--- title: Webhook Retry Patterns date: 2026-06-22 --- # Webhook Retry Patterns Webhooks fail. Networks drop, servers restart, and downstream APIs return 503s. A reliable webhook system needs retry logic. ## Exponential backoff Don't retry every 5 seconds. Start at 5 minutes, then 10, 20, 40 — doubling each time. Cap at 60 minutes. This gives downstream services time to recover without overwhelming them. ## Idempotency keys Include a unique `webhook-id` header. Process each event exactly once. If you receive the same ID twice, return 200 and skip processing. ## Dead letter queues After max retries, don't silently drop the event. Store it for manual inspection and replay. This is what [HookRelay](https://tryvex.cc) does — automatic retry with backoff, full logging, and one-click replay. [← Back to blog](/blog)