Webhook & API Automation: A Complete Guide to Hands-Free Snap Creation

April 10, 2026

How SNAP helps rental car companies and shuttle operators accomplish hands-free vehicle documentation using webhooks and API-driven snap creation.

 

 

Introduction

Manual snap creation works when volume is low. But when you’re running multiple sites, dozens of cameras, and thousands of vehicles per day, clicking “Capture” isn’t scalable. SNAP’s webhook and API automation solves that problem by letting external systems trigger snap creation automatically.

When a vehicle is detected—whether by Unifi Protect’s smart detection, a gate system, or your own software—you can send a webhook or API call to SNAP. SNAP fetches the image (or accepts an uploaded image), runs license plate recognition, and creates a snap. The response includes a report URL you can store, display, or forward. No user interaction required.

This guide covers the camera trigger API, image upload API, Unifi Protect webhook integration, throttling, and best practices for building reliable automation.

 

Why This Feature Matters — From Manual to Hands-Free

  • Automation: Eliminate manual capture for high-volume locations.
  • Integration: Connect Unifi Protect, gate systems, and custom software to SNAP.
  • Real-time capture: Images are captured and processed when the event occurs.
  • Audit trail: Every automated snap is logged with source and timestamp.
  • Throttling: Per-camera, per-site, and per-org limits prevent abuse and control costs.

 

 

What You Get When You Use This Feature

 

Your Workflow

  1. Configure cameras: Set up URL-based or triggered cameras in SNAP and obtain webhook/API URLs from the Triggered Reports admin area.
  2. Integrate your system: Point Unifi Protect, your gate software, or custom code at the appropriate SNAP endpoint.
  3. Trigger events: When a vehicle is detected, your system calls the SNAP API or webhook.
  4. Receive results: SNAP returns a JSON response with snap ID, image URL, plate text, and report URL.

 

What the Feature Produces

  • Snaps: Full snap records with images, LPR results, and metadata.
  • Report URLs: Direct links to snap details for sharing or record-keeping.
  • API responses: JSON with success status, snap ID, image count, and plate text.

 

 

Understanding the Results

Camera Trigger API (GET/POST /api/webhook/camera/{cameraId})

Response Field Description
success Whether the snap was created successfully
snapId ID of the created snap
imageId ID of the primary image
imageUrl URL to the captured image
reportUrl Full URL to the snap details page
plateText Detected license plate (if LPR ran)
imageCount Number of images in the snap

 

Image Upload API (POST /api/webhook/image/{cameraId})

Accepts multipart form data with an image file. SNAP creates a snap from the uploaded image and returns the same structure as the camera trigger.

 

Unifi Protect Webhook (POST /api/webhook/unify-protect/vehicle-detection)

Accepts Unifi Protect alarm payloads. SNAP extracts the camera ID, fetches the snapshot from the Unifi Protect API, and creates a snap. Requires API key authentication and a configured Unifi Protect camera in SNAP.

 

 

Reports and Deliverables

  • Report URLs: Every API response includes a reportUrl you can store in your DMS, send to customers, or display in dashboards.
  • Snap details page: The report URL links to the full snap view with images, plate history, and metadata.
  • Daily reports: Automated snaps appear in daily email reports like manual snaps.

 

 

Best Practices

  1. Use API keys: All webhook and API endpoints require API key authentication. Create keys in the Triggered Reports admin area and keep them secure.
  2. Respect throttling: SNAP enforces per-camera, per-site, and per-org limits. Design your integration to handle 429 responses and retry with backoff.
  3. Match camera IDs: For Unifi Protect, ensure the camera ID in SNAP matches the camera ID in the webhook payload.
  4. Test in staging: Use a test camera and low-volume triggers to validate your integration before going live.
  5. Monitor daily reports: Automated snaps show up in daily reports; use them to verify your integration is running as expected.

 

 

Conclusion

SNAP’s webhooks and API turn your cameras and external systems into automated LPR report generators. Configure once, integrate once, and let SNAP handle the rest. Explore the Triggered Reports admin area for webhook URLs and API key management.

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