Kaizen #200 - Answering Your Questions | Authentication using Zoho CRM Python SDK

Kaizen #200 - Answering Your Questions | Authentication using Zoho CRM Python SDK



We’re incredibly excited to bring you the 200th post in our Kaizen series!

Idea
This journey has been as much about listening as it has been about sharing. And today, we’re making both count. Over the past few weeks, we’ve collected your feedback through the Kaizen feedback form added in our earlier posts. Thank you for the time and thought you’ve put into it.

Starting today, we’ll be actively addressing your most requested topics. 

Overview – OAuth 2.0 and Zoho CRM SDKs

In this Kaizen, we’ll walk you through how OAuth 2.0 authentication is handled using the Zoho CRM Python SDK, and how the SDK simplifies token refresh, storage, and management for multiple users and organizations across multiple data centers.

Introduction:


OAuth2.0 Recap:



Token Management using Zoho CRM SDKs:


Sample Project Overview

We’ve used a fully working sample project to demonstrate the OAuth flow in action.

Frontend

A static interface built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Files include:
  • index.html – login and data input page
  • script.js – client-side login and record handling
  • redirect.html – used to capture the grant token from Zoho

Backend

A Python server using Zoho CRM SDK to:
  • Authenticate users using OAuth 2.0
  • Store and manage tokens
  • Fetch and manipulate CRM records

Note:

Before running the project, you’ll need to register your client in the Zoho API Console. Once registered, use the generated Client ID and Client Secret in your server code.
If you're planning to support users across multiple Zoho Data Centers (DCs):
  • Be sure to enable Multi-DC for your client.
  • Use the same client credentials (Client ID and Secret) for all the DCs during authentication.

Implementation Demo:

How the SDK Maps Tokens to Users

One of the key challenges in multi-user apps is ensuring that each user's tokens are stored and retrieved correctly. The Zoho CRM Python SDK handles this automatically.
As part of the OAuth flow, the SDK retrieves the user's email and organization info in the background using the scopes ZohoCRM.users.READ and ZohoCRM.org.READ. It then uses this unique user–org combination to:
  • Store access and refresh tokens separately for each user
  • Automatically update tokens when a user logs in again
  • Ensure that all API calls are authorized with the correct tokens
If you're implementing Login with Zoho using the standard OAuth redirect flow, all of this is handled internally by the SDK using the user and org information retrieved during login. There’s no need to manually pass a UserSignature in the token object.
 
If you're not implementing Login with Zoho, or if you’d prefer to explicitly associate a token with a known user, you can pass a UserSignature object during initialization:
  1. from zohocrmsdk.src.com.zoho.api.authenticator import UserSignature

    user = UserSignature(email)
    token = OAuthToken(..., user_signature=user)
    Initializer.initialize(..., user=user)
This ensures the SDK can correctly identify the token's owner and separate tokens for different users or orgs in a multi-user application.

Multi-User & Multi-DC Token Management


Authentication can often be one of the trickiest parts of any integration, especially when you're dealing with multiple users, environments, and token refresh cycles. With the Zoho CRM SDKs, much of that complexity is handled for you, from generating and persisting tokens, to refreshing them silently when they expire, and managing user-org mappings behind the scenes.

We hope this Kaizen gave you a clearer picture of how to use our SDKs confidently in your apps. Try out the project, play around, and see how it all works in real time. 

If you have any queries, let us know the comments below, or send an email to support@zohocrm.com. We'd love to hear from you.


    • 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 this

    • Kaizen #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 how

    • Kaizen #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

      • Recent Topics

      • Zoho Forms sheet prefil

        I've been using zoho sheet prefill for a week and it was working perfectly, as soon as i deleted the particular sheet and replaced it with another one no matter what I do it cant find the record and i get this message. Could you please assist me to resolve

      • "Create Deal" button should default to the currently selected layout/pipeline

        When viewing Deals in Kanban or List view with a specific layout and pipeline selected, clicking "Create Deal" should default to that same layout — not the profile's default layout. Currently it always opens the default layout regardless of context, requiring

      • Zoho mail admin panel not opening

      • Canvas: is it possible to have a fixed header?

        Hello. Does Canvas provide the option to have a fixed header, similar to the standard view? It would also be interesting for other parts of the interface, like the header or sidebar of the tab section. Thanks!

      • Removing Related Modules Lookup Fields Assignment / Relationship

        Issue: When creating a related list, I accidently selected module itself creating a circle reference. See attached. Situation: I wish to relating a custom module called "Phone Calls" to Leads and Contacts. Outcome: 1) I either want to remove the this

      • Zoho LandingPage pricing update: Essentials plan is now fully free!

        Hello Everyone, We have updated the Zoho LandingPage pricing structure. The Essentials plan, previously priced at $9 per month for 1,000 visitors, is now fully free, and the visitor limit has been increased to 5,000. With this change, users can start

      • ZOHO.CRM.UI.Record.open not working properly

        I have a Zoho CRM Widget and in it I have a block where it will open the blocks Meeting like below block.addEventListener("click", () => { ZOHO.CRM.UI.Record.open({ Entity: "Events", RecordID: meeting.id }).catch(err => { console.error("Open record failed:",

      • Zoho Survey – Page Skip Logic Not Working

        Hi everyone, I'm experiencing an issue with the page skip logic in Zoho Survey. Last week, it was working fine, and I haven’t changed anything in the settings. However, today the skip logic is not working at all. I also tried testing it with different

      • Automatically create an Delivery Challan basis a Sales Order.

        Hi, I wanted to know if there is a possibility to automatically populate a Delivery Challan basis a Sales Order. Is it possible to do this with custom functions? If yes, how? 

      • Zoho Form URL displays incorrect name

        Hi, I have a form I created called "Design Request form". It displays this way everywhere I look. However, in the URL, it shows up as "DesignJobRequestFormFINAL011325PROOFV1B" and I'm not sure why. I can't find where to fix this. Does anyone have any

      • Introducing Radio Buttons and Numeric Range Sliders in Zoho CRM

        Release update: 1. 2 March 2026: Currently out for CN, JP, AU and CA DCs (Free and standard editions). For other DCs, this will be released by mid-March. 2. 26 March 2026: CA, SA, AU, JP, CN DCs - Free, Standard, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate, CRM

      • Finding rhythm through poetry

        Poetry has long been a powerful form of expression, discovery, and reflection. For many, it is a way to pen down their thoughts and experiences. The "poetic license" allows writers to shape their words with rhythm and flow. This year, on World Poetry

      • Zoho Desk Ticket SLA Level

        Hello, we have 2 levels of SLA escalation for our Tickets. Is there a way to display on the ticket information the level of SLA escalation the ticket currently on? I am aware that we can see in the ticket history the level of escalation that has been

      • Allow Font Size 11 in Editors...

        That is basic functionality...

      • 【まだ間に合う！】Zoho ユーザー交流会 | AI活用・CRM・Analytics の事例を聞いて、ユーザー同士で交流しよう！

        ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 3月27日(金)に東京、新橋で開催する「東京 Zoho ユーザー交流会 NEXUS」へのお申し込みがまだの方は、この機会にぜひお申し込みください！（参加無料） ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー イベントの詳細はこちらから▷▷ https://www.zohomeetups.com/tokyo2026vol1#/?affl=communityforumpost3 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

      • Where is the scheduled report in New UI?

        Hi Team, Seems there is not such a field in New UI, hence I have to switch to old UI to handle request..

      • Building a Simple Raspberry Pi + Keypad IoT PoC with Zoho Flow

        I want to share a simple IoT PoC I recently built that connects a Raspberry Pi to Zoho Flow and Zoho Creator. The goal was to send PIN input data from a hardware keypad to Zoho and trigger a servo and buzzer for visual/audible feedback. This can serve

      • What's New in Zoho Billing | January 2026

        Excited about the latest enhancements in Zoho Billing? Our January updates bring an intelligent AI assistant, smarter subscription management, and improved tax compliance, saving you time and reducing manual work. Dive into the details below to see how

      • Is there a way to sell in a practical method multiple subscriptions of the same product? i.e. domain names

        In evaluating Zoho Billing, a hurdle to adopting it is that Zoho Billing does not seem designed to support businesses that sell multiple subscriptions of the same product. In our case, we need to sell and manage several domain names per client. Am I right

      • Update P_Leave: code: 7052 "Employee_ID": "Enter Employee ID"

        Hi, Zoho People - Update Leaves Can someone assist? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ col = Collection(); col.insert("recordid":id); col.insert("Date_Check_Approval":zoho.currentdate); info zoho.people.update("P_Leave",col.toMap());

      • Can't change form's original name in URL

        Hi all, I have been duplicating + editing forms for jobs regarding the same department to maintain formatting + styling. The issue I've not run into is because I've duplicated it from an existing form, the URL doesn't seem to want to update with the new

      • Can't rename groups on Mac desktop app

        I'm working on an up-to-date Mac with a freshly downloaded Notebook app. I'm trying to rename a group within a notebook. Here I have, left to right, a note, a group, and a note. I select the group. On the top left, I select Action. On the dropdown, "Rename"

      • Strange behavior in CRM Number Field – Characters allowed but not "e"?

        Hi everyone, Has anyone faced this strange issue in Zoho CRM? In a Number field, it is possible to type some characters, but the character "e" cannot be entered. This was really surprising to me. Normally, a number field should restrict all characters

      • Best Way to Manage Approvals Within Blueprint Stages?

        Hi, I am working on a requirement involving Blueprint and approval logic in Zoho CRM and would appreciate some guidance. I understand that approval processes do not trigger when a record is currently within a blueprint, which makes it challenging to implement

      • Marketing Tip #25: Grow your social presence with a simple posting routine

        Consistency is one of the biggest growth drivers on social media. Regular content keeps your store visible and helps customers remember you. Even 3–4 posts a week can build momentum over time. The easiest way to stay consistent is to stop trying to create

      • How to update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records

        Hello Zoho CRM, How do I update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records at once? To give you a background, these leads were uploaded or Imported at once but the lead status record was incorrectly chosen. So since there was a way to quickly add records in the system no matter how many they are, we are also wondering if there is a quicker way to update these records to the correct "Lead Status". I hope our concern makes sense and that there will be a fix for it. All the best, Jonathan

      • Bring your own credentials (BYOC) for connections in Zoho Creator

        Hello everyone, We're excited to announce an important step forward in how integrations and authentications work in Zoho Creator. Zoho Creator is a versatile platform for integrations, enabling you to connect with thousands of third-party services using

      • Project Management Bulletin: March, 2026

        We are passionate about equipping our users with efficient solutions that help them run their businesses successfully. Our collective efforts over the past 2 years have culminated in the launch of Sprints 3.0— built with reliable features, impactful integrations,

      • Composite items inside of composite items; bill of materials needed

        Hi Zoho and Everyone, I am evaluating whether Zoho Inventory will work for my small business. I grow and harvest herbs and spices but also get from wholesalers. I use all these items to make herbal teas, but also sell them as individual items on my Shopify store and Etsy. I discovered the composite item bundling and am wondering if I could get some assistance since there is no bill of materials: Our herbal company's best selling tea is a sleepytime tea. Sleepytime Tea can be purchased in three weights

      • Automation Series: Sync Task Status with Zoho Desk Tickets

        In Zoho Projects, you can automatically close and reopen an associated Zoho Desk ticket when the status of a task is changed. This syncs the current state of the task with the support ticket without manual updates. For instance, a support team handling

      • Auto-Generate Line Numbers in Item Table Using HTML & CSS Counters (Zoho Books & Zoho Inventory Custom Templates)

        <div> <style> /* Start counter from 0 inside tbody */ tbody#lineitem { counter-reset: rowNumber; } /* Increment counter for each row */ tbody#lineitem tr { counter-increment: rowNumber; } /* Show counter value in first column */ tbody#lineitem tr td:first-child::before

      • Does zoho inventory need Enterprise or Premium subsrciption to make Widgets.

        We have Zoho One Enterprise and yet we can't create widgets on inventory.

      • Zoho CAMPAIGNS working hours

        Hi I use Campaigns Automation workflows to automate follow-ups to my Leads. I discovered this weekend that emails are being sent out on Sundays. How do I limit my Campaigns outgoing emails to business working hours? This is very important! Thanks, D

      • Depositing funds to account

        Hello, I have been using Quickbooks for many years but am considering moving to Zoho Books so I am currently running through various workflows and am working on the Invoicing aspect. In QB, the process is to create an invoice, receive payment and then

      • Create Receipt of a Donation (not a sale)

        We are a non-profit organization that receives general donations. How do I create a receipt of payment for the donor and categorize the payment as a Gift? I tried the method of creating an invoice; however that automatically created a "Sales" transaction

      • Function #2: Create a Deal in Zoho CRM when an Estimate is created in Zoho Books

        For those who use Zoho CRM integrated with Zoho Books, here's a nifty function that helps you optimize your sales process by adding a Deal in Zoho CRM whenever an estimate is created in Zoho Books. Custom Function: To create the custom function, go to

      • New Custom View -Sorting the Custom fields

        While creating a New Custom View in invoice , Customers, Bills ,expense etc , the sorting of custom fields are not available , a query function "order by / sort by  " may also be included in  Define new criteria module  which will be more beneficial to

      • Grouping Undeposited Funds to Move to other accounts

        In the bank option it would be nice to check what transactions in undeposited funds I want to move to other accounts. Then while checking this it can accumulate totals and created whats essentially a deposit slip. Once the transaction is moved it should

      • Sync your CRM Tasks with Zoho Projects

        Zoho Projects integration with Zoho CRM helps you manage your tasks more efficiently. You can create all project related activities right inside your CRM using this integration. Create new portal or associate an existing portal, add projects to the portal,

      • Zoho CRM strips whitespace in text fields

        When editing field text with multiple spaces: CRM - both UI and API trim / compress the whitespace to a single space when saving: Is this known / expected / documented behaviour?

      • Next Page