Request: Follow-up questions from James Lee (james@zabaca.com) Date: 2026-01-28 Status: Completed

Q1: Does Airbyte Open Source include the webhook connector?

Answer: NO - Not Currently Available

Status: The webhook source connector is not yet implemented in either Airbyte Open Source or Airbyte Cloud. The feature remains on the product roadmap but is marked as “Icebox” (planned, not in active development).

Key Details:

  • GitHub Issue: Webhook connector · Issue #1966 · airbytehq/airbyte
  • Originally proposed: February 5, 2021
  • Current status: No implementation has begun despite user interest
  • The HTTP Request connector (deprecated) could be used as a workaround for custom webhook handling, but it’s no longer actively maintained

What Airbyte DOES Offer:

  • Outgoing webhooks for notifications and event-driven triggers (not data ingestion)
  • HTTP Request Connector (deprecated)
  • Public APIs Connector (REST APIs, not webhooks)
  • Connector Builder for custom HTTP-based connectors (requires development)

Bottom Line: If webhook-to-warehouse ingestion is a core requirement, Airbyte Open Source is not a viable option without significant custom development.

Q2: How much engineering work to set up Meltano webhook ingestion?

Answer: Significant Engineering Effort - Not a Native Feature

Status: Meltano does not have built-in webhook source connectors. Webhook support for Meltano is a recognized feature request (#2757) but requires manual engineering to implement.

Engineering Effort Breakdown

Effort Level: MODERATE TO HIGH - 5-15 days for an experienced engineer

Prerequisites:

  1. Python 3.10+ (required for Meltano 4.0+)
  2. Docker (optional but recommended)
  3. Git/version control knowledge
  4. Understanding of Singer SDK and tap development
  5. Knowledge of your data source’s webhook format

Setup Complexity:

The work involves:

  1. Register webhook listener with your data source (if it supports webhooks natively)
  2. Build webhook consumer to receive requests on the local machine
  3. Process webhook payloads into a format Meltano can handle
  4. Trigger Meltano pipelines on webhook events (via scheduler or custom integration)
  5. Handle error cases and retry logic

Installation Timeline (Meltano Itself):

  • Quick start with Docker: ~30 minutes
  • Full environment setup with Python virtualenv: ~1-2 hours

Custom Webhook Implementation:

  • Research and planning: 1-2 days
  • Building webhook consumer: 2-3 days
  • Integration testing: 1-2 days
  • Error handling and edge cases: 2-3 days
  • Total: 6-11 days minimum for a production-ready setup

Recommended Approach (if pursuing Meltano):

  • Use MeltanoHub to find a webhook tap if one exists
  • Otherwise, build a custom tap using Meltano Singer SDK
  • Consider using Airflow or a webhook service like Hookdeck to manage webhook delivery and trigger Meltano jobs

Sources

Summary for Email Response

Both Airbyte Open Source and Meltano lack native webhook ingestion support:

  1. Airbyte OSS: No webhook source connector (planned but in “Icebox” status)
  2. Meltano: Requires 6-11 days of engineering work to build custom webhook handling

Recommendation: For webhook-to-warehouse ingestion as a primary use case:

  • Best option remains: Airbyte Cloud (~120/month) - both have native webhook support with minimal setup
  • DIY option: Meltano only if your engineering team has significant spare capacity and wants to own the integration long-term
  • Cost-benefit: Custom Meltano implementation (6-11 days engineering) exceeds cost savings vs. using Airbyte/Segment for typical scenarios