justin
d9b2499690
A fresh Windows Server install has neither ASP.NET Core 8 nor .NET
Desktop 8, so the Service refuses to start and the GUI fails to
launch — the symptoms link to aka.ms/dotnet-core-applaunch but it's
not obvious from the GUI itself what's wrong.
Setup now:
- Detects each runtime by looking for an 8.x folder under
%ProgramFiles%\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.{AspNetCore,WindowsDesktop}.App
- Uses Inno Setup's built-in TDownloadWizardPage to fetch any missing
runtime from the aka.ms redirect and runs `/install /quiet /norestart`
- Treats Microsoft's 1638 / 3010 / 1641 exit codes as success
If the box has no internet, the prereq install fails with a clear
message and a "continue anyway?" prompt. README + installation docs
list the manual download URLs and `dotnet --list-runtimes` check;
troubleshooting has a section pointing at the same fix when the
service won't start after install.
93 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
93 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
# Webhook Server
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A Windows-native webhook server that runs PowerShell, cmd / `.bat`, or any executable in response to incoming HTTP requests. Endpoints are configured in a desktop GUI; the actual server runs as a Windows Service so it survives reboots and works without anyone logged in.
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Designed for sysadmins who want to wire up tools like **Zerto pre/post scripts**, GitHub webhooks, monitoring alerts, or backup jobs to Windows-side automation — without writing a custom listener every time.
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## Quickstart
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1. **Download** the latest installer: <https://github.com/recklessop/webhook-server/releases/latest>
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2. **Run it.** UAC accept → next, next, finish. Adds a Start Menu entry, registers and starts the Windows Service. The installer also downloads + installs the **.NET 8 runtimes** (ASP.NET Core + Desktop) if they're missing — fresh Windows Server installs need this.
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3. **Open Webhook Server** from the Start Menu (auto-elevates).
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4. **File → New endpoint**, configure a slug + script, save, hit the URL.
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Full first-time walkthrough: [docs/installation.md](docs/installation.md)
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## Highlights
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- **Many endpoints, one service.** Each webhook is a configured URL slug mapped to a script or command.
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- **Per-endpoint auth** — HMAC signature (GitHub / Stripe / Slack style), bearer token, or none.
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- **Per-endpoint IP allowlist.** Restrict by IP or CIDR. Empty list = open. Checked before auth so blocked IPs get a fast 403.
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- **Per-endpoint Run As** — run the hook as the service account (default), the user logged in at the keyboard (for UI hooks), or a named domain/local user via password.
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- **Flexible execution.** Windows PowerShell 5.1, PowerShell 7+, cmd / `.bat`, or any `.exe`.
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- **Flexible input** — any combination of: JSON body to stdin, query / headers as env vars, `{{body.foo.bar}}` template expansion into argv.
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- **Sync or async per endpoint.** Sync returns exit code + stdout / stderr to the caller; async returns 202 immediately.
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- **Outbound callbacks.** Optional per-endpoint URL the service POSTs run results to after the script finishes. HMAC-signed, retry-with-backoff. Required for async callers who want to know what happened.
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- **Configurable network** — bind to specific NICs, set the URL host shown in the GUI, configure trusted reverse proxies.
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- **HTTPS optional.** Bind a `.pfx` or cert-store thumbprint from the GUI.
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- **Secrets at rest** — bearer tokens, HMAC keys, RunAs passwords, and PFX passwords are DPAPI-encrypted (LocalMachine scope) in `config.json`.
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- **Auto-snapshots.** Every config save writes a Config Checkpoint; restore to any point with one click. Last 30 retained.
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## Architecture
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```
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+------------------+ named pipe +-------------------------------+
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| GUI (WPF) | <-------------> | Windows Service |
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| add / edit / | SYSTEM+admin | - Kestrel: hook listener |
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| view logs | ACL'd | - Admin pipe server |
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+------------------+ | - Executor (process runner) |
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| - Callback dispatcher |
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| - Serilog file logging |
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+-------------------------------+
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C:\ProgramData\WebhookServer\
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- config.json (DPAPI-encrypted)
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- backups\ (auto-snapshots)
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- logs\ (daily rolling)
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```
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## Documentation
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Everything you need to operate the server:
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- [Concepts](docs/concepts.md) — what a webhook is and how this server uses one
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- [Installation](docs/installation.md) — interactive and silent install
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- [Upgrading](docs/upgrading.md) — single click; what's preserved
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- [Uninstalling](docs/uninstalling.md) — clean removal
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- [Run As modes](docs/runas-modes.md) — Service / InteractiveUser / SpecificUser
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- [Service account & Active Directory](docs/service-account-and-ad.md) — gMSA + delegated rights
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- [Network & security](docs/network-and-security.md) — bind addresses, allowlists, HTTPS, secrets
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- [Troubleshooting](docs/troubleshooting.md) — common errors and where to look
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Recipes:
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- [Zerto failover post-script → DNS + service checks](docs/recipes/zerto-pre-post-scripts.md) ← **canonical use case** (Windows ZVM)
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- [Zerto ZVMA (Kubernetes) pre/post → notify + VM health check](docs/recipes/zerto-zvma-pre-post.md) — same pattern for the in-cluster scripts-service
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- [GitHub-style HMAC-signed webhook](docs/recipes/github-style-hmac.md)
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- [Pop UI on the user's desktop](docs/recipes/ui-on-desktop.md)
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Ready-to-drop-in Zerto-side scripts are included at [`scripts/examples/zerto-post-failover.ps1`](scripts/examples/zerto-post-failover.ps1) (Windows ZVM) and [`scripts/examples/zerto-zvma-send.ps1`](scripts/examples/zerto-zvma-send.ps1) (ZVMA / Kubernetes); receiver examples for the ZVMA recipe ship as [`zerto-receiver-notify.ps1`](scripts/examples/zerto-receiver-notify.ps1) and [`zerto-receiver-vm-healthcheck.ps1`](scripts/examples/zerto-receiver-vm-healthcheck.ps1).
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## Requirements
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- Windows 10 / 11 / Server 2019+
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- x64
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- .NET 8 SDK to build (the released installer includes everything else)
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## Building from source
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```powershell
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git clone https://github.com/recklessop/webhook-server.git
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cd webhook-server
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# Dev install (publishes + copies to C:\Program Files\WebhookServer + registers service)
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powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\deploy.ps1
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# Or build the installer locally (requires Inno Setup 6: winget install JRSoftware.InnoSetup)
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powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\build-installer.ps1
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```
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## License
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TBD.
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