Don’t use Slack Incoming Webhooks; App Creation is Dead Simple!
Tags: chatops, slack
Published: 2022-09-05 17:31:53

---
title: Don’t use Slack Incoming Webhooks; App Creation is Dead Simple!
tags: [chatops, slack]
canonical_url: https://keestalkstech.com/2022/09/dont-use-slack-incoming-webhooks-app-creation-is-dead-simple/
---

At Wehkamp we ❤️ Slack! Seriously, in order to improve our efficiency, we've connected many of our applications, alerts and dashboards to Slack channels. But, as with all things, there is a _right_ way and a _wrong_ way of integrating a webhook at enterprise level. 

As a Slack admin I see the old integration being requested every now and then, so let's see how easy it is to move away from Slack Incoming Webhooks. This guide was created with the help of [Harry Kroes](https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-kroes-339ba015/), one of our cloud engineers, as we needed to create a webhook to connect alerts from Nifi to Slack.

## [Why is it a problem?](#why-is-it-a-problem)

Let me be clear: the [Slack Incoming Webhooks](https://wehkampgroup.slack.com/apps/A0F7XDUAZ-incoming-webhooks?tab=more%5Finfo) integration will work, but _is_ **legacy** and you should migrate as soon as possible.

> _Please note, this is a legacy custom integration - an outdated way for teams to integrate with Slack. These integrations lack newer features and they will be deprecated and possibly removed in the future. **We do not recommend their use.**_
> 
> Source: [Slack Incoming Webhooks](https://wehkampgroup.slack.com/apps/A0F7XDUAZ-incoming-webhooks?tab=more%5Finfo)

At Wehkamp, that's not even the main problem! Whenever the _creator_ of a legacy webhook leaves the organization, the webhook is disabled. The **code** of the reactivated webhook changes; so vital integrations break.
<figure>
  <img src="https://keestalkstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image.png" alt="Warning message: Some configurations of Incoming WebHooks have been deactivated. This is because the team members who set up those configurations are no longer regular members of this workspace.">
  <figcaption>Nooooo: some configurations of Incoming WebHooks have been deactivated.</figcaption>
</figure>

## [Fast Guide To Create An App](#fast-guide-to-create-an-app)

It is super simple to create an application, especially now that we have [Slack App Manifests](https://api.slack.com/reference/manifests). Follow this wizard and you'll have an **app in 2 minutes**:

1. Goto [api.slack.com/apps?new\_app=1](https://api.slack.com/apps?new%5Fapp=1)
2. Choose _From An App Manifest_:    <figure>
      <img src="https://keestalkstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-1.png" alt="Slack wizard for app creation.">
    <figcaption>Slack wizard for app creation.

    </figcaption>
    </figure>
    
3. Select your workspace and click _Next_
    <figure>
          <img src="https://keestalkstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-2.png" alt="Step 1 of 3: select a workspace for your app.">
          <figcaption>
Select workspace.

        </figcaption>
    </figure>
    
4. Add this manifest, change the contents to your liking and click the _Next_ button.
    ```yml
display_information:
  name: My Alert
  description: Alerts from the My Monitoring System. Used for My App monitoring.
  background_color: "#8B0000"
features:
  bot_user:
    display_name: My Alert
    always_online: true
oauth_config:
  scopes:
    bot:
      - incoming-webhook
settings:
  org_deploy_enabled: false
  socket_mode_enabled: false
  token_rotation_enabled: false
```
    
    
5. Review your app and hit the _Create_ button. 🎉 _Congratz, your app is now created_ 🎉
6. Next, we need to install the app. Navigate to _Settings > Basic Information_ and click the _Install your app_ section and hit the _Install to Workspace_ button:
    <figure>
      <img src="https://keestalkstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-3.png" alt="Building Apps for Slack settings screen.">
      <figcaption>Install the app.
    
    </figcaption>
    </figure>
7. Select a default channel and hit the _Allow_ button:

    <figure>
      <img src="https://keestalkstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-4.png" alt="Slack screen: choose a default channel for your app postings.">
      <figcaption>
    Select a default Slack channel.
    
    </figcaption>
    </figure>
    
8. 🥳 _Your app is now installed and you can copy the webhook!_ 🥳 Navigate to _Features > Incoming Webhooks > Webhook URLs for Your Workspace_ and do your thing!
    <figure>
      <img src="https://keestalkstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/screendump.png" alt="Slack screen for managing your webhooks.">
      <figcaption>
    Configure one or more webhooks.
    
    </figcaption>
    </figure>

## [Add collaborators](#add-collaborators)

It is super easy to add a new application. Now you can add _collaborators_ to your app, so when you leave the organization, the application is still managed by your peers. Navigate to _Settings > Collaborators_ to add more members.

Enjoy!