docs: add webhook documentation to Docker README

Added comprehensive webhook section to README.md including:
- Overview of asynchronous job queue with webhooks
- Benefits and use cases
- Quick start examples
- Webhook authentication
- Global webhook configuration
- Job status polling alternative

Updated table of contents and summary to include webhook feature.
Maintains consistent tone and style with rest of README.

Generated with Claude Code https://claude.com/claude-code

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Claude
2025-10-21 16:21:07 +00:00
parent 8a37710313
commit 897bc3a493

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@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
- [Python SDK](#python-sdk)
- [Understanding Request Schema](#understanding-request-schema)
- [REST API Examples](#rest-api-examples)
- [Asynchronous Jobs with Webhooks](#asynchronous-jobs-with-webhooks)
- [Additional API Endpoints](#additional-api-endpoints)
- [HTML Extraction Endpoint](#html-extraction-endpoint)
- [Screenshot Endpoint](#screenshot-endpoint)
@@ -648,6 +649,146 @@ async def test_stream_crawl(token: str = None): # Made token optional
# asyncio.run(test_stream_crawl())
```
### Asynchronous Jobs with Webhooks
For long-running crawls or when you want to avoid keeping connections open, use the job queue endpoints. Instead of polling for results, configure a webhook to receive notifications when jobs complete.
#### Why Use Jobs & Webhooks?
- **No Polling Required** - Get notified when crawls complete instead of constantly checking status
- **Better Resource Usage** - Free up client connections while jobs run in the background
- **Scalable Architecture** - Ideal for high-volume crawling with TypeScript/Node.js clients or microservices
- **Reliable Delivery** - Automatic retry with exponential backoff (5 attempts: 1s → 2s → 4s → 8s → 16s)
#### How It Works
1. **Submit Job** → POST to `/crawl/job` with optional `webhook_config`
2. **Get Task ID** → Receive a `task_id` immediately
3. **Job Runs** → Crawl executes in the background
4. **Webhook Fired** → Server POSTs completion notification to your webhook URL
5. **Fetch Results** → If data wasn't included in webhook, GET `/crawl/job/{task_id}`
#### Quick Example
```bash
# Submit a crawl job with webhook notification
curl -X POST http://localhost:11235/crawl/job \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"urls": ["https://example.com"],
"webhook_config": {
"webhook_url": "https://myapp.com/webhooks/crawl-complete",
"webhook_data_in_payload": false
}
}'
# Response: {"task_id": "crawl_a1b2c3d4"}
```
**Your webhook receives:**
```json
{
"task_id": "crawl_a1b2c3d4",
"task_type": "crawl",
"status": "completed",
"timestamp": "2025-10-21T10:30:00.000000+00:00",
"urls": ["https://example.com"]
}
```
Then fetch the results:
```bash
curl http://localhost:11235/crawl/job/crawl_a1b2c3d4
```
#### Include Data in Webhook
Set `webhook_data_in_payload: true` to receive the full crawl results directly in the webhook:
```bash
curl -X POST http://localhost:11235/crawl/job \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"urls": ["https://example.com"],
"webhook_config": {
"webhook_url": "https://myapp.com/webhooks/crawl-complete",
"webhook_data_in_payload": true
}
}'
```
**Your webhook receives the complete data:**
```json
{
"task_id": "crawl_a1b2c3d4",
"task_type": "crawl",
"status": "completed",
"timestamp": "2025-10-21T10:30:00.000000+00:00",
"urls": ["https://example.com"],
"data": {
"markdown": "...",
"html": "...",
"links": {...},
"metadata": {...}
}
}
```
#### Webhook Authentication
Add custom headers for authentication:
```json
{
"urls": ["https://example.com"],
"webhook_config": {
"webhook_url": "https://myapp.com/webhooks/crawl",
"webhook_data_in_payload": false,
"webhook_headers": {
"X-Webhook-Secret": "your-secret-token",
"X-Service-ID": "crawl4ai-prod"
}
}
}
```
#### Global Default Webhook
Configure a default webhook URL in `config.yml` for all jobs:
```yaml
webhooks:
enabled: true
default_url: "https://myapp.com/webhooks/default"
data_in_payload: false
retry:
max_attempts: 5
initial_delay_ms: 1000
max_delay_ms: 32000
timeout_ms: 30000
```
Now jobs without `webhook_config` automatically use the default webhook.
#### Job Status Polling (Without Webhooks)
If you prefer polling instead of webhooks, just omit `webhook_config`:
```bash
# Submit job
curl -X POST http://localhost:11235/crawl/job \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"urls": ["https://example.com"]}'
# Response: {"task_id": "crawl_xyz"}
# Poll for status
curl http://localhost:11235/crawl/job/crawl_xyz
```
The response includes `status` field: `"processing"`, `"completed"`, or `"failed"`.
> 💡 **Pro tip**: See [WEBHOOK_EXAMPLES.md](./WEBHOOK_EXAMPLES.md) for detailed examples including TypeScript client code, Flask webhook handlers, and failure handling.
---
## Metrics & Monitoring
@@ -827,10 +968,11 @@ We're here to help you succeed with Crawl4AI! Here's how to get support:
In this guide, we've covered everything you need to get started with Crawl4AI's Docker deployment:
- Building and running the Docker container
- Configuring the environment
- Configuring the environment
- Using the interactive playground for testing
- Making API requests with proper typing
- Using the Python SDK
- Asynchronous job queues with webhook notifications
- Leveraging specialized endpoints for screenshots, PDFs, and JavaScript execution
- Connecting via the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- Monitoring your deployment