This help page is for users in Developer Console version 6. If you are using the older version (Developer Console 5), click here. Find out your Developer Console version.

1. What does this page cover?

Learn how to create a connection and how to authorize them in Developer Console for connecting your application with Zoho and third-party services. Before you proceed, you can learn more about Connections.

2. Availability

Can be created and managed only by the super admin and developers. The clients who access these applications in Zoho Creator can only authorize and access these installed connections.

3. Steps to create a connection

Note:

1. Developer Console only supports built-in connectors. 
   
2. In the Developer Console, connections can be authorized by the super admin or developers in the development or stage environment for testing. For users of the installed app in Creator, depending on the type of connection chosen, the super admin, admin, or the logged-in users, must authorize the connections to ensure they function within the application.
   

Follow these steps to create and authorize a connection:

1. Navigate to the Microservices section in the left pane and click + Create New.

2. Select the required service connector from the available built-in connectors.

Note: When importing an application with an existing connection, a duplicate connection is created using a unique name and link name to maintain one-to-one mapping. The following naming format is used, <old-connection-name>_copy.

1. Administrator: When this option is selected, only super admins, admins, and developers who install the application have the authority to authorize the connection. Regular users or non-administrative roles cannot authorize the connection but can use it through admin authorization, making the connection an admin connection.
2. Logged-in User: If this option is chosen, any logged-in user who installs the application, regardless of their role, can authorize the connection. Unlike admin connections, these connections can hold individual authorization for all logged in users and can perform the integrations based on the authorization of the user who executes it. This means that super admins, admins, developers, and any logged-in user has the ability to grant authorization for the connection, making the connection a logged-in user connection. Logged-in user connections can be created only for limited built-in connectors.
   

Note: In the Developer Console, super admins and developers can authorize a connection regardless of the authorization level for testing it in the development or stage environment.

Note:

1. If non-OAuth type connector is selected, then the users can proceed with the authorization without configuring the credentials. 
   
2. When selecting All Actions, all modules under the chosen service will be included, and you won’t be able to deselect them.
   

6. By default, the connection applies the same authorization across all environments, ensuring easier setup. To use a unique authorization for each environment, check the Use different authorizations for each environment box. 

Note: The development & stage environment authorization is applicable for developers in Developer Console only. For the clients using the installed connection, only the production environment authorization will be available.

Once the connection is authorized, it’s ready for use within your applications. You can edit the connection from the Connection Details page. Before you distribute the app to your clients (Marketplace or privately), you'll need to publish the connections changes to the Stage environment.

Note: The credentials required depend on the authentication type used by the external service (OAuth2, API key, etc.). Built-in connectors have pre-configured parameters; you will only need to provide the necessary credentials.

Changes to a connection can be published to the Stage environment only alongside its referenced components in the application.

3.1 Differences in authorization

1. OAuth2 authentication: Services like Zoho CRM and Salesforce use OAuth2 authentication. When you click Authorize, you will be redirected to the service’s authorization page to approve the requested permissions.
   
2. Basic authentication: Services like Zoho Projects require a username and password (auth token). When creating a connection, these parameters are configured, and the user provides credentials during authorization.
   
3. API Key authentication: Services like Twilio require an API key, which is entered during connection setup.
   

5. Related links

1. Understanding connections
2. Manage connections
3. Understand connectors