API Connectors

The basis of communication for APIs is HTTP, a protocol that establishes the semantics of requests and responses to be followed by client and server when they need to transfer information. However, there is often a need to send API requests to systems based on other protocols.

For example, a company may need to expose a database, its CRM system, such as Salesforce or SAP, or integrate with cloud services.

Connectors solve precisely this connection problem. They are devices that transform the information of an HTTP request into a different protocol, adapting the syntax but keeping the content intact.

This image represents the way the connectors on our Platform work:

Connectors are accessed only by the API Gateway and all the information they transform is released for consumption through the APIs which are deployed in the Sensedia API Platform.

This means that a call with connectors follows the same pattern as a normal call via APIs: the Gateway receives a request and sends it to the endpoint, and, conversely, it receives the response and delivers it to the caller. The difference is that a connector intermediates both the request and the response from inside the Platform, transforming the data to the desired protocol.

There must be one connector for each type of connection desired (i.e., one connector per protocol). The same connector can be used in different APIs, and the same API can have resources from different connectors. Connectors are linked to APIs in the Resources screen. You can read more about it here.