Polling vs. Waiting for Webhooks: Handling GET RESULTS
When a job is running, you may need to fetch results before it’s fully finished.
This guide explains how to handle polling for results and when to rely on webhooks. You’ll learn when to poll, how often, and how to avoid common pitfalls like infinite loops.
Polling | Waiting for Webhooks |
---|---|
⚡ Get results ASAP | 🕰️ Get results once the job finishes |
⏱️ Request every 30 seconds | 🚫 No polling—wait for webhook |
🚫 Stop when webhook is received | 📡 Webhook sends a real-time update |
🕰️ Used when users expect fast feedback | 📦 Used when users can wait for full results |
🔄 Needs a stop condition | ✅ No need for stop conditions |
❌ Can cause API overload | ⚡ Uses system resources efficiently |
Polling means sending repeated Get a Run’s Results requests to the server to check for job results until the job is completed or a webhook notification is received. 📡
Polling is useful when you want to access job results before the job is fully finished.
Polling is useful in these scenarios:
Webhooks are better in these cases:
How it works: A webhook is triggered when the job status changes (e.g., created, success, failed). When this happens, you get a real-time notification.
To fetch the job’s progress using Get a
Run: row_count
represents the
number of outputs. You can calculate the progress as % progress = (#output / #input) * 100
.
If you decide to poll, follow these best practices:
Follow these steps:
Start the Job: Launch a workflow using Captain Data’s API.
Retrieve the Job ID: Extract the job_uid
from the API response.
Monitor Job Status: Periodically check the job’s status.
Fetch Results: Once the status is marked as finished
, retrieve the data.
Here’s a basic polling loop in Python to check a job’s status and retrieve results:
Ensure your polling logic has a clear stop condition (like a maximum timeout) to avoid infinite loops.
To track the progress of a Run, use the following:
get_run()
get_run_results()
You can also take into consideration the warning
status depending on your
implementation.
Use Case: You want to access job results before the job finishes.
https://api.captaindata.co/v3/jobs/:job_uid/results
as soon as the job starts.Use Case: The user is okay waiting until all results are ready.
GET JOB RESULTS
request to get the full job results.Why not retry? “All Inputs Failed” means the system has determined that no valid inputs exist. Retrying the job will produce the same result, so polling won’t help.
1️⃣ Avoid Infinite Polling Loops
2️⃣ Don’t Poll Without a Reason
3️⃣ Don’t Retry on ‘All Inputs Failed’
For more details on how to implement GET JOB RESULTS or Webhook Handling, check out our API Reference.
When integrating Captain Data into your workflows, retrieving job results is a crucial step. While webhooks are typically the preferred method for automation, certain situations make polling a more practical and reliable alternative—especially when working in local environments or dealing with specific technical constraints.
Webhooks are designed to send data automatically when a job’s status changes, but they come with specific requirements and potential challenges:
404 Not Found
or Bad Gateway
errors can arise due to incorrect configurations or unstable connections.Polling provides a flexible alternative by allowing you to actively check for job updates rather than waiting for webhooks to push data. This approach can be particularly useful in the following scenarios:
Polling can be particularly useful in local development because:
That said, webhooks remain the recommended approach for production environments, as they provide real-time updates and reduce unnecessary API calls. If you’re working locally but still want to test webhooks, you can use tools like ngrok to tunnel your local server.
Both polling and webhooks have their place in workflow automation. Polling is a practical alternative in local development and scenarios where webhooks pose connectivity challenges, while webhooks are ideal for handling high-volume asynchronous workflows in production.
For teams integrating Captain Data at scale, webhooks ensure efficient, event-driven updates. However, if you’re troubleshooting, working in a local environment, or need more control over job execution, polling can be a reliable method to retrieve results on demand.
If you have questions, contact us at [email protected].
Polling vs. Waiting for Webhooks: Handling GET RESULTS
When a job is running, you may need to fetch results before it’s fully finished.
This guide explains how to handle polling for results and when to rely on webhooks. You’ll learn when to poll, how often, and how to avoid common pitfalls like infinite loops.
Polling | Waiting for Webhooks |
---|---|
⚡ Get results ASAP | 🕰️ Get results once the job finishes |
⏱️ Request every 30 seconds | 🚫 No polling—wait for webhook |
🚫 Stop when webhook is received | 📡 Webhook sends a real-time update |
🕰️ Used when users expect fast feedback | 📦 Used when users can wait for full results |
🔄 Needs a stop condition | ✅ No need for stop conditions |
❌ Can cause API overload | ⚡ Uses system resources efficiently |
Polling means sending repeated Get a Run’s Results requests to the server to check for job results until the job is completed or a webhook notification is received. 📡
Polling is useful when you want to access job results before the job is fully finished.
Polling is useful in these scenarios:
Webhooks are better in these cases:
How it works: A webhook is triggered when the job status changes (e.g., created, success, failed). When this happens, you get a real-time notification.
To fetch the job’s progress using Get a
Run: row_count
represents the
number of outputs. You can calculate the progress as % progress = (#output / #input) * 100
.
If you decide to poll, follow these best practices:
Follow these steps:
Start the Job: Launch a workflow using Captain Data’s API.
Retrieve the Job ID: Extract the job_uid
from the API response.
Monitor Job Status: Periodically check the job’s status.
Fetch Results: Once the status is marked as finished
, retrieve the data.
Here’s a basic polling loop in Python to check a job’s status and retrieve results:
Ensure your polling logic has a clear stop condition (like a maximum timeout) to avoid infinite loops.
To track the progress of a Run, use the following:
get_run()
get_run_results()
You can also take into consideration the warning
status depending on your
implementation.
Use Case: You want to access job results before the job finishes.
https://api.captaindata.co/v3/jobs/:job_uid/results
as soon as the job starts.Use Case: The user is okay waiting until all results are ready.
GET JOB RESULTS
request to get the full job results.Why not retry? “All Inputs Failed” means the system has determined that no valid inputs exist. Retrying the job will produce the same result, so polling won’t help.
1️⃣ Avoid Infinite Polling Loops
2️⃣ Don’t Poll Without a Reason
3️⃣ Don’t Retry on ‘All Inputs Failed’
For more details on how to implement GET JOB RESULTS or Webhook Handling, check out our API Reference.
When integrating Captain Data into your workflows, retrieving job results is a crucial step. While webhooks are typically the preferred method for automation, certain situations make polling a more practical and reliable alternative—especially when working in local environments or dealing with specific technical constraints.
Webhooks are designed to send data automatically when a job’s status changes, but they come with specific requirements and potential challenges:
404 Not Found
or Bad Gateway
errors can arise due to incorrect configurations or unstable connections.Polling provides a flexible alternative by allowing you to actively check for job updates rather than waiting for webhooks to push data. This approach can be particularly useful in the following scenarios:
Polling can be particularly useful in local development because:
That said, webhooks remain the recommended approach for production environments, as they provide real-time updates and reduce unnecessary API calls. If you’re working locally but still want to test webhooks, you can use tools like ngrok to tunnel your local server.
Both polling and webhooks have their place in workflow automation. Polling is a practical alternative in local development and scenarios where webhooks pose connectivity challenges, while webhooks are ideal for handling high-volume asynchronous workflows in production.
For teams integrating Captain Data at scale, webhooks ensure efficient, event-driven updates. However, if you’re troubleshooting, working in a local environment, or need more control over job execution, polling can be a reliable method to retrieve results on demand.
If you have questions, contact us at [email protected].