API connections & integrations

Do you use a webshop, accounting program, CRM system or other software next to your Joomla website? With an API connection these systems exchange data automatically. This way you avoid double work, save time and keep your data up to date.

db8 Website Support helps you develop and maintain API connections and integrations for Joomla. From a simple connection with an external service to a custom solution for exchanging data.

What is an API connection?

An API connection makes sure that different software programs can communicate with each other. You can compare it with a digital bridge between your website and another system.

Suppose you sell products through your website. Without a connection you may have to copy orders into your accounting program by hand. With an API connection this data can be sent on automatically.

The same is true for customer data, stock, appointments or other information. You enter data in one place, and the connected systems can then use it.

The advantages of API connections

Less manual work: you do not have to enter data again and again.
Fewer errors: automatic data exchange prevents many typing errors.
Up-to-date information: changes can be processed automatically.
Time savings: recurring tasks mostly happen by themselves.
More possibilities: your website can work together with software you already use.

Which systems can you connect to Joomla?

Joomla offers many ways to exchange data with other programs and online services. Which connection is possible depends on the software and on the available access to the data.

Webshops and accounting software

Do you sell products through your Joomla website? Then you can use a connection to exchange orders, customer data or product information with your accounting program.

This way you do not have to enter every order again, and you have more time for your customers. Depending on the software you use, stock data and other administrative data can also be updated.

CRM systems and customer data

With a connection between your Joomla website and a CRM system you can process customer data and requests automatically.

For example, does someone fill in a contact form? Then the data can go directly into your CRM system. This makes it easier to follow up requests and to manage customer information in a clear way.

Online payments

Do you want visitors to pay through your website? Then Joomla can be connected to a payment service that supports, for example, iDEAL or PayPal.

The payment service handles the payment and passes the payment status to your website. This way you can process orders or registrations automatically.

Google Maps and location data

With the Google Maps API you can show maps and location data on your Joomla website.

Think of an overview of branches, points of sale or event locations. The information is fetched via Google Maps and shown on your own website.

Mobile apps and external applications

Sometimes you also want to make information from your website available in a mobile app or another application.

Suppose you manage a news website with Joomla. With an API connection a mobile app can fetch and show news articles. You manage the content in Joomla, while the same information is available in several places.

Joomla web services: exchange data automatically

Since version 4, Joomla has a built-in Web Services API. With it, external programs can communicate with your Joomla website in a controlled way. A web service makes it possible to exchange information between systems over the internet. For example, your website can make data available to another application, or receive information from an external system.

For this, Joomla uses among other things a so-called REST API. That sounds technical, but the most important thing is that your website can do much more than only show information to visitors.

Examples of Joomla web services

Share product information with a webshop or administration system.
Make news articles available for a mobile app.
Use website data in an external application.
Synchronise data between Joomla and other business systems.

Which data you can exchange depends on the available API functions, the Joomla extensions you use and the settings of the connected systems. Sometimes extra custom work is needed for this.

API connections in practice: two examples from our work

What can you really achieve with an API connection? At db8 we have developed several connections that help organisations make their existing software work better together with Joomla. Below are two examples of solutions we have built in practice.

From RSForm! Pro to FileMaker: process customer data automatically

For a company we developed a connection between their existing Joomla forms and their internal CRM system, which runs on FileMaker. The company used RSForm! Pro to collect customer data through the website. Employees then had to copy this data by hand into their internal FileMaker application. That took time and brought the risk of typing errors. We developed an integration that sends the submitted form data automatically to the FileMaker application.

The result: customer data no longer has to be typed over by hand. The existing forms could stay, while processing customer data became a lot easier.

This example shows that you do not always need new software to work more efficiently. Sometimes a smart connection between existing systems is enough.

Connecting Google Spreadsheets to Joomla: a database for scientific research

For a university we developed a connection for their Database on Business Ethics project. This project collects information about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), responsible business conduct, and codes of conduct of listed companies. These are companies from different sectors in Europe and the United States. The researchers keep this data in Google Spreadsheets, but they also wanted to make the information publicly available through their Joomla website. For this we developed a connection between Google Spreadsheets and Joomla articles with Custom Fields. The data is kept in a spreadsheet and then synchronised with Joomla. The data is processed into articles and their Custom Fields. This way the information can be published on the website in a clear way.

The result: the researchers can keep using their familiar spreadsheet to manage the data. The connection makes the information available on the Joomla website, without entering all the data again by hand.

This project shows that Joomla is also suitable for publishing and managing structured information, for example for research projects, knowledge bases and public databases.

Custom API connections for Joomla

Not every connection is available out of the box. Sometimes you use specific business software, or you want to process data in a special way. In that case a custom API connection can be the solution.

db8 has experience with connecting Joomla to external systems via, among others, REST API and SOAP web services. We do not only look at the technical possibilities, but mainly at what you want to achieve with the connection. Must data be updated automatically? Do you want to combine information from several systems? Or must an external application get access to certain data on your website?

Together we look at which solution fits your situation. Read more about Joomla customisation and programming.

Security and reliability of API connections

When you connect systems, security is important. You do not want unauthorised people to get access to customer data or other information. That is why, when we develop a connection, we look at how systems get access to data, which information is exchanged and how that data is protected. Reliability also needs attention. An external service can be unreachable for a while, or change how its API works. A well-developed connection takes errors into account and makes it possible to find problems.

An API connection must not only work today, but must also be easy to maintain when your website or the connected software changes.

Why choose db8 Website Support?

An API connection needs knowledge of Joomla and insight into how other systems work.

db8 Website Support specialises in Joomla websites, custom development and technical support. We help to build connections that fit the existing website and the way your organisation works.

Joomla expertise: knowledge of Joomla, extensions and custom programming.
Practical experience: connections we built with, among others, FileMaker, RSForm! Pro and Google Spreadsheets.
Experience with APIs: knowledge of REST API, SOAP and Joomla web services.
Practical advice: we first look at what you need, not at unnecessarily complicated solutions.
Custom work: solutions that fit your website and business processes.
Technical support: help with maintaining and changing existing connections.

We explain technical possibilities in understandable language, so you know what a connection does and what you can expect from it.

Do you want to connect your Joomla website to other systems?

Do you want to spend less time copying data? Or are you looking for a way to make your Joomla website work together with other software?

db8 Website Support is happy to think along with you. We look at which API connection is possible, what is needed for it and which solution fits your website best.

Contact db8 and discuss the possibilities for your Joomla website.

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Why an API connection for your Joomla website?

What is an API connection?

An API connection is a link that lets two software systems exchange data automatically. For example, your Joomla website can send orders to your accounting program, or fetch customer data from a CRM system.

Nobody has to type over that data by hand any more. The systems handle it between them.

What does an API connection bring me?

An API connection mainly saves time and prevents errors. Work that you now do by hand again and again happens automatically.

Less manual work: you enter data in only one place.
Fewer errors: no typing errors when you copy data.
Up-to-date information: changes go directly into all connected systems.

Which systems can I connect to Joomla?

In principle any system that offers an API or web service. Think of accounting software, CRM systems, payment services for iDEAL and PayPal, Google Maps, Google Spreadsheets and internal business applications.

If a connection is possible depends on the data the other system makes available, and on how you get access to it.

Does Joomla have its own API?

Yes. Since version 4, Joomla has a built-in Web Services API. With it, other programs can read and edit, among other things, articles, categories, users and contacts.

It is a REST API that returns data in JSON format. That is a common standard, so a lot of software can work with it.

Do I need to buy new software to connect systems?

Usually not. Often you can simply keep using the software you already have. The connection only makes sure the systems share data with each other.

An example from practice: for a client we sent forms from RSForm! Pro automatically to their FileMaker application. The forms and the CRM system stayed the same. Only the typing over disappeared.

How is an API connection with Joomla made?

Where do you start with an API connection?

You start with the goal, not with the technology. First decide which data you want to exchange, from which system to which system, and how often.

Must orders go to your accounting right after payment? Or is an update once per night enough? These choices decide how the connection is built.

How do I know if a system has an API?

Look in the documentation of the supplier. Search for terms such as "API", "developer documentation" or "web services". Pay attention to:

Access: how do you log in to the API, for example with an API key or token?
Data: which data can you read, and which data can you change?
Limits: is there a maximum number of requests, or are there extra costs?

Does a system have no API, but it can export to CSV, for example? Then a scheduled import is sometimes a good alternative.

Can I connect Joomla without custom work?

Sometimes, yes. For well-known services, such as payment services and newsletter software, there are ready-made Joomla extensions. And another system can use the built-in Joomla Web Services API directly.

Do you have specific wishes, or do you use your own business software? Then a custom plugin or component is often the best solution.

How do you secure an API connection?

Give the connection only the permissions it really needs, and keep the access details secret.

Separate user: create a separate user in Joomla for the connection, with only the permissions it needs.
Keep the token secret: never share an API token by email or chat, and replace it right away if it does leak.
Encrypted connection: always use HTTPS.

Note: by default, Joomla only accepts API tokens from Super Users. For another user group, you change the settings of the Joomla Token plugin.

How do you test an API connection?

First test a connection in a test environment or on a copy of your website, with test data. This way no errors end up in your real administration.

Do not only test if it works, but also what happens when it goes wrong. What does the connection do when the other service is unreachable for a while, or when invalid data comes in? A good connection logs errors, so you can find them later.

Does an API connection need maintenance?

Yes. A connection links two systems that both keep changing. Suppliers release new API versions, and Joomla gets regular updates.

So check after updates if the connection still works well, keep an eye on the error messages, and make sure there is documentation. Then someone else can also change the connection later.

Why db8 for your API connection?

What experience does db8 have with API connections?

We have built several connections between Joomla and other systems, via REST API and SOAP web services, among others. Two examples:

RSForm! Pro to FileMaker: form data from the website goes automatically to the internal CRM system of a company.
Google Spreadsheets to Joomla: research data of a university is synchronised with Joomla articles and Custom Fields.

Can db8 also work with the Joomla Web Services API?

Yes. We know the Joomla Web Services API well, including access with API tokens, the user permissions it needs and working with Custom Fields.

We also know where the API has its limits. When the standard API is not enough, we build a custom solution that does fit.

What does an API connection cost?

That depends on the systems, the amount of data and how complex the exchange is. A simple connection with a well-documented service takes less time than a connection with software that has no clear API.

We first look at your situation and at the documentation of the other system. After that you get an estimate, so you know in advance what to expect.

Does db8 also help with an existing connection?

Yes. Does an existing connection no longer work, for example after an update of Joomla or of the connected software? Then we find out where it goes wrong and fix it.

We can also change or extend an existing connection, for example when you want to exchange extra data.

How do I start an API connection with db8?

Contact us and tell us which systems you want to connect and which data must be exchanged. Do you have documentation of the other system? Then send it along.

We look at the possibilities and advise you on the best approach, in understandable language.