Polling vs. Webhooks: The 2026 Resurgence of the Pull-Pattern

import requests
import time

# No server, no ports, no infrastructure
def check_events():
    res = requests.get("https://api.fetchhook.app/api/v1/stash_123",
                       headers={"Authorization": "Bearer fh_xxx"})

    for event in res.json().get('events', []):
        process(event)  # Handle at your own pace

    time.sleep(60)  # Pull every minute, not every second

#Why was polling hated?

Historically, polling meant hammering a server every second for data that hadn't changed. It was wasteful and slow. Webhooks were the 'modern' solution: 'Don't call us, we'll call you.' The narrative was simple: polling is inefficient, webhooks are real-time and elegant. But this ignored the hidden costs of webhook infrastructure.

#What is the 'Webhook Infrastructure Tax'?

Push webhooks require: (1) A publicly accessible server running 24/7, (2) SSL certificates and domain management, (3) Load balancers for high traffic, (4) Complex retry and failure handling logic, (5) Security middleware for signature verification, (6) Queue systems to handle bursts. For a simple script that processes payment events once an hour, this is massive overkill.

#Why is 'Pull' winning in the Agent era?

AI agents are often ephemeral. They exist to solve a task and then disappear. A 'Push' webhook requires the agent to be 'home' (online) to receive the call. A 'Pull' model allows the agent to check its 'Mailbox' (FetchHook) at its own pace. This is especially critical for: (1) Serverless functions with cold starts, (2) Local development scripts, (3) Cron jobs and scheduled tasks, (4) Agents running in restrictive networks.

// Agent wakes up on schedule, pulls work, processes, exits
const processAgentTasks = async () => {
  const events = await fetch('https://api.fetchhook.app/api/v1/stash_xyz', {
    headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer fh_xyz' }
  }).then(r => r.json());

  for (const event of events.events) {
    // Agent has full control over execution timing
    await runLLMAnalysis(event.payload);
    await updateDatabase(event.payload);
  }

  console.log(`Agent processed ${events.events.length} tasks`);
};

#How does modern pull compare to push?

Feature           | Webhook (Push)      | FetchHook (Pull)
----------------- | ------------------- | ----------------
Infrastructure    | Server needed 24/7  | None
Security          | Open ports required | Zero Trust
Uptime needed     | 100% availability   | On-demand
Complexity        | High (middleware)   | Low (single API call)
Cold start issues | Event lost          | Queued in mailbox
Network firewall  | Blocker             | No problem
Local development | Tunnel required     | Works natively
Burst handling    | Need queue system   | Built-in buffer

#How is FetchHook different from old-school polling?

Traditional polling hit the SOURCE API (e.g., Stripe) every N seconds to check for new data. FetchHook inverts this: the source PUSHES to FetchHook's buffer, and you PULL from the buffer. This means: (1) The source API is never hammered, (2) You get webhook-speed ingress (milliseconds), (3) You process at your own pace, (4) Zero infrastructure on your side. It's the best of both worlds.

#When should I choose pull over push?

Choose pull-based patterns when: (1) Your consumer is ephemeral (cron jobs, serverless, local scripts), (2) You're behind a firewall or NAT without public IP, (3) You need time to process events (LLM calls, heavy computation), (4) Your workflow is batch-oriented rather than real-time, (5) You want zero infrastructure management. Choose traditional push webhooks only when you already have a 24/7 server infrastructure and need sub-second latency.

# Cron runs this every 15 minutes
# Pulls all accumulated events and processes in batch
def batch_processor():
    response = requests.get(
        "https://api.fetchhook.app/api/v1/stash_batch",
        headers={"Authorization": "Bearer fh_live_xxx"}
    )

    events = response.json().get('events', [])

    if not events:
        print("No new events")
        return

    # Process entire batch efficiently
    for event in events:
        if event['signature_verified']:
            handle_event(event['payload'])

    print(f"Batch complete: {len(events)} events processed")