds	Rich cards with title, fields, colour and images	Up to 10 per message
tts	Reads the message aloud for users with TTS on	true or false
allowed_mentions	Controls which mentions ping people	users, roles, everyone
thread_id / thread_name	Posts into a thread, or creates one in a forum channel	Forum and media channels need one

Add ?wait=true to the URL to make Discord return the created message as JSON, which includes its ID for later edits.

How To Send An Embed With A Discord Webhook

Embeds hold a title, description, colour and up to 25 fields. Save the JSON to a file so quoting stays simple in any shell.

curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d @embed.json https://discord.com/api/webhooks/ID/TOKEN

embed.json:
{
  "username": "Build Bot",
  "embeds": [{
    "title": "Deploy finished",
    "description": "Version 2.4 is live.",
    "color": 5763719,
    "fields": [
      {"name": "Branch", "value": "main", "inline": true},
      {"name": "Duration", "value": "3m 12s", "inline": true}
    ],
    "footer": {"text": "CI pipeline"}
  }]
}

Posts one embed with a title, description, green colour (a decimal RGB value), two inline fields and a footer, under the name Build Bot.

You should see: A card with a coloured left edge and the two fields side by side appears in the channel.

Discord's embed limits: title 256 characters, description 4,096, up to 25 fields, field name 256, field value 1,024, footer 2,048 and author name 256. All embeds in one message together must stay under 6,000 characters.

How To Mention Users, Roles, And Channels

Mentions use numeric IDs, not names. Copy the ID of the user, role or channel before you build the message.

Mention	Syntax in content	Pings by default from a webhook?
User	<@USER_ID>	Yes
Role	<@&ROLE_ID>	No; add "roles" to allowed_mentions parse
Channel	<#CHANNEL_ID>	Links the channel; no ping
@everyone / @here	@everyone or @here	No; add "everyone" to allowed_mentions parse

Webhooks parse only user mentions unless you say otherwise. To ping a role, send "allowed_mentions": {"parse": ["roles"]} with the message; to block every ping, send "parse": [].

How To Use A Discord Webhook With Popular Services

Discord accepts GitHub's and Slack's own webhook formats when you add a suffix to the URL. GitHub is the most common example.

1. Copy your Discord webhook URL.
2. In GitHub, open the repository, then Settings > Webhooks > Add webhook.
3. Paste the URL into Payload URL and add /github to the end.
4. Set Content type to application/json.
5. Choose Let me select individual events and tick events such as pushes, pull requests and releases.
6. Select Add webhook, then push a commit to see the message arrive.

For services that send Slack-format webhooks, add /slack instead. Automation tools such as Zapier and Make post to the plain URL with a JSON body containing content or embeds.

How To Use A Discord Webhook In JavaScript

Node.js includes a built-in fetch function in current releases, so no package is needed. Keep the URL in an environment variable.

const url = process.env.DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL;

const res = await fetch(url + "?wait=true", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    content: "Hello from Node.js",
    allowed_mentions: { parse: [] }
  })
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Discord returned ${res.status}`);
console.log((await res.json()).id);

Posts a message with pings disabled and waits for Discord to return the created message.

You should see: The script prints the new message ID and the text appears in the channel.

Save it as send.mjs so top-level await works, then run node send.mjs.

How To Use A Discord Webhook In Python

This uses only Python's standard library. Discord asks HTTP API clients to send a User-Agent header, so the script sets one.

import json, os, urllib.request

url = os.environ["DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL"]
body = json.dumps({"content": "Hello from Python"}).encode()

req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=body, method="POST", headers={
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "User-Agent": "DiscordBot (https://example.com, 1.0)",
})
with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as resp:
    print(resp.status)

Builds a JSON body, sends it as a POST request and prints the HTTP status.

You should see: The script prints 204 and the message appears in the channel.

Set the variable first: set DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL=... in Command Prompt, or export DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL=... on macOS and Linux.

How To Send Files With A Discord Webhook

Files go in a multipart/form-data request, with the text and embeds in a payload_json field. The default upload limit is 20 MiB per file.

curl -F "payload_json={\"content\": \"Nightly report\"}" -F "files[0][email protected]" https://discord.com/api/webhooks/ID/TOKEN

Uploads report.pdf as an attachment, with the message text sent in payload_json.

You should see: The message appears with report.pdf attached and downloadable.

Number extra files files[1], files[2] and so on. To show an uploaded image inside an embed, set the embed image URL to attachment://filename.png.

How To Edit Or Delete A Discord Webhook

1. Open Server Settings > Integrations and select the webhook.
2. Change the name, avatar or channel, then save.
3. To remove it, open the webhook and use its delete option; the URL stops working immediately.
4. To delete from a script, send DELETE to the webhook URL; Discord answers 204 No Content.
5. To fix a message the webhook already sent, send PATCH to /messages/MESSAGE_ID on the webhook URL with the new content.

If a URL leaks, delete the webhook and create a new one. Editing the name does not change the token.

Security Best Practices For Discord Webhooks

Risk	What can happen	Prevention
URL posted in public code or screenshots	Anyone can spam the channel	Keep it in environment variables or a secrets store
Leaked URL	Spam or fake announcements	Delete the webhook and create a new one
User text passed straight into content	Unwanted pings or broken formatting	Sanitise input and set allowed_mentions
Too many people with Manage Webhooks	Webhooks created without oversight	Grant the permission only to admins
Webhook in a busy public channel	Automated posts get lost or abused	Use a dedicated alerts channel

How to check the webhook is working

1. Send the curl test message from the testing section.
2. Confirm the message appears in the chosen channel under the webhook's name and avatar.
3. Repeat with ?wait=true added to the URL and check the response contains a message id.
4. Trigger a real event from the connected service, such as a GitHub push, and confirm it posts.

Troubleshooting Common Discord Webhook Problems

Create Webhook is missing

Your role lacks the Manage Webhooks permission.

1. Ask the server owner or an admin to grant Manage Webhooks.
2. Or ask them to create the webhook and send you the URL privately.

400 Bad Request

The body is empty, the JSON is invalid, or a limit such as 2,000 characters is exceeded.

1. Check the JSON in a validator and send Content-Type: application/json.
2. Include at least one of content, embeds or a file.
3. Shorten long text and check the embed limits.

404 Not Found

The webhook was deleted or the URL was copied incompletely.

1. Copy the URL again from Integrations.
2. Create a new webhook if the old one was removed.

429 Too Many Requests

You hit Discord's rate limit.

1. Read the retry_after value or Retry-After header.
2. Wait that many seconds before sending again.
3. Batch updates into fewer messages.

GitHub messages do not appear

The payload URL is missing /github or the content type is wrong.

1. Edit the GitHub webhook and add /github to the end of the URL.
2. Set Content type to application/json.
3. Push a new commit to trigger a fresh delivery.

Role or @everyone mention does not ping

Webhooks parse only user mentions by default.

1. Add "allowed_mentions": {"parse": ["roles", "everyone"]} to the body.
2. Send the message again and check the role is pinged.

Practical Discord Webhook Ideas

Idea	Sender	What to post
Code updates	GitHub with /github	Pushes, pull requests and releases
Build and deploy alerts	CI pipeline script	Embed with status, branch and duration
Server monitoring	Datadog or a cron script	Alerts when a check fails
Form or shop notifications	Zapier or Make	New submissions or orders
Daily reports	Python script on a schedule	A summary message with a file attached

Discord Webhook Best Practices

Practice	Reason
One webhook per service	You can revoke one without breaking the others
Clear names and avatars	Readers see at a glance which system posted
Set allowed_mentions explicitly	Prevents accidental mass pings
Use ?wait=true when you need to edit later	Returns the message ID
Handle 429 responses	Scripts keep working under rate limits
Send a User-Agent header from scripts	Discord asks API clients to identify themselves

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a webhook in Discord?

Open Server Settings > Integrations, select Create Webhook, choose a channel and name, then select Copy Webhook URL. You need the Manage Webhooks permission on that server.

How do I create a webhook URL?

Discord generates the URL when you create the webhook. Select Copy Webhook URL in the webhook's settings. It contains the webhook ID and a secret token, so keep it private.

How does a webhook work?

A webhook is a URL that accepts HTTP POST requests. When a service or script sends JSON to it, Discord posts the content as a message in the linked channel. It needs no bot account or login.

How do I use a Discord webhook?

Paste the URL into a service that supports webhooks, such as GitHub, or send a POST request with a JSON body like {"content": "Hello"} from curl, JavaScript or Python.

How do I make a Discord webhook in Python?

Use urllib.request from the standard library to POST a JSON body with a content field to the webhook URL, and set Content-Type and User-Agent headers. A 204 status means the message was sent.

How do I create a webhook in GitHub for Discord?

In the repository, open Settings > Webhooks > Add webhook, paste the Discord URL with /github added to the end, set Content type to application/json and choose the events to send.

Can a Discord webhook receive messages?

No. Discord webhooks only post into a channel. To read or react to messages, you need a bot or an app that receives events from Discord.

How many messages can a webhook send?

Discord applies rate limits and answers 429 Too Many Requests when you exceed them. Wait for the retry_after time in the response before sending again.

Can I change a webhook's name per message?

Yes. Send username and avatar_url in the request body to override the default name and avatar for that message only. Names cannot contain the words clyde or discord.

Conclusion

Create the webhook under Server Settings > Integrations, test it with one curl message, and then connect GitHub or your own script with allowed_mentions set. A single test proves the URL and channel before you automate anything, and explicit mention settings stop a script from pinging the whole server.