What is the difference between webhooks and polling?

Polling and webhooks are two ways to learn about new data. Polling means your code asks the API on a fixed schedule whether anything changed. Webhooks invert that: the provider sends your server an HTTP request the moment something changes, so you skip the wasted empty checks between updates. Webhooks are efficient when the provider offers them, but most social platforms do not expose webhooks for public data, so polling on an interval is the norm. Poll efficiently by combining a sensible interval with a cursor so you only process items newer than your last run. The monitoring guide shows the full loop.