diff --git a/api-server/development-start.js b/api-server/development-start.js
index abc45406a8..e2fc41f0d8 100644
--- a/api-server/development-start.js
+++ b/api-server/development-start.js
@@ -1,5 +1,31 @@
 const path = require('path');
+require('dotenv').config({ path: path.resolve(__dirname, '../.env') });
+
 const nodemon = require('nodemon');
+const SmeeClient = require('smee-client');
+const createDebugger = require('debug');
+
+const log = createDebugger('fcc:start:development');
+
+if (process.env.WEBHOOK_PROXY_URL) {
+  const paypalPayloadHandler = new SmeeClient({
+    source: process.env.WEBHOOK_PROXY_URL,
+    target: process.env.API_LOCATION + '/hooks/update-paypal',
+    logger: { info: log, error: log }
+  });
+
+  const paypalevents = paypalPayloadHandler.start();
+
+  process.on('exit', () => {
+    log('Stopping webhook proxy client.');
+    paypalevents.close(() => {
+      log('Webhook proxy client is stopped.');
+    });
+  });
+} else {
+  log('Webhook client is not configured.');
+  log('This can be ignored when not working with webhooks locally.');
+}
 
 nodemon({
   ext: 'js json',
@@ -13,5 +39,5 @@ nodemon({
 });
 
 nodemon.on('restart', function nodemonRestart(files) {
-  console.log('App restarted due to: ', files);
+  log('App restarted due to: ', files);
 });
diff --git a/api-server/package-lock.json b/api-server/package-lock.json
index 8d28dd7a57..f2bdb10632 100644
--- a/api-server/package-lock.json
+++ b/api-server/package-lock.json
@@ -4023,6 +4023,15 @@
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/events/-/events-1.1.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-nr23Y1rQmccNzEwqH1AEKI6L2SQ="
     },
+    "eventsource": {
+      "version": "1.0.7",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/eventsource/-/eventsource-1.0.7.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-4Ln17+vVT0k8aWq+t/bF5arcS3EpT9gYtW66EPacdj/mAFevznsnyoHLPy2BA8gbIQeIHoPsvwmfBftfcG//BQ==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "requires": {
+        "original": "^1.0.0"
+      }
+    },
     "exec-sh": {
       "version": "0.3.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/exec-sh/-/exec-sh-0.3.2.tgz",
@@ -4686,7 +4695,8 @@
         "ansi-regex": {
           "version": "2.1.1",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "aproba": {
           "version": "1.2.0",
@@ -4707,12 +4717,14 @@
         "balanced-match": {
           "version": "1.0.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "brace-expansion": {
           "version": "1.1.11",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "balanced-match": "^1.0.0",
             "concat-map": "0.0.1"
@@ -4727,17 +4739,20 @@
         "code-point-at": {
           "version": "1.1.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "concat-map": {
           "version": "0.0.1",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "console-control-strings": {
           "version": "1.1.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "core-util-is": {
           "version": "1.0.2",
@@ -4854,7 +4869,8 @@
         "inherits": {
           "version": "2.0.3",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "ini": {
           "version": "1.3.5",
@@ -4866,6 +4882,7 @@
           "version": "1.0.0",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "number-is-nan": "^1.0.0"
           }
@@ -4880,6 +4897,7 @@
           "version": "3.0.4",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "brace-expansion": "^1.1.7"
           }
@@ -4887,12 +4905,14 @@
         "minimist": {
           "version": "0.0.8",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "minipass": {
           "version": "2.3.5",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "safe-buffer": "^5.1.2",
             "yallist": "^3.0.0"
@@ -4911,6 +4931,7 @@
           "version": "0.5.1",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "minimist": "0.0.8"
           }
@@ -4991,7 +5012,8 @@
         "number-is-nan": {
           "version": "1.0.1",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "object-assign": {
           "version": "4.1.1",
@@ -5003,6 +5025,7 @@
           "version": "1.4.0",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "wrappy": "1"
           }
@@ -5088,7 +5111,8 @@
         "safe-buffer": {
           "version": "5.1.2",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "safer-buffer": {
           "version": "2.1.2",
@@ -5124,6 +5148,7 @@
           "version": "1.0.2",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "code-point-at": "^1.0.0",
             "is-fullwidth-code-point": "^1.0.0",
@@ -5143,6 +5168,7 @@
           "version": "3.0.1",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "ansi-regex": "^2.0.0"
           }
@@ -5186,12 +5212,14 @@
         "wrappy": {
           "version": "1.0.2",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "yallist": {
           "version": "3.0.3",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         }
       }
     },
@@ -9330,6 +9358,15 @@
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/options/-/options-0.0.6.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-7CLTEoBrtT5zF3Pnza788cZDEo8="
     },
+    "original": {
+      "version": "1.0.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/original/-/original-1.0.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-hyBVl6iqqUOJ8FqRe+l/gS8H+kKYjrEndd5Pm1MfBtsEKA038HkkdbAl/72EAXGyonD/PFsvmVG+EvcIpliMBg==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "requires": {
+        "url-parse": "^1.4.3"
+      }
+    },
     "os-locale": {
       "version": "3.1.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/os-locale/-/os-locale-3.1.0.tgz",
@@ -10123,6 +10160,12 @@
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/querystring/-/querystring-0.2.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-sgmEkgO7Jd+CDadW50cAWHhSFiA="
     },
+    "querystringify": {
+      "version": "2.1.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/querystringify/-/querystringify-2.1.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-w7fLxIRCRT7U8Qu53jQnJyPkYZIaR4n5151KMfcJlO/A9397Wxb1amJvROTK6TOnp7PfoAmg/qXiNHI+08jRfA==",
+      "dev": true
+    },
     "random-bytes": {
       "version": "1.0.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/random-bytes/-/random-bytes-1.0.0.tgz",
@@ -10600,6 +10643,12 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "requires-port": {
+      "version": "1.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/requires-port/-/requires-port-1.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha1-kl0mAdOaxIXgkc8NpcbmlNw9yv8=",
+      "dev": true
+    },
     "reselect": {
       "version": "3.0.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/reselect/-/reselect-3.0.1.tgz",
@@ -10986,6 +11035,27 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-JDhEpTKzXusOqXZ0BUIdH+CjFdO/CR3tLlf5CN34IypI+xMmXW1uB16OOY8z3cICbJlDAVJzNbwBhNO0wt9OAw==",
       "dev": true
     },
+    "smee-client": {
+      "version": "1.1.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/smee-client/-/smee-client-1.1.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-5NM7K2qQnglGSIN7A6ndk/ku1Vocnz1k2EzD7IPeE2UTWBufl7vWk/AMP4oKMya5W2c6M8NC3DNHs1Wce9fWUg==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "requires": {
+        "commander": "^2.12.2",
+        "eventsource": "^1.0.5",
+        "morgan": "^1.9.0",
+        "superagent": "^3.8.3",
+        "validator": "^10.4.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "validator": {
+          "version": "10.11.0",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/validator/-/validator-10.11.0.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-X/p3UZerAIsbBfN/IwahhYaBbY68EN/UQBWHtsbXGT5bfrH/p4NQzUCG1kF/rtKaNpnJ7jAu6NGTdSNtyNIXMw==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "smtp-connection": {
       "version": "2.12.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/smtp-connection/-/smtp-connection-2.12.0.tgz",
@@ -12579,6 +12649,16 @@
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/url-join/-/url-join-4.0.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-jk1+QP6ZJqyOiuEI9AEWQfju/nB2Pw466kbA0LEZljHwKeMgd9WrAEgEGxjPDD2+TNbbb37rTyhEfrCXfuKXnA=="
     },
+    "url-parse": {
+      "version": "1.4.7",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/url-parse/-/url-parse-1.4.7.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-d3uaVyzDB9tQoSXFvuSUNFibTd9zxd2bkVrDRvF5TmvWWQwqE4lgYJ5m+x1DbecWkw+LK4RNl2CU1hHuOKPVlg==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "requires": {
+        "querystringify": "^2.1.1",
+        "requires-port": "^1.0.0"
+      }
+    },
     "url-parse-lax": {
       "version": "1.0.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/url-parse-lax/-/url-parse-lax-1.0.0.tgz",
diff --git a/api-server/package.json b/api-server/package.json
index 3a3829e217..5b39dc7f43 100644
--- a/api-server/package.json
+++ b/api-server/package.json
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
     "nodemon": "^1.19.4",
     "passport-mock-strategy": "^2.0.0",
     "pm2": "^4.1.2",
+    "smee-client": "^1.1.0",
     "tap-difflet": "^0.7.2",
     "tap-spec": "^5.0.0"
   },
diff --git a/api-server/server/index.js b/api-server/server/index.js
index caaa04c057..c53e57a213 100755
--- a/api-server/server/index.js
+++ b/api-server/server/index.js
@@ -80,10 +80,6 @@ app.start = _.once(function() {
 
 module.exports = app;
 
-// start the server if `$ node server.js`
-// in production use `$npm start-production`
-// or `$node server/production` to start the server
-// and wait for DB handshake
 if (require.main === module) {
   app.start();
 }
diff --git a/sample.env b/sample.env
index 0f7fd41739..b25f854adc 100644
--- a/sample.env
+++ b/sample.env
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ NEWS_LOCATION='https://localhost/news'
 FORUM_PROXY='https://forum.localhost'
 NEWS_PROXY='https://news.localhost'
 
+# You can get a webhook proxy url from smee.io
+WEBHOOK_PROXY_URL=''
+
 LOCALE=english
 
 TEST_CHALLENGES_FOR_LANGS=english