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Terms You Will Meet

Integration conversations are full of terms that get dropped without explanation, on the assumption everyone already knows them. Here's a plain-language introduction to the ones you'll run into most, before you need them in depth.

Webhook​

A webhook is a callback: instead of your system repeatedly asking "has anything changed yet?", the other system calls you the moment something happens. Real-world use: a payment gateway calling your endpoint the instant a payment clears, instead of you polling its API every few seconds hoping to catch the update. In Salesforce: an inbound webhook is typically received by a custom Apex REST endpoint you expose for the sender to call.

OData​

OData (Open Data Protocol) is a standard way of exposing and querying data over HTTP, with a consistent structure for filtering, sorting, and paging results across different systems. Real-world use: an enterprise data platform exposes its tables through a single OData endpoint that many different client tools can query the same way. In Salesforce: OData is one of the adapter types behind Salesforce Connect, letting Salesforce treat external OData-exposed data as if it were a native object.

GraphQL​

GraphQL is a query language that lets the client specify exactly which fields it wants back, in a single request — instead of calling multiple fixed REST endpoints and getting back more data than you need. Real-world use: a mobile app fetches a user's name, their last three orders, and nothing else, in one round trip. In Salesforce: exposed through the GraphQL API, which lets clients query multiple objects and relationships in a single request.

gRPC​

gRPC is a high-performance, binary RPC (remote procedure call) framework built on HTTP/2, often used where speed and streaming matter more than human-readability. Real-world use: two backend microservices inside the same company exchanging a high volume of calls with minimal overhead. In Salesforce: gRPC is the transport underneath the Pub/Sub API, which streams Platform Events and Change Data Capture events to subscribers.

CometD​

CometD is an implementation of the Bayeux protocol for server-push messaging over HTTP — a way for a server to push updates to a client without the client repeatedly asking. Real-world use: a web dashboard that updates live as new data arrives, without refreshing the page. In Salesforce: CometD is the technology behind the (older) Streaming API's client-side subscriptions, conceptually similar to what Pub/Sub API now handles for events.

File and queue based integration​

Not every integration is a live API call. SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) moves files — typically scheduled batch exports/imports like a nightly CSV — between systems without either side needing to expose a live API. Message queues (like RabbitMQ or Amazon SQS) let one system drop a message for another to pick up and process independently, decoupling the sender from needing the receiver to be online at that exact moment. Real-world use: a nightly SFTP drop of yesterday's completed orders for a finance system to import on its own schedule.

OAuth​

OAuth is the standard way an application gets permission to act on a user's or system's behalf, without ever handling that user's password directly — covered in depth in Authentication Basics. Real-world use: logging into a third-party app "with Google" without ever typing your Google password into that third-party app.

Common mistakes​

  • Treating a webhook and polling as interchangeable. They solve the same problem differently — polling wastes calls checking "anything new?", a webhook only fires when there's actually something to report.
  • Assuming GraphQL replaces REST entirely. They coexist — GraphQL is a good fit when clients need flexible, shaped queries; REST remains simpler for straightforward CRUD.
  • Forgetting that file-based integration still needs error handling. A failed SFTP transfer or a malformed CSV needs the same attention as a failed API call — "it's just a file drop" doesn't mean it can't silently fail.

Quiz​

Check your understanding

Question 1 of 5

What is a webhook?