Insights, guides, and updates from Apideck

A Primer on the Model Context Protocol (MCP)

In this article, we dive deep into what MCP actually is, how it works behind the scenes, and why it’s being called the “USB-C for AI models.” You’ll explore how it simplifies AI integrations, the roles of Hosts, Clients, and Servers, and the security risks developers need to keep in mind.

Understanding RAG: Retrieval Augmented Generation Essentials for AI Projects

Large Language Models (LLMs) are powerful, but they don't inherently know your specific company procedures, project details, or internal knowledge base. You can bridge this gap and make AI reliably answer questions using your private data by using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). This is a three-article series. In this article, we will go through the basics of RAG, its importance, and an overview of how to build an RAG pipeline and the tools involved.

HiBob API Integration Guide

This guide breaks down how to integrate with the HiBob API, a common request for developers building HRIS integrations. It covers real challenges you’ll face—like authentication setup, handling custom fields, and dealing with rate limits—and walks you through working API examples using Postman. You'll learn how to fetch employee data, manage time-off requests, and structure reliable API calls.

Unlocking AI’s potential: How to quickly set up a Cursor MCP Server

Learn how to quickly set up a MCP Server in Cursor and unlock AI’s potential with the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Standardize LLM integration with external tools.

An introduction to function calling and tool use

In this blog post, we’ll explore how AI Models Are Learning to Do Instead of Just Say. We will explain how function calling works, its real-world applications, and how you can implement it using tools like Ollama and Llama 3.2. Whether you’re a developer looking to build AI-powered applications or simply curious about how AI is transforming the way we interact with APIs, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

Redefining our SDKs Developer Experience

We introduce our newly revamped SDKs, now powered by Speakeasy, which represent a major upgrade over our previous versions built with an open-source OpenAPI generator. These new SDKs overcome past limitations by offering significant improvements in usability, error handling, and performance.

Apideck Joins Sage Marketplace, Expanding Integration Opportunities for B2B SaaS Companies

Apideck’s listing on the Sage Marketplace enables seamless integrations, empowering businesses to streamline operations and drive growth.

Decoding the Differences between Embedded iPaaS and Unified APIs

This blog post delves into the differences between Unified APIs and Embedded iPaaS, exploring their features, and benefits to help you understand which option might best suit your integration needs.

Announcing our $7.5m Series A

Today, we're thrilled to share some exciting news: Apideck has raised $7.5 million in our Series A funding round! This milestone is a significant step forward in our mission to simplify API integrations for businesses around the world.

Xero Integration Made Easy: Authentication and Accounts Receivable Best Practices

This guide explores the complexities and pitfalls of integration with Xero using the Python SDK and explains how to use some methods to manage accounts receivable.

Exploring the Quickbooks Online Accounting API

In this article, you'll understand how the API works, how you can connect to it, and how you can actually use it to perform various tasks, such as automatically updating accounts, invoices, bills, and more. Furthermore, you'll learn about the Apideck Unified API platform that simplifies the entire process.

Paylocity Authentication and Integration Guide

In this guide, you'll learn about the Paylocity API—its pitfalls, complexities, and use cases. You'll also learn to integrate it into your workflow to manage your HR tasks.

A Tutorial on Setting Up and Using the Workday SOAP API

The Workday APIs can be used for various tasks, including managing employee data, integrating financial systems, handling recruitment processes, managing time tracking, and facilitating benefits administration. In this guide, you will learn how to use Workday APIs with TypeScript and understand how to simplify the integration using the Apideck Unified HRIS API.

The Power of Real-Time Unified APIs

In this article, you will learn about unified APIs and, most especially, the power of real-time unified APIs and their benefits. You will also learn how real-time unified APIs differ from traditional unified APIs.

API Auth: Authentication Methods and Examples

In this guide, we will explore several common API authentication methods, including Basic Auth, API keys, OAuth, OpenID Connect (OIDC), Integration System User (ISU), Hash-Based Message Authentication Code (HMAC), and Certificate Signing Request (CSR). For each method, we will discuss how it works, as well as the advantages and disadvantages associated with its use.

A Guide to Integrating with the NetSuite SOAP API

In this article, you will learn about the complexities and pitfalls of integrating with the NetSuite API. You will also learn about how authentication works with the NetSuite SOAP API and how the Apideck Unified Accounting API can simplify the integration process.

Extracting Employee Data with the BambooHR API: Practical Examples

This article explains one possible way of using the BambooHR API to retrieve employee data using Python. Having done that, you'll be able to use your existing knowledge to route the data to a different system with which you're integrating BambooHR.

The Engineer’s Guide to Embedded iPaaS and Unified APIs

The means to integrate with software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers has become an absolute must in how we build systems today. The vast majority of applications rely on integrations with SaaS APIs to provide embedded functionality regardless of the industry or vertical and, as the Gartner 2023 Global Software Buyers Guide shows, is a very important factor in acquiring new solutions.

Monetizing your APIs: Tips for Large Organizations

Monetizing an API in large organizations is like vices amongst teenagers: They talk a lot about a given vice, but very few are actually doing it. Put yourself in any large and well-established organization which has published APIs and you’ll find something similar with monetisation. Unless that organization is API-first there is constant talk of how to “sweat” APIs to get some return on their investment, but very little success in making it happen.

Why Portman Helps with API Testing

Let's face facts: When you publish APIs, you need to test them - and that means really test them. APIs with zero-or-limited testing are likely to be unreliable, prone to failure, riddled with inaccuracies (as your OpenAPI document and the data the API returns don’t match).

Apideck is now SOC 2 Type 2 compliant

Being a provider of Unified APIs, Apideck processes tons of information on behalf of its customers, wether that’s customer information passing through our CRM API, employee information through our HRIS API, accounting data through our Accounting API or any of the multiple different Unified APIs we offer to our customers.

The Benefits of API Aggregation

The technology world has an ongoing love affair with APIs. The continued hubbub - both within industry sectors, as a way of opening the market - and as a means for bringing new products to market shows no signs of abating. The API - specifically web APIs implemented using REST, but with other competing architectural styles attempting to steal a march - have become the *de facto* integration mechanism for consuming a provider's services.

Comparing REST vs. GraphQL

In our API-heavy, data-driven world, applications are front and center when it comes to delivering exceptional user experiences. How services communicate fundamentally impacts how users request information throughout their active sessions. Accordingly, REST and GraphQL have grown to become leading technologies for developers. Each plays a critical supporting role in feature enablement—connecting the user’s frontend interactions with backend mechanisms.

Reva: Validate requests with OpenAPI in Node.js

Validating API requests shouldn't be a hassle. Why write validation code by hand when we have OpenAPI documents that describe every endpoint? To address this problem we built Reva, a simple Node.js request validator based on OpenAPI.

Build better SaaS onboarding through automated data imports

Building a SaaS product with great onboarding can be hard. Even though onboarding is a key component in sucessfully converting new customers. Find out how automated data importing can help improve your numbers.

Top 5 file storage APIs to integrate with

Need to connect cloud storage providers to your application? Here are the Top 5 players you can't ignore. Connect to them individually, or use our Unified File Storage API to get to market faster.

Announcing the Unified File Storage API and File Picker UI

We’re very proud to add another software category to our growing portfolio of unified APIs: the Unified File Storage API. This Unified API makes it possible for software developers to integrate with the most popular cloud storage providers by building just one single integration. At launch, we’re providing support for: Dropbox, Google Drive, Onedrive, Box, Sharepoint.

Why Apideck is a great alternative for Kloudless customers

Due to Kloudless' recent acquisition by Netskope, its existing Unified API product line will be sunset and customers will be forced to look for an alternative. Find out why Apideck Unify is a great alternative for your Unified API needs.

Apideck Welcomes Tom Schouteden as COO

Apideck, a Belgium-based SaaS company that provides developer solutions focused on integrating, monitoring, and showcasing API integrations, today announced the appointment of Tom Schouteden as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and member of the board.

An introduction to spec-driven API development

Historically, API design has been mainly implementation-driven. Nothing faster than quickly prototyping a few endpoints together before even thinking about putting together an API specification. Mo specs mo problems. Or is it?

Portman CLI 1.0 - Better API testing

Portman leverages the full power of OpenAPI specs and Postman Collections for API testing. Covering use cases from integrating API testing into your CI/CD pipeline to uploading Postman Collections.

Abstracting API pagination across third-party APIs

Struggling with inconsistent pagination across APIs? Discover how we unified various pagination strategies into a single, developer-friendly API, simplifying integrations. Learn how we tackled the complexities of offset, cursor, and link-based pagination to enhance your API experience!

10 ways to build a developer community

Strong developer communities are fundamental to a thriving software ecosystem. By uniting programmers around a common subject, communities enable users to share ideas, progress software projects, support each other and have fun. Vibrant engagement sparks creativity and collaboration that would otherwise be impossible to replicate without a strong community foothold. While developer communities typically form quite naturally, there are ways to encourage one to arise around your project or API. Below, we'll outline some of the top ways to build an authentic developer community.

How to build a great developer experience

Nowadays, Developer Experience (DX) is essential for software products. Akin to User Experience (UX), DX instead focuses on improving the developer's journey, reducing hang-ups, and encouraging success throughout their programming experience.

What is an SDK?

Software Development Kits (SDKs) are very common throughout the development landscape. Most API providers offer SDKs to help support specific programming languages and app development paradigms, making them an integral part of an overall developer support strategy. Below, we'll define what SDKs are, explore sample SDKs, and see how SDKs differ from APIs.

What is OpenAPI? Introduction to OpenAPI Specification (OAS)

OpenAPI continues to evolve and sustain a vibrant, interconnected API economy. Here, we define what exactly OpenAPI is, how OpenAPI definitions are structured, and peek into some production implementations that demonstrate the power of OpenAPI.

What is a webhook?

Since webhooks are quite ubiquitous in today's real-time software architectures, it's crucial to understand how they work. Below, we'll explore webhooks, find out how to test them, and showcase real-life webhook implementations.

My first month as a frontend engineer at Apideck

On the first of February 2021, I started as a Frontend Engineer at Apideck, a remote role at a fast-growing startup that helps SaaS companies build & scale API-driven platforms. In this post, I’m going to talk about how I ended up at this company, why it’s so exciting and how I experienced my first month.

How to promote your API?

APIs, like other products, need product marketing forethought. In this post, we'll uncover the hottest tips to get your API out in the wild. Thankfully, there are some pretty simple, tried-and-true steps to increase your service's discoverability and appeal to developer users.

25+ CRM APIs to integrate with

CRMs connect with various moving components, and integration is the name of the game. Therefore, CRMs typically open up with a RESTful API to integrate with partners. If you're in the market for CRM integrations, we've got you covered. Here are 25+ CRM APIs available right now.

What is a Unified API?

A Unified API aggregates many APIs in the same software category, making integration easier with a standard endpoint, authentication, and normalized data. This results in a consistent developer experience with less integration hassle.

Apideck Product Update 🚀 August 2020

New in Apideck this month: track all your integration requests in one place; build native integrations at scale with Apideck Unify; launching Channelstack.co.

Apideck acknowledged in the Forrester’s 2020 Channel Tech Stack

Apideck acknowledged in the Forrester’s 2020 Channel Tech Stack, launching channelstack.co, a Channel Tech Directory for all channel professionals to celebrate the growth of the ecosystem 🚀

Apideck Product Update, November 2019

This blog post is the November edition of our monthly update with the latest updates on the Apideck platform. New features; redesigned landing pages, improved search, developer badges, HubSpot tracking, and Apideck Unify.

Building a SaaS application in 2019 - SaaS Blocks 🧱

Hit the ground running when building a SaaS application. Buy-vs-build is a daily dilemma for product makers. SaaS Blocks helps you discover and select new vendors to add features to your SaaS product.

Platform Heroes - Teamleader Marketplace, Niels Vanden Buverie

This interview with Niels from Teamleader highlights the importance of integration partners and community building to drive partnership success.

Apideck Updates and SaaS Ecosystem News, February 2019 🚀

Upcoming Product Hunt launch. New features; Shadow listings, Catalog, Zaps page, Drift and Intercom support. SaaS News: Google Docs API, Slack Block Kit.

Platform Heroes - Jake Wallace, AWeber

This interview with Jake from AWeber highlights the importance of customer alignment when building integrations and forging new partnerships.

Platform Heroes - Jean-Pierre Pequito, Intercom App Store

Intercom has one of the most active developer ecosystems in the market. In this interview, we cover the Intercom App Store and what they have in store for the future!

Platform Heroes - Corey Hobbs, GitHub Marketplace

The Gitub Marketplace is one of the most impressive B2D platform plays. Corey Hobbs shares his insights into their way of work and metrics.