Kaizen #15 - Java SDK for Self Client
Hello everyone!
Welcome to yet another post in the Kaizen series.
This week, we are going to discuss the Java SDK for a self client .
What is a Software Development Kit (SDK)?
A software development kit contains all the tools (compiler, debugger, code samples, and so on) that are needed to create applications in one package. SDKs are language-specific and thus used to build client applications in a specific programming language.
Java Software Development Kit
Java SDK allows you to create a client Java applications that can be integrated with Zoho CRM effortlessly. It serves as a wrapper for the REST APIs , thus making it easier to use the services of Zoho CRM.
Here is a sample of how SDK acts as a middleware between Zoho CRM and Client Java Application.
What can you do with the Java Software Development Kit?
- You can use Java SDK to exchange data between Zoho CRM and the client Java application.
- The authentication process becomes hassle-free with Java SDK. Since it is handled in the SDK code by default, you need not worry about generating the grant token, access/refresh tokens every time you sync data between Zoho CRM and your self client.
Environment Setup
Java SDK requires Java version 7 or above to be set up in your development environment.
Including the Java SDK in your project
You can include the Java SDK in your project using:
a. Maven distribution
b. Gradle
c. Downloadable JARs
a. Maven distribution - It is a build automation tool used primarily for Java projects. Include the following code to your pom.XML file.
<repositories> <repository> <id>java-sdk</id> <url> https://maven.zohodl.com </url> </repository> </repositories> <dependencies> <dependency> <groupId>com.zoho.crm</groupId> <artifactId>java-sdk</artifactId> <version>2.0.2</version> </dependency> </dependencies> |
b. Gradle - It is also a build tool, similar to Maven. The major difference is that, instead of XML files, Gradle uses Groovy (a domain-specific programming language) to declare the Java project configuration. You need to add the following code to your build.gradle file.
repositories{ maven { url " https://maven.zohodl.com " } } dependencies{ implementation 'com.zoho.crm:java-sdk:2.0.2' } |
c. Downloadable JARs (by Zoho) - Java Archive is a platform-independent file format that aggregates many files into one. The JAR file consists of the SDK. You have to download individual dependency JARs and add them to your reference libraries in your Java application: Download JAR (SDK)
Click here to download the dependency JARs.
The list of dependency JARs are:
- hamcrest-all-1.3 : Hamcrest consists of a single jar file that contains base classes and a library of useful matcher implementations.
- httpclient-4.4.1 : The Apache HttpClient library allows you to handle HTTP requests.
- httpcore-4.4.4 : HttpCore is a set of low-level HTTP transport components that you can use to build custom client and server-side HTTP services.
- httpmime-4.5.3 : The Apache HttpMime library consists of MIME code entities.
- json-20170516 : The files in this package implement JSON encoders/decoders in Java. It also includes the capability to convert between JSON and XML, HTTP headers, Cookies, and CDL.
- servlet-api-2.5 : Servlet API consists of classes to support HTTP servlet.
- commons-logging-1.1.3 : The commons-logging JAR provides an API for logging in server-based applications that you can use around a variety of different logging implementations.
- mysql-connector-java-5.1.44-bin.jar : You need to include this JAR if you are using a MySQL database. MySQL Connector JAR provides connectivity for java client applications with MySQL Connector (a driver that implements the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) API)
How to start using the Java SDK?
In this section, we will discuss how to start using the Java SDK for your application (authenticated via self-client) which uses Zoho CRM.
- Prerequisite: Register your application
- Knowlege Base: Adding persistence classes
- Initialization
1. Prerequisite: Register your application
All the Zoho CRM APIs are authenticated by the OAuth2.0 standards . It is mandatory to authenticate the self client with Zoho.
Step 1: Goto https://api-console.zoho.com
Step 2: Click ADD CLIENT
Step 3: Choose Self Client and click CREATE NOW
Step 4: Choose the Client Type as Self Client , and click CREATE .
Step 5: Once you successfully register your self-client, you will receive a Client ID and Client Secret .
2. Knowledge Base: Adding persistence classes
This section consists of two parts:
a. Initializing your client application
b. Adding persistence classes
a. Initializing your client application
To authenticate the client application, you need to add the following key-value configuration pairs to the initialization code of your java client.
Key Description
Key | Description |
client_id, client_secret, and redirect_uri mandatory | You can get these values after registering your client. |
currentUserEmail mandatory | The Email ID of the current user. |
persistence_handler_class mandatory | The implementation of ZohoOAuthPersistenceInterface |
logFilePath optional | The absolute/relative file path of the file that stores the logs. |
domainSuffix optional | The domain from which the API calls are made. It can be .com (for US), .eu (for Europe), .cn (for China). If you specify this value, you need not specify apiBaseUrl and iamURL. |
accessType optional | The type of environment from which the API calls are made. Possible values are "Production", "Development", or "Sandbox" |
access_type optional | Must be set as as "offline". Online OAuth client is not supported by the Java SDK as of now |
apiBaseUrl optional | The URL that is used to make API calls. You need not specify this value if you give domainSuffix. The possible values are: https://www.zohoapis.com (default) |
iamURL optional | The accounts URL. You need not specify this value if you specify domainSuffix. The possible values are: |
mysql_password and mysql_username mandatory when you use MySQL persistence | The MySQL username and password, respectively. |
Key Value Configuration
HashMap <String, String> zcrmConfigurations = new HashMap <String, String >(); zcrmConfigurations.put("minLogLevel", "ALL"); zcrmConfigurations.put("currentUserEmail","{user_email_id}"); zcrmConfigurations.put("client_id","1000. xxxxxxxxx"); zcrmConfigurations.put("client_secret","xxxxxxxxxxxx"); zcrmConfigurations.put("redirect_uri",""); zcrmConfigurations.put("persistence_handler_class","com.zoho.oauth.clientapp.ZohoOAuthDBPersistence ");//for database. "com.zoho.oauth.clientapp.ZohoOAuthFilePersistence" for file, user can implement his own persistence and provide the path here zcrmConfigurations.put("oauth_tokens_file_path","/path/to/oauthtokens.properties");//optional path can be absolute(Ex:/User/Document/testapplication/src/oauthtokens.properties) or relative (Ex: /testapplication/src/oauthtokens.properties) zcrmConfigurations.put("domainSuffix","com");//optional. Default is com. "cn", "eu", and "in" supported zcrmConfigurations.put("accessType","Production");//Production->www(default), Development->developer, Sandbox->sandbox(optional) zcrmConfigurations.put("access_type","offline");//optional zcrmConfigurations.put("apiBaseUrl"," https://www.zohoapis.com ");//optional zcrmConfigurations.put("iamURL"," https://accounts.zoho.com ");//optional zcrmConfigurations.put("logFilePath","/path/to/file.log");//path can be absolute(Ex:/User/Document/testapplication/src/file.log) or relative (Ex: /testapplication/src/file.log) zcrmConfigurations.put("mysql_password","pass@123");//optional zcrmConfigurations.put("mysql_username",username");//optional ZCRMRestClient.initialize(zcrmConfigurations);//for initializing |
2. Adding persistence class
Your application should retain tokens (grant, access, and refresh tokens) to automate the process of data-sync between your java application and Zoho CRM.
You can persist tokens in your application by using any one of the below mentioned persistence methods:
a. By using an implementation of the inbuilt ZohoPersistenceHandler interface .
- ZohoOAuthFilePersistence (To store tokens in a File )
- ZohoOAuthDBPersistence (To store tokens in a Database )
b. By using your own implementation
Let us now look into each of the above mentioned methods.
a. By using an implementation of the inbuilt ZohoPersistenceHandler interface
Our Java SDK provides two default implementations of the ZohoPersistenceHandler interface within the client library. They are:
i. ZohoOAuthFilePersistence
ii. ZohoOAuthDBPersistence
i. ZohoOAuthFilePersistence - This type of persistence uses a file to read and write OAuth tokens. The file persists the token of a single user. So, it is best used for the 'self-client' type of authentication since it involves only one user.
Values to be given in configuration map
persistence_handler_class =com.zoho.oauth.clientapp.ZohoOAuthFilePersistence
oauth_tokens_file_path =absolute or relative path of the "oauthtokens.properties" file in the workspace.
ii. ZohoOAuthDBPersistence - This type of persistence uses MySQL persistence. You can use this type of persistence if you have more than one user using the application.
Some of the prerequisites for using this type of persistence are:
- MySQL should be running in the same machine serving at the default port 3306.
- The database name should be "zohooauth".
There must be a table "oauthtokens" with the columns "useridentifier" (varchar(255)), "accesstoken" (varchar(255)), "refreshtoken" (varchar(255)) and "expirytime" (bigint).
Values to be given in configuration map
persistence_handler_class =com.zoho.oauth.clientapp.ZohoOAuthDBPersistence
mysql_username =root
mysql_password ={your MySQL password}
b. By using your own implementation
You can also use your own implementation. The ZohoPersistenceHandler interface must have the following methods:
- getOAuthTokens() — invoked to fetch the saved tokens. This method should return ZohoOAuthTokens object for the library to process it.
- saveOAuthData(ZohoOAuthTokens tokens) — invoked to store the tokens.
- deleteOAuthTokens() — invoked to delete the tokens.
C. Initialization
Intializing your application involves the following steps:
Step 1: Generating the grant token
Step 2: Generating the access and refresh tokens using the grant token
Step 3: Generating the access token using the refresh token
Step 1: Generating the Grant Token
(i). Go to https://api-console.zoho.com/
(ii). Choose Self-Client
(iii). Enter the comma separated ZohoCRM scopes along with aaaserver.profile.READ . Choose the time duration (the grant token will be valid only till the time chosen here) and enter the description . Now, click GENERATE.
(iii). Copy the grant token displayed
Step 2: Generating the Access and Refresh Tokens
After obtaining the grant token, put the following code snippet in a java file and execute it from your main class to get access and refresh tokens.
ZCRMRestClient.initialize(configurations_map); ZohoOAuthClient cli = ZohoOAuthClient.getInstance(); String grantToken = “paste_the_self_authorized_grant_token_here”; ZohoOAuthTokens tokens = cli.generateAccessToken(grantToken); String accessToken = tokens.getAccessToken(); String refreshToken = tokens.getRefreshToken(); System.out.println("access token = " + accessToken + " & refresh token = " + refreshToken); |
2a. On using ZohoOAuthFilePersistence method
The access and refresh tokens are generated and stored in the oauth_tokens.properties file .
2b. On using ZohoOAuthDBPersistence method
The access and refresh tokens are generated and stored in " oauthtokens " table of your MySQL
Step 3: Generating the Access token from Refresh token
Use the below code snippet to generate the access token from the refresh token.
ZohoOAuthClient client = ZohoOAuthClient.getInstance(); client.generateAccessTokenFromRefreshToken(refreshToken, userMailId); |
Sample SDK Code
When you build your application using the Java SDK, the code template will be similar to:
Refer to the attachment to get the code. For more sample codes, refer to our SDK guide .
The isTokenGenerated Method:
This method checks if the access token has already been generated or not. It returns a boolean value:
true - The access token has already been generated.
false - The access token has not been generated previously, thus, it shifts the control to the code snippet that leads to access token generation.
See you next week with another post.
Cheers!
Previous 'Kaizen' - Notification API
Next 'Kaizen' - Python SDK
Access your files securely from anywhere
Centralize Knowledge. Transform Learning.
All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Sneha Sridharan
Umashankar
Praveen Sankar
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint
Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In thisKaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List
Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore howKaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Subscriptions Resources
Zoho Projects Resources
Zoho Sprints Resources
Qntrl Resources
Zoho Creator Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
Zoho Recruit Community Meet-up - India
Namaste, India. 🙏🏼 The Zoho Recruit team is hitting the road—and we 're absolutely excited behind the scenes. Join us for the Zoho Recruit India Meet-up 2026, a morning designed to make your recruiting life easier (and a lot more effective). Date CityGenerate a Zoho Sign link
From time to time I get a response "I never received your you e-document for electronic signature" is there a way to generate a Zoho Sign link to share.Is it possible to create a word cloud chart in ZoHo Analystics?
Hi there, I have a volume of transaction text that I would like to analyse using word cloud (or other approcah to detect and present word frequency in a dataset). For example, I have 50,000 records describing menu items in restaurants. I want to be ableHow to Fix the Corrupted Outlook 2019 .pst file on Windows safely?
There are multiple reasons to get corrupted PST files (due to a power failure, system crash, or forced shutdown) and several other reasons. If You are using this ScanePST.EXE Microsoft inbuilt recovery tool, it only supports the minor corruption issue[Webinar] A recap of Zoho Writer in 2025
Hi Zoho Writer users, We're excited to announce Zoho Writer's webinar for January 2026: A recap of Zoho Writer in 2025. This webinar will provide a recap of the features and enhancements we added in 2025 to enhance your productivity. Choose your preferredHow to drag row(s) or column(s)?
Hi. Selecting a row or column and then dragging it to a new position does not seem to work. Am i missing something or this is just not possible in Zoho Sheet? Cheers, JayBuilding Toppings #5 - Creating and configuring custom service connections in Bigin Toppings
Hello Biginners, Integrating Bigin with external applications extends its capabilities and enables customized functionalities. In our last post, we saw how to create a default service connection. Today, we'll see how to create a custom service connectionOptimising CRM-Projects workflows to manage requests, using Forms as an intermediary
Is it possible to create a workflow between three apps with traceability between them all? We send information from Zoho CRM Deals over to Zoho Projects for project management and execution. We have used a lookup of sorts to create tasks in the past,Marketing Tip #15: Rank better with keyword-rich URLs for product pages
Your product page URL is a small detail that can make a surprisingly big difference. Clean, readable URLs help in two ways: They’re easier for customers to trust and remember (no one likes clicking a link that looks messy or random). They help searchConditional fields when converting a Lead and creating a Deal
Hi, On my Deal page I have a field which has a rule against it. Depending on the value entered, depends on which further fields are displayed. When I convert a Lead and select for a Deal to be created as well, all fields are shown, regardless of the valueATE Session on Payment Gateways: Our experts are live now. Post your questions now!
Hello everyone, Our experts are all excited to answer all your questions related to payment workflows. Please feel free to join this session and learn more about this topic. If you have a query at anytime, please post them here.Upload data deleted all Zoho form data that we manage
Good morning. Let me introduce myself, I'm Iky from Indonesia. I'm experiencing an error or problem using Zoho Forms. I manage Zoho Forms, but I previously encountered an error when I misclicked the delete button in the upload format. It apparently deletedZOHO FORMにURL表示ができない
初心者です。 ZOHO FORM で宿泊者名簿を作っています。 ゲストが、URLをクリックするとStripeで支払いができるようにURLを表示をしたいのですが、 上手くできません。 やり方が分かる方、ぜひ教えてください。Custom module - change from autonumber to name
I fear I know the answer to this already, but thought I'd ask the question. I created a custom module and instead of having a name as being the primary field, I changed it to an auto-number. I didn't realise that all searches would only show this reference.No Automatic Spacing on the Notebook App?
When I'm adding to notes on the app, I have to add spaces between words myself, rather than it automatically doing it. All my other apps add spacing, so it must be something with Zoho. Is there a setting I need to change, or something else I can do soHolidays - Cannot Enter Two Holidays on Same Day
I have a fairly common setup, where part-time employees receive 1/2 day's pay on a holiday and full-time employees receive a full day's pay. Historically, I've been able to accommodate this by entering two separate holidays, one that covers full-timeZoho Bookings and Survey Integration through Flow
I am trying to set up flows where once an appointment is marked as completed in Zoho Bookings, the applicable survey form would be sent to the customer. Problem is, I cannot customise flows wherein if Consultation A is completed, Survey Form A would beCampaigns set up and execution assistance
Hello Community, Can someone recommend a professional who can assist with the completion of my set up and deployment of Campaigns? Looking for a person or company that is not going to ask for big dollars up-front without a guarantee of performance toZobot with Plugs
Hello, I am having a problem with Zobot using Plugs. Here is my current flow: When I run the flow, I should immediately see the messages from the initial cards (Send Message cards), then after running the plug, and finally, see the messages after theKaizen #223 - File Manager in CRM Widget Using ZRC Methods
Hello, CRM Wizards! Here is what we are improving this week with Kaizen. we will explore the new ZRC (Zoho Request Client) introduced in Widget SDK v1.5, and learn how to use it to build a Related List Widget that integrates with Zoho WorkDrive. It helpsRemove Powered by Zoho at the footer
Hi, I've read two past tickets regarding this but it seems that the instructions given are outdated. I assume the layout keeps on changing, which makes it frustrating for me to search high and low. Please let me know how exactly do I do this now? ThError AS101 when adding new email alias
Hi, I am trying to add apple@(mydomain).com The error AS101 is shown while I try to add the alias.No Need To Fix Something That Is Working
Zoho Books is a great financial tool which helps businesses to become more efficient and productive with day-to-day operations. As such, every change, upgrade, improvement needs to be carefully thought before implemented in the software and I'm sure ZohoUsing email "importance" as workflow-criteria
I'd like to set up a workflow that triggers if an incoming email has been flagged as "high importance" but I'm not seeing any way to do that. Hopefully I'm just missing something obvious...?This domain is not allowed to add. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details
I am trying to setup the free version of Zoho Mail. When I tried to add my domain, theselfreunion.com I got the error message that is the subject of this Topic. I've read your other community forum topics, and this is NOT a free domain. So what is theWhat is Resolution Time in Business Hours
HI, What is the formula used to find the total time spent by an agent on a particular ticket? How is Resolution Time in Business Hours calculated in Zohodesk? As we need to find out the time spent on the ticket's solution by an agent we seek your assistanceCheck & Unchecked Task Segregation in Export
It must have a feature to represent checked and unchecked tasks as [ ] and [✅] respectively when exporting it to Arratai or WhatsApp ; as Keep Notes by Google contains…WorkDrive Download Issue
My client has been sending me files via WorkDrive, which generally has worked fine. Recently files won't download at all. If you try and individually select and download a file, a popup will appear in the bottom right saying it's preparing and then itResolution Time Report
From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports What are time-based reports? Time-based reports are valuable tools that help us understand how well things are going by breaking down key metrics over specific periods. By tracking, measuring,Support Custom Background in Zoho Cliq Video Calls and Meetings
Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to the video background capabilities in Zoho Cliq, specifically the ability to upload and use custom backgrounds. Current Limitation At present, Zoho Cliq allowsAdd RTL (Right-to-Left) Text Direction Button in Zoho Cliq
Greetings Zoho Team, We would like to request the addition of an RTL (Right-to-Left) text direction button in Zoho Cliq, similar to what is already available in other Zoho apps like Zoho Desk. Currently, while using Zoho Cliq with the English interface,Enable Backgrounds and Video Filters for 1:1 Cliq Calls Across All Zoho Entry
Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement related specifically to 1:1 video calls in Zoho Cliq. Current Behavior Zoho Cliq currently provides background and video filter options in the following scenarios:Zoho Flow: Stripe a Zoho Marketing Automation
Hola! Quiero hacer un flujo con Zoho Flow, para que cuando se haga un pago en Stripe, añada el lead en Zoho Marketing Automation. Lo he configurado, configurando el disparador como "Payment created" y mapeando el campo de Stripe "Receipt email address".Need Customer Item Inward Module along with QC
Need Customer Item Inward Module along with QC 1. Using Transfer Orders hit the item balance sheet 2. Items without inventory it becomes difficult for tracking purpose. 3. Custom Modules become tedious to capture multiple items, item subforms are notLESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE - code 2945
Hi I'm trying to post a customer record to creator API and getting this error message. So cryptic. Can someone please help? Thanks VarunZoho email
I need a list of email addresses of all contacts on my zohoShift-Centric View for Assigning and Managing Shifts in Zoho People
Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. This feature request is related to Zoho People - please don't move it to zoho one! We would like to submit a feature request regarding the shift assignment and management view in ZohoIntroducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]
Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-childcant upload images in signature- urgent help needed. ta!
HI, I have been trying to insert the company logo in the signature. i have tried it several times since yesterday, the longest I waited was 1 hour and 12 minutes for the pop up window to upload a 180 KB .jpg file. what am i doing wrong.. an urgent replyAdd Ticket button in Home view
When I go to the My Tickets or the Knowledge Base view in our Help Centre, the Add Ticket button is available, but not in the Home view. I would really like for it to be displayed in the Home view as well. Is this possible? Thanks.Next Page