Every CRM event that doesn’t trigger immediate action is a missed chance to delight customers, sync downstream systems, or automate work. HubSpot supports webhooks two ways: (1) the “Send a webhook” workflow action (available on Operations Hub Professional and Enterprise tiers) and (2) the Webhooks API for developer apps. Integrate.io turns that flexibility into production-grade pipelines—no custom servers—combining managed HTTPS endpoints, low-code transformations, and observability so teams can go live fast and keep data fresh.
Key Takeaways
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Two supported paths: HubSpot’s workflow webhooks (Ops Hub Pro/Enterprise) and Webhooks API (developer apps).
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HTTPS is required for workflow webhooks; Integrate.io provides managed HTTPS endpoints with SOC 2 Type II controls and support for privacy programs (GDPR/CCPA; HIPAA via BAA).
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Low-code pipelines deliver real-time flows and handle historical/bulk via REST APIs (OAuth 2.0 or private app tokens—API keys are deprecated).
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200+ transformations for parsing JSON, cleansing, enrichment, and routing without code.
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Keep systems fresh with low-latency sync cadences (as frequent as ~60 seconds, per product capabilities/plan): CDC.
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Predictable pricing and platform-level observability help you scale with confidence.
Webhooks in HubSpot: What Your Options Are
In HubSpot you can:
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Add a "Send a webhook" action inside a workflow to POST JSON to your URL (HTTPS required). You can include query parameters in the webhook URL. See: Use webhooks with HubSpot workflows.
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Use the Webhooks API in a developer app to subscribe to CRM object and property change events. HubSpot will send HTTPS POST requests with JSON payloads to an endpoint you configure whenever those events occur, so you don’t have to poll for updates.
These mechanisms complement HubSpot’s REST APIs for bulk loads and ad-hoc reads. With Integrate.io, teams combine webhooks for real-time updates and APIs for bulk/historical operations using the same visual pipelines.
Webhook vs API: When to Use Which
Webhooks (push): HubSpot sends a POST when something happens (e.g., contact created, deal stage changed). You get low latency updates and avoid polling overhead.
APIs (pull): Your system requests data on demand or on a schedule—best for bulk exports, point-in-time reads, complex queries, and reconciliation.
Common pattern: use webhooks to trigger immediate workflows (lead routing, notifications, enrichment) and use APIs to backfill history or hydrate analytics models on a schedule. HubSpot authentication for REST APIs is OAuth 2.0 or private app access tokens; API keys are deprecated/removed:
What You Need Before You Start
HubSpot prerequisites
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Workflow webhooks require Operations Hub Professional or Enterprise (availability can vary by subscription). Build permissions: Create workflows.
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Developer-app webhooks: configure subscriptions and delivery URL in your app: Webhooks API.
Receiver prerequisites
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Expose a public HTTPS endpoint (TLS) that accepts POST with JSON. HubSpot requires HTTPS for workflow webhooks: Workflow webhooks.
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With Integrate.io, you provision a managed endpoint (no server to run), define auth (HMAC/header secret/mTLS/IP allow-list), and route events to your pipelines: Integrate.io Webhooks.
Step-by-Step: HubSpot → Integrate.io via Workflow Webhooks
1) Create your managed webhook endpoint in Integrate.io
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Go to Webhooks in Integrate.io and create a new endpoint: Integrate.io Webhooks.
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Choose authentication for inbound requests (supported patterns):
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HMAC signatures (recommended when the source supports signing).
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HTTP Basic/API key header for simple shared-secret checks.
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mTLS for supported sources/intermediaries; otherwise pair HMAC with IP allow-listing.
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IP allow-listing to accept only HubSpot/source IPs.
Note: OAuth 2.0 is generally for clients calling APIs; it is not typical for inbound webhook verification. Stick to HMAC/Basic/mTLS/allow-listing as supported by your source.
2) Configure a workflow that sends webhooks
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In HubSpot, build a workflow and add “Send a webhook.”
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Paste the managed HTTPS URL from Integrate.io (HTTPS is required for HubSpot workflow webhooks).
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Optionally include query parameters in the URL to pass context (for example: ?source=hubspot&type=contact).
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Use POST and send a JSON payload.
3) Map and transform in a low-code pipeline
Use Integrate.io’s visual designer to apply 200+ transformations:
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Parse & flatten JSON (contacts, deals, associations).
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Clean & normalize (dates, currencies, enums, phone/email formats).
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Enrich (lookups to product/segment tables; geo/IP or firmographic add-ons).
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Branch & route by event type or business rules.
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Deduplicate and upsert (idempotency) to keep destinations clean.
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Static/derived values for properties not present in HubSpot payloads.
4) Deliver to your destinations
Connectors include warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift), CRMs (Salesforce), support (Zendesk), and more: Integrations catalog. For bulk/historical syncs, pair real-time flows with API-powered jobs (OAuth/private app tokens).
Using the HubSpot Webhooks API (Developer Apps)
Choose the Webhooks API when you need app-level subscriptions, multi-tenant routing, or programmatic management.
High-level steps:
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Create/Configure your developer app and define subscriptions (e.g., contact property changes, deal updates).
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Provide a public HTTPS endpoint URL (Integrate.io managed endpoint works here).
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Verify deliveries from HubSpot using your chosen auth method on the receiver.
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Handle retries (HubSpot redelivers on failures), and design your consumer for idempotency.
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Monitor delivery attempts (via logs and app diagnostics) and set alerts in Integrate.io.
When to use: platform integrations, centralized governance, or when workflow-level webhooks aren’t available for your subscription.
Event Coverage: What You Can Trigger From
HubSpot can drive webhooks from a wide range of object changes (availability varies by tier and mechanism):
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Contacts: create/update, form submissions, list membership changes.
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Deals: stage changes, amount updates, close events, associations.
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Companies: create/update, association changes.
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Tickets: creation, status transitions, assignment changes.
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Custom objects: create/update/delete events specific to your schema.
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Workflow action specifics & HTTPS requirement: Workflow webhooks
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Webhooks API overview & event coverage: Webhooks API
Design Patterns That Hold Up in Production
Fast ACK + Queue-first ingestion
Treat the receiver as verify → enqueue → 2xx. Validate auth, do minimal schema checks, persist, and return 2xx quickly. Transformations and downstream calls happen asynchronously. This prevents timeouts and keeps HubSpot retry logic from over-firing.
Idempotency
Webhooks may be delivered more than once or out of order. Use event IDs and upserts keyed by stable identifiers (e.g., vid, dealId) and last-modified timestamps to avoid double-processing. Track dedupe hits so you can prove correctness during incident reviews.
Retries & backpressure
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Automatic retries for transient errors (with spacing/jitter).
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Backpressure: where sources support it, respond with status codes (e.g., 429) to slow delivery; otherwise queue and drain at a safe rate.
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Dead-letter routing for repeatedly failing events, plus replay tools once fixes are deployed.
Observability
Instrument delivery success %, p95/p99 latency (ingress → destination), queue depth/time-to-drain, error classes (auth, schema, destination timeouts), and dedupe hits. Set alerts via Data Observability.
Data hygiene
Normalize phone/email formats, standardize country/state codes, map picklists to enums, and validate required fields. Reject or quarantine malformed payloads early so downstream tables remain trustworthy.
End-to-End Example: HubSpot Workflow Webhook → Data Warehouse
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Create Integrate.io endpoint
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Build a HubSpot workflow
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Map & transform
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Flatten JSON; normalize dates/currencies; derive region/segment; format phone numbers.
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Branch by lifecycle stage; route high-value leads to both CRM and Slack.
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Create idempotent merge keys (e.g., contact ID + last modified).
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When schema varies by event type, route on objectType/eventType to dedicated transformations.
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Deliver
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Land to your warehouse raw/staging (semi-structured) and model to analytics-ready tables.
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Publish marts for attribution, lifecycle, and funnel analytics.
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For backfills, run API-driven jobs with OAuth/private app tokens (contacts, deals, engagements).
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Operate
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Track delivery success, latency, freshness, and row counts.
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Alert on anomalies (sudden drops/spikes or schema drift).
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Periodically reconcile warehouse counts with HubSpot via the REST API.
Sample minimal payload (illustrative)
{
"event": "contact.created",
"objectId": "201234567",
"occurredAt": "2025-01-15T14:30:00Z",
"properties": {
"firstname": "Riley",
"lastname": "Ng",
"email": "riley@example.com",
"lifecycleStage": "opportunity"
}
}
Integrating HubSpot With Salesforce (Webhooks + APIs)
A common enterprise need is keeping HubSpot (marketing) and Salesforce (sales) in sync.
Recommended approach
Practical tips
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Maintain cross-system IDs (HubSpot ID, Salesforce ID) on both sides for deterministic upserts.
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Use idempotency keys (record ID + last modified) to avoid dupes.
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Rate-limit outbound Salesforce writes; group operations to respect limits.
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Audit log every change for traceability.
Marketing Automation Workflows Powered by HubSpot Webhooks
Instant lead handling
When a form submission hits HubSpot, trigger a webhook that:
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Enriches the contact with external data (firmographics, intent).
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Scores the lead, assigns territory/owner, and posts a Slack alert for hot leads.
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Adds the contact to a nurture program and updates analytics via warehouse load.
Dynamic lists & lifecycle orchestration
Use webhooks to keep segmentation current:
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Move contacts to new lifecycle stages automatically.
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Trigger win-back campaigns after inactivity thresholds.
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Update consent/preferences across channels consistently.
Attribution and revenue ops
Deal stage changes can feed attribution models and finance dashboards in real time. Pair with CDC cadences (~60 seconds, subject to plan) to keep BI models current: CDC.
Security & Compliance
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Transport security: Workflow webhooks must use HTTPS; HubSpot sends POST with JSON. Docs: Workflow webhooks
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Inbound auth: Prefer HMAC (if supported by source), otherwise header secrets/Basic; pair with IP allow-listing and mTLS where available.
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Data protection: Encrypt in transit and at rest; mask sensitive fields in logs; use least-privilege RBAC and maintain audit trails.
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Compliance: Integrate.io maintains SOC 2 Type II attestation and supports GDPR/CCPA programs; HIPAA support via BAA where applicable. See: Security
Operational safeguards
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Schema drift controls: enable additive mapping; surface type conflicts; hold unknown fields in VARIANT until reviewed.
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PII handling: tokenize or hash if needed; restrict preview visibility; align retention with policy.
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Access boundaries: separate prod vs non-prod endpoints; use distinct secrets; rotate credentials regularly.
Testing & Troubleshooting
In HubSpot
In Integrate.io
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Use the component previewer to send sample payloads, verify parsing, and observe transformations end-to-end: 200+ transformations.
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Enable webhook logs to inspect headers, status codes, and bodies.
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Configure alerts for delivery failures, schema drift, and latency spikes: Data Observability.
Common issues & fixes
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401/403 → Check header secret/HMAC, URL typos, IP allow-list drift.
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400/422 → Validate JSON shape; confirm required properties exist; enforce required fields early.
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Timeouts → Ensure fast ACK + async processing; avoid synchronous downstream calls from the receiver.
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Duplicates → Enforce idempotent upserts; track lastModifiedDate.
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Schema drift → Enable additive mapping; route unknown fields to a VARIANT column until reviewed; communicate changes to stakeholders.
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Filter early: Configure workflow enrollment/conditions so you only send relevant events.
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Send only needed fields to reduce payload size and transform cost.
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Micro-batch downstream: group events for efficient bulk loads without sacrificing freshness.
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Parallelize independent paths (e.g., notify Slack while loading warehouse).
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Cache hot reference data (segments, product catalog) for low-latency enrichments.
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Monitor HubSpot API usage for bulk jobs (OAuth/private apps): Usage details.
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Guardrails: cap per-minute deliveries to downstreams; implement per-destination retries and DLQs to avoid cross-impact.
Governance & Access Control
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Separate environments: dev/test/prod pipelines and endpoints; restrict who can publish workflows and who can change endpoint auth.
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Credential hygiene: rotate shared secrets; store OAuth/private app tokens in a vault; scope tokens to least privilege.
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Change management: version transformations; require approvals for schema-affecting edits; document mapping contracts.
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Lineage & audit: log who changed what, when; keep before/after examples for field mappings; tie changes to tickets.
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Data retention: define retention for logs and dead-letter queues to satisfy compliance while controlling costs.
Advanced Patterns
Multi-destination fan-out
One webhook can power several systems at once:
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Warehouse (analytics)
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CRM (Salesforce, bidirectional)
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Support (Zendesk ticket creation)
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Messaging (Slack/PagerDuty notifications)
Use Integrate.io’s branching to guarantee each destination’s success independently, with retries and dead-letter queues per branch. Apply destination-specific throttles and timeouts so one slow consumer doesn’t stall the others.
HubSpot + Warehouse modeling
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Land raw events (semi-structured).
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Model contact/company/deal dimensions and interaction facts.
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Publish consumption marts for attribution, lifecycle, pipeline health, and cohort analyses.
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Use your warehouse orchestrator (e.g., Snowflake Tasks, dbt) to incrementally update downstream tables and materialized views.
Privacy & subject-rights automation
Implement erasure/rectification flows across destinations when HubSpot indicates GDPR/CCPA actions. Track completion status in a compliance workbook; alert on overdue steps. See: Security
Frequently Asked Questions
How is webhook security enforced for HubSpot workflow webhooks?
HubSpot requires HTTPS for the “Send a webhook” workflow action, so the URL you configure must terminate over TLS. On the receiving side, Integrate.io supports shared-secret headers (Basic/Auth header), HMAC signatures when the source can sign requests, IP allow-listing, and mutual TLS in cases where the source supports client certificates. These controls sit alongside SOC 2 Type II–aligned practices (encryption in transit and at rest, RBAC, audit logging) to help meet internal security and compliance requirements.
Are HubSpot API keys still supported for integrations?
No. HubSpot API keys have been deprecated in favor of OAuth 2.0 and private app access tokens, which are passed as standard Bearer tokens. Integrate.io’s HubSpot connector uses those supported methods and manages token handling for you, so teams don’t have to hand-roll auth flows, refresh logic, or header injection.
Can non-developers maintain these HubSpot integrations in production?
Yes. Webhook capture, transformation, routing, and delivery are configured visually in Integrate.io — no custom code is required to parse JSON, remap fields, or branch logic. Marketing ops, RevOps, and lifecycle owners can build and iterate on automations themselves, while engineering still controls credentials, RBAC, and guardrails. That removes “wait for dev bandwidth” from routine campaign, routing, and enrichment changes.
How do I keep both real-time and historical data in sync?
Use HubSpot workflow webhooks (or the Webhooks API) for real-time changes, and HubSpot’s REST APIs for historical/bulk backfill or reconciliation. Integrate.io supports both approaches in one platform, plus low-latency CDC-style sync cadences as frequent as ~60 seconds (plan/config dependent) to keep downstream systems aligned. That gives you operational freshness for sales/marketing workflows and completeness for analytics and compliance.
What happens if the destination system is temporarily down?
Integrate.io queues incoming webhook payloads durably instead of dropping them, then retries with controlled spacing until the destination (like Snowflake, Salesforce, etc.) is reachable again. You can optionally fail over to object storage during maintenance windows and replay back into the system later. Because delivery is at-least-once, downstream consumers should be idempotent so replays don’t create duplicates.
Does Integrate.io support HubSpot custom objects and custom properties?
Yes. When you connect HubSpot, Integrate.io automatically discovers standard objects (contacts, companies, deals, tickets) as well as any custom objects and custom properties in your portal. Those fields appear in the visual mapper so you can flatten nested structures, enrich with external data, and sync to CRMs, warehouses, or marketing systems — without writing transformation code.