What is polling?
Polling means your workflow asks another system on a timer whether anything is new. A webhook is the opposite: the other system tells you when something happens. Polling is simpler when the other app cannot push, and noisier when you ask too often.
In plain English
Every five minutes, check for new orders. That is polling. You will be late by up to five minutes, and you may pull the same order twice if you do not track ids. You may also hit a rate limit if you ask every few seconds. Polling is you asking 'anything new?' on a timer. Ask often enough that a customer is not waiting an hour, and rarely enough that you do not get shut out. Overlapping polls can process the same row twice if you do not mark it. Write down the last item you saw. If the other app can push a webhook, prefer that for events you must not miss. Show the last successful check on a screen a person looks at. A poll that died on Friday should not wait until a customer complains on Tuesday.
How an owner would use it
Poll when there is no webhook and a delay is acceptable, such as a morning pickup list. Store the last id you handled. If the other app offers a webhook, prefer it for anything a customer is waiting on.
Common mistakes
Polling every minute because you want to feel live will trip rate limits and create duplicate drafts. Polling overnight for a shop that is closed wastes the plan. Do not poll a system for a fact that should arrive as a webhook you already have. And do not poll without an idempotency check.
A worked example
A bakery
Wholesale orders are checked every half hour, not every second
This is an illustration, not a customer result. The shop's order inbox has no webhook. A workflow checks twice an hour during the workday and drafts a production note for new rows only. After close it stops. Duplicate order numbers are skipped.
Related terms
Prompts and guides
Questions owners ask
What is polling?
Polling is asking another app on a schedule if new data exists, instead of waiting for that app to notify you.
How do I poll without double-processing?
Remember the last id you successfully handled and ignore anything older or already seen. Slow the schedule down until the delay is still acceptable.
When is a webhook the better choice?
When the other system can send one and the customer is waiting on a response in seconds. Polling always includes a delay and extra calls.
Product guides are on AI apps for business.