Understanding connections
1. What does this page cover?
Learn about connections and the types supported in Zoho Developer Console for connecting your application with Zoho and other third-party services.
2. Availability
Can be created and managed only by the super admin and developers. Other users(clients) can authorize and access them in their Creator account.
3. Overview
Connections allow super admins and developers to link their applications with external services, providing access to various cloud-based resources that can be involved in the app being distributed. Connections are used to authenticate and authorize communication between different systems, extending the app's functionality by incorporating external tools and services.
4. Use cases
A developer uses Developer Console to create connections while building a real estate management app for private distribution or marketplace publishing. On the developer side, an admin connection with Zoho Books automates workflows, such as pushing sold property records to generate invoices. Additionally, a logged-in user connection with Zoho Sheets enables personalized data views like the number of properties sold displayed in page panels.
Once published, clients install the app and authorize the connections. The super admin or admin authorizes the Zoho Books connection, while individual users authorize Zoho Sheets in their account.
5. Navigation guide to connections
To access connections in the Developer Console, navigate to the Microservices section.
Note: Currently, only connections are available under the Microservices section.
6. Connections in the Developer Console
Connections in Developer Console are created and shared by super admins or developers with applications installed from the Zoho Marketplace or accessed via private sharing. These connections, controlled by the super admins or developers, provide easy communication with third-party services without requiring user intervention for connection setup. These can be tested in development or stage environments and bundled during distribution to ensure secure and tailored access when apps are deployed to clients or Marketplace users.
Each connection is tied to a single application, and only one app can be enabled for a connection at any point. Once a connection’s access is enabled for an application and the connection is referenced, it cannot be disabled. Even if references are removed, if the app and connection have been published with an application, the connection remains active. This restriction ensures connections remain exclusive to their respective applications when distributed as packages to users.
Connections act as a gateway for your application to communicate with other Zoho or third-party services. They handle the entire authentication and authorization process and allow you to connect to your accounts in supported services.
Connections can be categorized across multiple dimensions, depending on different aspects of their configuration and usage. Common dimensions include:
- Connection types - Based on how it is created
- Connection modes - Based on how OAuth credentials are managed
Note: System connections differ by allowing more than one application to access a specific connection. Unlike user connections, they remain outside the app’s publish process and can only be created if it is not already available, in the client-account. If available, the same will be reused.
Connections can be used in the following places:
- SMS actions
- Push data to a third-party service using the integrations action in form workflow
- Deluge's integration task
- Deluge's invokeUrl task
- Page panels
Note: Developer Console supports only built-in connectors. Custom connectors are not supported in this version.
7. Connection types
Developer Console supports different types of connections, based on how the connection is created:
System connections
User connections
Note: All the types of connections can be authorized by the super admin and developer in Developer Console in the live mode of development and stage environment. The clients need to authorize these connection for them to function in their installed application.
7.1 System connections
System connections are automatically created when a task, such as a workflow in the app, requires a connection to a service in the Developer Console. These connections will be created by the system at the client's end as well, and are not included when an app is published in the Developer Console. If a system connection to the required service already exists in the user's account, it is reused. Otherwise, a new connection is created automatically when the task runs. This ensures flexibility, as system connections support multiple apps and are only created when needed.
For example, consider creating an app with a workflow that updates Zoho CRM records. During development, the developer in Developer Console can test this functionality by making use of the automatically created connection for Zoho CRM. However, this connection won’t be included in the distribution process to Marketplace or private clients. When the app is installed by the client, and the workflow rule is triggered, the system checks for an existing Zoho CRM system connection in their Creator account. If none exists, a new system connection is automatically created. If one exists, it is reused without requiring manual setup.
7.2 Admin connections
Admin connections are authorized by super admins or developers of the client account and are consumed by regular users without requiring individual authorizations. These connections are tied to a single authorization and are configured by an administrator using the available services. For example, an admin connection to Zoho CRM(created in Developer Console and distributed to clients) can sync customer data, enabling workflows such as automatically updating records when orders are created. This centralized authorization allows all users in the application to trigger workflows.
When distributed through the Developer Console, admin connections for the client will remain as an admin connection itself. The super admin and admin of the client app manage the authorization, ensuring that the connection remains functional and secure for all users.
7.3 Logged-in user connections
Logged-in user connections (created in Developer Console and distributed to clients) are authorized individually by logged-in users. These connections enable personalized integration of third-party services, granting users access to specific data and functionality. For example, in a Salesforce workflow, each user must authorize their connection with personal credentials. When triggered, data is pushed to the user's Salesforce account.
In the Developer Console, these connections are defined and bundled during the publishing lifecycle. Once distributed, users in the client environment authorize them individually.
Logged-in user connections can only be created for the following built-in connectors :
- Quickbooks
- Salesforce
- Zoho CRM
- Zoho Recruit
- Clickatell
- Hoiio
- Clockwork SMS
- SMS-Magic
- Twilio
- Zoho OAuth
- Zoho Projects
- Zoho Sheets
8. Connection modes
When creating a user connection, you must choose how you want the OAuth credentials to be managed. Zoho provides two connection modes:
Zoho-managed OAuth client credentials (quick connect)
Bring your own OAuth client credentials (custom)
Zoho-managed credentials
Zoho-managed OAuth credentials use an OAuth application that is created and maintained by Zoho. This default connection method eliminates the need for OAuth client configuration and lifecycle, including client IDs, client secrets, redirect URLs, and other OAuth components manually. The OAuth application is automatically managed and maintained, making it easier to authenticate common integrations with minimal setup while preserving user-level consent and access control. This method is ideal for the following scenarios:
- No requirement for direct ownership or control of the OAuth application
- Preference for simplified setup and reduced maintenance effort
- Reliance on Zoho-managed credential handling to meet internal compliance requirements
For example, when creating a connection in the Developer Console to access Google Sheets, the admin/developer selects Zoho OAuth credentials. Zoho provisions and maintains the OAuth application. When the client installs the application, they can authorize access by signing in and granting permission, without requiring the admin to provide client IDs or secrets.
Client credentials
Client credentials allow the developer to configure a connection in the Developer Console using an OAuth application that the developer has created and registered with the external service. During setup, the developer provides the Client ID, Client Secret, redirect URL, and other OAuth details issued by the service provider.
This approach is commonly referred to as Bring Your Own Credential (BYOC), and is typically chosen when an organization requires greater control over how authentication is configured and managed. While the OAuth application itself is owned and managed by the developer, authorization is performed by the users after they install the app, using their own service accounts.
This method is commonly used in the following scenarios:
- Direct ownership and control of the OAuth application
- Ability to define customized or restricted authorization scopes
- Alignment with internal security, compliance, or regulatory policies
- Control over token lifecycle, access permissions, and audit requirements
9. Points to note
- Connections will be restricted to associating with only one application.
- System connections can only be authorized by super admin, admins, and developers in the client account. These will not be included in the publish cycle and will be created when the client uses the application if a connection with the service doesn't exist.
- Test all connections thoroughly in the development or stage environment to validate app functionality before distribution.
10. Related links
What's next
Previous step
What's next
After you understand how and why a connection is required, you need to learn about the different connectors that is supported in Developer Console and then how to create and authorize them.
Previous step
Make sure you understand the previous step of publishing to the staging environment to publish your connection and ensure a smooth deployment process.
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