In this quickstart, you’ll create a real-time data pipeline that streams changes from a Postgres database to a webhook endpoint. You’ll:

  • Boot Sequin
  • Connect to a sample playground database
  • Create a webhook that receives database changes
  • See your changes flow in real-time

By the end, you’ll have hands-on experience setting up Postgres change data capture (CDC) with Sequin. This same pattern can be used to keep other systems in sync with your database changes.

Run Sequin

The easiest way to get started with Sequin is with our Docker Compose file. This file starts a Postgres database, Redis instance, and Sequin server.

1

Create directory and start services

Create a directory for Sequin, download the Docker Compose file, and start the services:

mkdir sequin && cd sequin
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sequinstream/sequin/main/docker/docker-compose.yaml
docker compose up -d
2

Verify services are running

Check that Sequin is running using docker ps:

docker ps

You should see output like the following:

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                                 STATUS          PORTS                                       NAMES
abc123def456   sequinstream/sequin:latest           Up 10 seconds    0.0.0.0:7376->7376/tcp                     sequin
def456ghi789   redis:7.0                            Up 10 seconds    0.0.0.0:6379->6379/tcp                     sequin-redis
ghi789jkl012   postgres:15                          Up 10 seconds    0.0.0.0:5432->5432/tcp                     sequin-postgres

All three containers should be up and running (status: Up).

Login

The Docker Compose file automatically configures Sequin with an admin user and a playground database.

Let’s log in to the Sequin web console:

1

Open the web console

After starting the Docker Compose services, open the Sequin web console at http://localhost:7376:

2

Login with default credentials

Use the following default credentials to login:

  • Email:
admin@sequinstream.com
  • Password:
sequinpassword!

View the playground database

To get you started quickly, Sequin’s Docker Compose file creates a logical database called sequin_playground with a sample dataset in the public.products table.

Let’s take a look:

1

Navigate to Databases

In the Sequin web console, click Databases in the sidebar.

2

Select playground database

Click on the pre-configured sequin-playground database:

The database “Health” should be green.

3

View contents of the products table

Let’s get a sense of what’s in the products table. Run the following command:

docker exec -i sequin-sequin_postgres-1 \
  psql -U postgres -d sequin_playground -c \
  "select id, name, price from products;"

This command connects to the running Postgres container and runs a psql command.

You should see a list of the rows in the products table:

  id |         name          | price 
----+-----------------------+-------
  1 | Avocados (3 pack)     |  5.99
  2 | Flank Steak (1 lb)    |  8.99
  3 | Salmon Fillet (12 oz) | 14.99
  4 | Baby Spinach (16 oz)  |  4.99
  5 | Sourdough Bread       |  6.99
  6 | Blueberries (6 oz)    |  3.99
(6 rows)

We’ll make modifications to this table in a bit.

Create a Webhook Sink

With the playground database connected, you can create a sink. This sink will send changes to the products table to an HTTP endpoint:

1

Navigate to Sinks

Click “Sinks” in the sidebar navigation, then click “Create Sink”.

2

Select sink type

Select “Webhook” as the sink type and click “Continue”.

3

Note "Source" configuration

In the “Source” card, note that the sequin-playground database and products table are pre-selected. Leave these defaults:

4

Setup a backfill

In the “Initial backfill” card, click the toggle to enable an initial backfill. You can leave the default start position, which will backfill all existing rows in the products table:

5

Configure "HTTP Endpoint"

In the “HTTP Endpoint” card, click the dropdown “New HTTP Endpoint” and select “Create webhook.site endpoint”.

This will provision a test endpoint on Webhook.site for you to use:

6

Create the sink

You can leave the rest of the defaults. As configured, the webhook endpoint will first receive a backfill of all rows currently in the products table. Then, it will receive all changes to the products table in real-time.

Click “Create Sink” to finish setting up your webhook.

See changes flow to the webhook endpoint

On the new sink’s overview page, you should see the “Health” status turn green, indicating data is flowing to the webhook endpoint.

Let’s confirm messages are flowing, both on Sequin and on Webhook.site:

1

Messages tab

Click the “Messages” tab. You’ll see a list of the recently delivered messages:

Sequin indicates it backfilled the products table to our webhook endpoint.

2

View on Webhook.site

Navigate back to the “Overview” tab. On the “HTTP Endpoint” card, click “View on Webhook.site”.

This opens a new tab with the webhook endpoint’s request log. You should see the most recently received message displayed:

This message is a read event for a row in the products table. A read event indicates the event came from a Sequin backfill.

Messages are flowing from Sequin to the webhook endpoint.

3

Make some changes

Let’s make some changes to the products table and see them flow to the webhook endpoint.

In your terminal, run the following command to insert a new row into the products table:

docker exec -i sequin-sequin_postgres-1 \
  psql -U postgres -d sequin_playground -c \
  "insert into products (name, price) values ('Organic Honey (16 oz)', 12.99);"

Back on Webhook.site, you should see a new message appear in the request log:

Feel free to try other changes:

Each change will appear in Webhook.site within a few seconds.

Great work!

You’ve successfully:

  • Set up a complete Postgres CDC pipeline
  • Loaded existing data through a backfill
  • Made changes to the products table
  • Verified changes are flowing to your webhook endpoint

​
Ready to stream

Now you’re ready to connect your own database to Sequin and start streaming changes:

Guide: Connect Postgres

Connect your Postgres database to Sequin.

Guide: Setting up a webhook sink

Setup a webhook sink to send changes to an HTTP endpoint.

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