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Twilio Webhooks

How to Test Twilio Webhooks Locally (2026)

Twilio webhooks notify your application about SMS, voice call, and messaging events. Twilio uses a request validation signature based on your Auth Token and the full URL of your webhook endpoint.

Signature Header

X-Twilio-Signature

Algorithm

HMAC-SHA1

Setup Guide

  1. 1Create a free HookSense endpoint at hooksense.com
  2. 2Copy your unique webhook URL
  3. 3In Twilio Console → Phone Numbers → Configure the webhook URL
  4. 4For SMS: set the 'A message comes in' webhook to your HookSense URL
  5. 5For Voice: set the 'A call comes in' webhook to your HookSense URL
  6. 6Send a test SMS or make a test call to trigger the webhook
  7. 7View headers, body, and query params in HookSense in real-time

Common Twilio Webhook Events

SMS status callback
Voice status callback
Incoming SMS
Incoming voice call
Recording completed
Transcription completed
Message delivery status
Conversation events

Forward to Localhost

Use HookSense CLI to forward Twilio webhooks directly to your local development server:

npx hooksense listen -p 3000 --path /api/integrations/twilio

No ngrok or tunnel setup required. Install with npm i -g hooksense or use npx.

Tips & Best Practices

  • Twilio sends webhooks as application/x-www-form-urlencoded, not JSON
  • Twilio's signature validation includes the full URL — make sure it matches exactly
  • Use HookSense replay to re-test your handler without sending another SMS
  • Set custom responses in HookSense to return TwiML during testing

Related

Twilio Webhook Documentation HMAC Signature Calculator HMAC Verification Guide HookSense Documentation

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