A breakdown of the different types of Connectors available with Cyclr.
What are Connectors?
“Connectors are the linguistic bridge builders in the world of APIs. For instance, think of APIs as speaking different languages, each with its unique vocabulary and syntax. When you want to connect, say, a CRM, let’s call it System A and speaking French, to an accounting system, which is System B and speaking Mandarin. As a result, you encounter a language barrier.
This is where Connectors enter, in this scenario, I think of them as language teachers. They create a universal language, in this case English that both systems can understand. In one Connector, we define how to translate from French to English, and in another, from Mandarin to English.
So, when you want these systems to talk to each other, you just communicate in English, and the Connectors handle all the translation intricacies in the background. This way, developers can focus on building seamless workflows and mapping data without getting bogged down in the nuances of each system’s language.
Ultimately, Connectors simplify the conversation, allowing different systems to understand each other effortlessly.”
Ian Rimmer, Connector Team Lead
Connectors have actions, end-points and methods that enable communication between applications and systems via integrated workflows. Once an API has been created, this is typically done in Swagger Cyclr can turn it into a Connector which is built with the following:
- Method testing
- Rate limiting
- Monitoring and reports
- Paging
- Authentication
- Custom error handling
This process transforms your API into a fully working, drag-and-drop API that can be added to Cyclr’s Connector Library and added to integration workflows.
Application Connectors
Integrating with Application Connectors is one of the main ways to connect your SaaS with other systems and grow your existing ecosystem.
In other words, Application Connectors allow you to integrate multiple SaaS platforms and data sources. These Connectors have a range of actions and methods that can be used in your integrations.
For example, a Shopify Connector can have tonnes of actions to retrieve a product, create a refund, and list all new orders. It can also have Webhook triggers that occur when an order has been cancelled, a product has been updated or when checkout is deleted.
With this wide range of actions, integrations can be as simple or complex as you need to fulfil your necessary use case.
What types of Application Connectors are there?
Multi-Use Connectors
These are reusable Application Connectors that you can set once, and use multiple times for all of your users’ integration requirements.
Configurable Connectors
With these Connectors, you can install multiple individual versions and then configure them to match a specific data set such as a table, database or form.
Plugins
These Plugin Connectors provide the opportunity to enhance external applications with data from your connected applications as they can offer additional functionality on top of functions within the host platforms.
Database Connectors
Database Connectors mean you can directly read from/write to the data in your databases. This means you’ll be able to add and edit directly inside a database.
As well as get data from external sources and update records or full tables, or get data from your tables to push into your applications.
What kinds of databases can Cyclr work with?
You’ll be able to define the data structure and work with a wide range of databases.
MySQL
With MySQL, you can connect to individual tables to automate data housekeeping.
PostgreSQL
Automate the powerful, open-source object-relational database system.
Microsoft SQL Server
Directly work with Microsoft SQL Server tables and data.
MongoDB
Integrate data between your apps and your MongoDB databases.
Amazon S3
Create automation between your app and your AWS data.
These Database Connectors can be combined with any of Cyclr’s Application Connectors in integration and provide relevant data insights across systems.
Universal Connectors
Universal Connectors are an easy way to create new connections as they allow you to rapidly connect to a new source. In other words, anything that isn’t currently in the Connector Library.
These Connectors are fully customisable to meet the required data and it means custom fields can be added and used in any workflow with other Connectors.
- Create custom files
- Connect to any form
- Work with files on your servers
- Works with JSON and XML
What kind of Universal Connectors are available?
File Creator
This Connector can create a file combining data from multiple sources which can be sent wherever you need it.
Universal Forms
With this Connector, you’ll be able to connect forms to your integrations so you can use submitted entries where needed.
FTP/SFTP
Connect and integrate with your servers to automatically upload, modify and delete your files.
Utility Connectors
Utility Connectors are designed to add value and enhance your integrations. They provide extra functionality and capabilities to open up new data transmission, storage and transformation opportunities that otherwise may not be supported by existing APIs.
As a result, you’ll have finer control over the flow of data passing through your workflows.
- Advanced Integration Tools
- Drag and Drop
- Enhanced Data Processing Abilities
What types of Utility Connectors are available?
Storage
Store temporary or persistent data between integration runtimes for future reference.
Full Sync
Easily create fully synchronised integrations between different platforms.
Triggers
Trigger additional integrations when an action occurs in an integration.
Generic Utility Connectors
With Generic Utility Connectors, you’ll be able to set up and access external data sources that don’t currently exist in Cyclr’s Connector Library.
Webhook
Trigger integrations through external Webhook action.
HTTP
Access data from APIs directly in the workflow builder.
Files
Generate and send files as part of your integrations.
Webhook/Event-Triggered Connectors
Webhooks are powerful Connectors that trigger real-time automated workflows once a certain pre-defined action has taken place in the integration’s source app.
For example, a form fill has been completed. This packet of data can be processed by Cyclr from the Webhook, passed and transformed into any application that exists in the Connector Library.
Alternatively, Cyclr can trigger deeper integrations that gather and place data from multiple locations and applications. As well as automatically set up Webhook URLs so customers don’t have to set them up, they only need to install your integration.
- Realtime integrations
- Only run when an external action is taken
- Automatically set your Webhook URLs
- Two-way sync webhooks
Cyclr’s Webhooks are changing and we are turning them into a tool in the workflow builder. Here users will be able to drag and drop a Webhook as a step to deliver a payload into the template. Setting up the Webhook is simple via the settings popup that has the Webhook URL and the pasted JSON data in the background will set up the custom fields.
Users can then connect to the Webhook and generate their workflow. Before users would have had to go to multiple different areas of the platform to set this up. Now we have optimised and simplified this process.
What types of Webhook Connectors are available?
Synchronous Webhooks
Typical Webhooks only send data one way, which is great for triggering events but not so much for requesting data.
Cyclr has two-way sync Webhooks available, these trigger an automation workflow with a traditional Webhook, perform a process or transformation in Cyclr, and then receive data back into your application or desired location.
This process will be simplified and turned into an optional tool under Webhooks in the integration builder. Users can drag and drop the Synchronous Webhook step into their workflows and paste it into the JSON data payload for configuration.
As a result, the Webhook comes into the cycle, performs the operation and delivers a payload back to the caller.
What else can Webhook Connectors do?
On top of helping to create dynamic workflows, Cyclr’s Webhooks have additional features.
Auto Setup
Cyclr’s Webhook Connectors can automatically set their Webhook URLs to ease setup.
Custom Fields
Webhook Connectors can be created to manage custom data and fields out of the box.
POST Data
You’ll be able to POST data in Webhook format to any other workflow, application or system.
In relation to Webhooks, rather than using and building up one manually to call Cyclr to link templates together, we have designed a new tool to simplify the process.
The Linking Templates tool will sit with the others in the sidebar of the integration builder and users can drag and drop it into their workflows. Then simply add the necessary JSON data that you want to send to the template and finally select the template you want to link to.
As a result, users will have a Link Template step instead of a Webhook and in the linked template you’ll be receiving the information from the calling template. In other words, Template A will have a Link Template step calling data and Template B will have another Linked Template step receiving the payload.
Custom Connectors
The great thing about Cyclr is that you can build a more dedicated Connector by using our Connector Creation Toolkit.
At certain subscription levels, you can build your own Custom Connectors from scratch and then use an importer to build the connector.
Otherwise, we have a dedicated Connector team who build new Connectors for our users. Simply pop in a request and it’ll be added to the team’s work sprint. The Connector team are also continually updating existing Connectors due to their nature they can break, rules change and standards need to be improved.
In other words, it can be great to build your own but the upkeep can be tiresome so having a dedicated team means you don’t have to worry about the Connectors you need and use.
On a Final Note
It is an exciting time at Cyclr as our platform is evolving and seeing many updates and new features.
We are excited to share all this newness soon so, subscribe to our Newsletter (we plant a tree for every subscriber), sign up for a free trial and keep your eyes peeled for more information in 2023.
