API & Integrations Advanced

API Integration Guide: Connecting Custom Systems

Learn how to integrate Octacer with custom APIs and build workflows that connect to any system.

API & Integrations Advanced Updated July 31, 2026

API Integration Guide

Need to connect a custom system or unsupported app? Use Octacer API integration.

When to Use API Integration

Use API integration when:

Use API Integration

You have a custom internal system
You want to use an app not in the 500 plus integrated apps
You need custom logic not available in pre-built connectors
You are building a new integration for your team

Avoid API Integration

We have a pre-built integration (use that instead)
You are not comfortable with JSON and API basics
The external API requires complex OAuth

Do not use API integration when:

API Integration Basics

Definition

API equals Application Programming Interface

In Plain English

English: A way for two software systems to talk to each other

Analogy

Real-world analogy: Without API you call a restaurant and give your order verbally. With API you submit order form to restaurant online (automated process).

Key Components

Endpoint

Endpoint: Where the API is located
https://api.company.com/invoices

Method

Method: What you want to do

Headers

Headers: Metadata about your request
Authorization equals Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type equals application slash json

Body

Body: The data you are sending
customer_name equals John Doe
amount equals 150.00
date equals 2024-12-20

Response

Response: What the API sends back
status equals success
invoice_id equals INV-12345
created_at equals 2024-12-20T10 colon 15 colon 00Z

  • GET equals Read or retrieve data
  • POST equals Create new data
  • PUT equals Update existing data
  • DELETE equals Remove data

Setting Up Your First API Integration

Step 1: Get API Credentials

  1. 1

    Get API Credentials

    From your app settings:

  2. 2

    Create Integration

    Go to Integrations - Custom API
    Click Add Custom Integration
    Name: Company Name API
    Base URL: https://api.company.com
    Authentication: API Key
    Paste your API key
    Test connection

  3. 3

    Use in Workflow

    Create new workflow
    Add action: API Call
    Select your integration
    Choose method: GET or POST or PUT or DELETE
    Enter endpoint: /invoices
    Add body with data from previous steps
    Test and deploy

  1. Find API or Developers section
  2. Create a new API key
  3. Note the base URL
  4. Store the key securely

Error Handling

APIs fail sometimes. Handle it:

Status Codes:

Status Codes

200: Success (Invoice created successfully)
400: Bad request (Missing required field)
401: Unauthorized (Invalid API key)
404: Not found (Customer ID does not exist)
429: Rate limited (Too many requests)
500: Server error (API is down)

Response Handling

IF status equals 200 THEN Success (proceed)
IF status equals 400 OR 404 THEN Bad data (notify person and stop)
IF status equals 401 THEN Invalid key (check configuration)
IF status equals 429 THEN Rate limited (retry in 60 seconds)
IF status equals 500 THEN API down (retry in 5 minutes)

Response Handling:

Rate Limiting

Most APIs have rate limits. Best practice:

Security Best Practices

DON'T:

Don'ts

Store API keys in workflow code
Share API keys in emails or chat
Use production API key for testing
Hardcode sensitive data

Dos

Store keys in secure environment variables
Create separate keys for dev, staging, production
Rotate keys regularly
Monitor API usage for suspicious activity
Use HTTPS for all API calls
Validate all data from external APIs

DO:

Testing Your API Integration

Test 1: Connection Test - Can I reach the API (Expected: Status 200 or 401)
Test 2: Authentication Test - Is my API key valid (Expected: Status 200 with valid key)
Test 3: Happy Path - Does a normal request work (Expected: Create an object, get ID back)
Test 4: Error Handling - What happens with bad data (Expected: Status 400 and error message)
Test 5: Load Test - Can it handle 100 requests (Expected: All succeed or proper rate limiting)

Troubleshooting

Error: 401 Unauthorized - Check API key, verify it is not expired, check if key has required permissions
Error: 404 Not Found - Check endpoint URL, verify the object exists, check endpoint spelling
Error: 429 Too Many Requests - Add delays, implement retry logic, contact API provider
Error: 500 Internal Server Error - API is temporarily down, wait a few minutes, contact provider

Getting Help

  • API docs: Check your system's developer documentation
  • Community: Ask in number api-integrations channel
  • Support: Email support@octacer.com with API documentation link

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