Integrations
Having an API integration built
Having an integration built does not start with technology but with the question which retyping should disappear. This is what you prepare, how the project runs, what determines the price and how the integration stays yours after delivery.
What you prepare
With these five things a builder can make a proposal.
- Which data must go from A to B, and whether it must also go back.
- How often: immediately, every quarter of an hour or every night.
- Who manages the data in both systems.
- Access to both packages, or the name of who can grant it.
- An example of ten real records, with the exceptions.
How the project runs
First a conversation, then a short exploration of both APIs, then a proposal with hours and costs. We build on a copy of your data, let you watch the first real records, and only switch the integration on once you have seen the result.
What determines the price
There is no 3D drawing of an integration, but the question of what makes it expensive can be answered.
- The number of data types: only orders, or also customers, stock and invoices.
- One direction or two. Writing back requires conflict checks.
- The quality of the data. Polluted files cost more than the integration itself.
- How the packages behave: limits, expiring keys, changing versions.
- Management: who checks it still runs and who adjusts it when a package changes.
Security belongs in the quote
Ask how keys are stored, which permissions the integration gets and how you switch it off. OWASP puts weak permissions and forgotten integrations at the top of the list of API risks. An integration that may do everything is a hole.
Yours, also after delivery
The code, the documentation and the keys are yours. If you later want to continue with someone else, you can without starting over. We put that in writing before we build.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build an integration myself with a tool like Zapier or Make?
For simple flows, yes. Once translation, error checks or large volumes come in, such a tool becomes expensive or unreliable. Then a custom integration is cheaper in the long run.
How long does it take?
An integration between two known packages with one data type is a matter of days. Two directions, more data types or polluted files make it weeks. That is in the proposal.
What happens when a package changes its API?
Then the integration must follow. That is why management is part of the agreement: we see the change coming and adjust the integration before it stops.
Sources
Where every figure on this page comes from.
Our approach
From advice to management, with one partner
The same rhythm for every project.
Advice
We start with a conversation, not with code. First clarity on what you need and what you do not.
Build
We build and integrate to measure, with technology that fits you. You own your data and your code.
Manage
We stay involved: monitoring, adjusting and growing with your business.
Which retyping should go first?
Tell us in a thirty-minute conversation, and you get a proposal with hours and costs.
Call 085 083 5775A 30-minute intake