Kaizen #116 - Client Types in Zoho API Console

Kaizen #116 - Client Types in Zoho API Console

Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series!

This week, we will discuss different client types available in Zoho API Console, and when to use each.

When you register an app in Zoho API Console, you typically choose a client type based on how your application interacts with Zoho services.
Let us discuss the available client types and how authorization is handled for each.

Available client types

  1. Server-based
  2. Client-based
  3. Self client
  4. Non-browser-based
  5. Mobile-based

1. Server-based

If you have a web-based application that runs on a dedicated HTTP server and interacts with Zoho services by calling Zoho APIs via that server, you must register your app with this client type.
This client type is for applications that redirect the users to another URL on a web browser to authorize themselves, where they give consent to your application to use their data.
In other words, you must use this client type when you have a front-end web UI and require user intervention before your app can access user data via the dedicated server.

Consider that you are developing a web-based custom application. Users authorize that app via browser to allow their Zoho CRM data to be accessed and used by that application.
During the registration process in Zoho API Console, you would choose the "Web-based" client type.
OAuth 2.0 would be used for user authentication, allowing your app to securely access and interact with Zoho CRM data on behalf of the users.

Here is a gist of what happens:
  1. Users visit your website where you have the Login with Zoho button.
  2. When a user clicks it, that user will be redirected to accounts.zoho.com with the details of your app such as client ID, scope, redirect uri, access type as the URL parameters.
  3. Your app must make an API call to Zoho Accounts with the client ID, scope, redirect uri, and access type. Users are shown the data that your application wants to use.
  4. When users give their consent, Zoho redirects them back to your app.This will be the "Redirect URL" you give while registering your app.
  5. The redirect URL will have the authorization code(grant token) as one of the parameters, along with the location(user's domain).
  6. Your app must then make API calls from your web server to Zoho Accounts to generate access and refresh tokens with the generated grant token.
  7. You must store these tokens in your DB to access that user's data in Zoho CRM. While making API calls, you must send this access token in the header.
  8. Your app must also have the logic to regenerate access tokens from refresh tokens when the access token expires.
Note that your app must take care of storing user's details like email, organization ID, and tokens.

The following image shows the protocol flow.


You can use any of our server-side SDKs to simplify this process.
When you use our SDK, all you have to do is, generate the grant token and initialize the SDK with the client details and this token. The SDK takes care of access token generation, refreshing it, and token storage.


For more details, you can refer to the Accounts guide and CRM help doc.

2. Client-based applications

This client type is for applications that do not have a server and run exclusively on a web browser.
This is also called the Implicit flow as your app makes API calls to Zoho only when users are using your app.
This type of application loads data dynamically on the webpage, and accesses Zoho CRM data by making API calls via Javascript.

Consider the same example where there is a Login with Zoho button on your webpage.
Here is a gist of what happens when a user clicks it.
  1. Your app redirects the user to Zoho Accounts.
  2. Your app makes the authorization request with the client ID, redirect uri, scope, and response type as token.
  3. The user is shown the data that your webpage would use.
  4. When the user gives consent, Zoho Accounts sends the access token to the redirect uri as a parameter, along with the expiry time and the location of user's data in Zoho's accounts server.
  5. You can include the "email" in your scope parameter in the access token request to get user's information. The response will have a parameter called id_token that will be in the header.payload.signature format. You need to decrypt the payload section of the parameter using the base-64 decryption algorithm to get user information.
  6. Your app must then make API calls to Zoho with this access token to fetch data.
  7. When the access token expires, your app must take care of regeneration and storage.


As the API calls are made from your domain to a different domain(zohoapis.com), for security reasons, the browser will throw the CORS error. So, your domain will be registered while registering your app, and Zoho will know to allow the API calls made from that domain.

As the tokens are available on the browser itself, we recommend handling them with care.
When you use our client-side JS SDK, it automatically generates a new access token upon expiry.

3. Self Client Applications

When your application does not have a redirect URL or a UI, but performs only a backend job, and does not need user intervention, then you must choose this client type.

A self client is often used when the application and Zoho services are operated by the same entity, and you want to enable secure communication between them. For example, you have an internal reporting tool and integrate it with Zoho Analytics. In this case, both the tool and Zoho Analytics are operated by the same entity.
Similarly, consider that you have a legacy product management system and want to perform data sync between Zoho CRM and the system, then you must use the self client.

Here is a gist of what happens.
  1. You register your app as self client in Zoho API Console.
  2. You will get the client details such as ID and secret.
  3. You provide the scopes required for your app to access CRM data.
  4. You will receive the grant token.
  5. Your app must then make API calls to Zoho Accounts to generate access and refresh tokens.
  6. Your app can then use this access token to make API calls to Zoho CRM and use data.
You can refer to our older Kaizen post on this topic for more details.
Note that self client apps can also use any of our server-side SDKs. As already said, the SDK takes care of access and refresh token generation, refreshing the access token, and token storage.

4. Non-browser applications

This client type is for devices that do not have a user agent such a web browser. A TV, for instance.
Let us consider an example involving a smart TV application that integrates with Zoho ShowTime. In this scenario, the smart TV application acts as a non-browser client.
Here is how authentication is handled:
  1. You must register your smart TV app in Zoho API Console with the type "Non-browser application".
  2. Users install a dedicated Zoho ShowTime application on their smart TVs.
  3. When users launch the Zoho ShowTime application on their smart TV, they are prompted to authenticate with their Zoho ShowTime account.
  4. When they successfully authenticate, Zoho Accounts sends the grant token to your app, along with the user-code, device-code and verification URL,The user must go to this verification URL on a browser and enter the user-code to grant permission to the app.
  5. Meanwhile, your app must poll the accounts server using the grant token to check if the token has been received.
  6. When the user enters the user code, Zoho Accounts sends the access token to your app.
  7. Your app can then use the access token to make API calls to Zoho. Your app must take care of token storage and renewals.

Here is the protocol flow. For more details, refer to this doc.


5. Mobile-based applications

You must use this client type when you have developed an app exclusively for mobile devices. The protocol flow is similar to server-based application where a browser session is required for the users to authenticate.



Similar to server-side apps, mobile apps also need to handle redirection, token generation and storage.
If you use any of our Mobile SDKs, the SDK itself handles token generation and storage.

We hope you found this post useful. Let us know your thoughts in the Comment section or write to us at support@zohocrm.com.


Cheers!


      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Convert Multiple PO in 1 Bill

                                    Does anyone know how to convert multiple POs in 1 Bill? Thank you
                                  • merge the Multiple POs to single PO if Vendor of PO"s --in Zoho Inventory

                                    HI Merge the Multiple POs to single PO if Vendor of PO"s are Same ----in Zoho inventory Please provide any work around to achive this .
                                  • How to add categories to community

                                    In my Community, I would like to add several Categories but I don't readily see how this is accomplished. Currently, I have one category in my community with several forums. But I would like to add more categories. Thanks.
                                  • Knowledgeable Image Quality is very poor, any recommendations how to improve this?

                                    Hi All, We are looking at migrating our current knowledge base to Zoho so it can be kept in one location. Our current KB utilises a lot of images to try and make it easier for users and less wordy. Unfortunately, when I upload an image within an article,
                                  • Assistance Required: Displaying Dynamic HTML Table in Zoho Creator Dashboard Page

                                    I am currently stuck while creating a custom dashboard page in Zoho Creator. I want to display a designed HTML table showing Teacher Registration data with this condition: If Total Allowed Leaves < 10, display those teachers in the table. Page Scripts
                                  • Visibility of Custom Questions in the Question Pool

                                    A colleague is adding our own questions in the question pool for our Employee Engagement survey, but I can't see the questions she has entered, even after refreshing the webpage. Are the custom questions in the question pool only visible to the one who
                                  • campaigns contact lists not exporting

                                    I'm trying to export a specific lead source from my contract list in 'campaigns'. Every time I have to do this the contacts won't export. I have done a search and selected the specific contacts I want to export. The box appears to choose the file type,
                                  • Recipient Field on replies doesn't update with Contact change

                                    Some emails that come into our system come from an online form and the sender address is a noreply@whateverthedomainis.org So in order to reply to the original sender, we need to update/change the contact for the tickets. However, after we change the
                                  • Multicolumns fields for native forms

                                    It would be nice to be able to create forms with multiple columns. Currently, each field occupies a single column, which makes a fairly complex form seem too long.
                                  • Assign values to hidden fields in native forms

                                    It would be great to be able to assign values (static or dynamic) to hidden fields in a form. Currently, I can only assign a value via the URL. I currently have a form integrated with a webhook, but I don't have a way to send useful form data as parameters,
                                  • Migrating Email Content to a Shared Mailbox Address

                                    I am moving my email to Zoho Mail (currently hosted through GoDaddy). I have created a user (me) and I have also created a "Shared Mailbox" Group (through the admin panel) with an email address I will be using as an organization address. My personal email
                                  • Calendly One-way sync- Beta Access

                                    Hello Community, Many of our Zoho Calendar users have expressed their interests in Zoho Calendar and Calendly integration. We've been tightly working on with Calendly team to provide a two-way sync between Calendly and Zoho Calendar. However, there have
                                  • Live webinar: Mastering financial presentations with Zoho Show

                                    Hey there finance professionals! We know many of you are currently knee-deep in report creation mode to wrap up the fiscal year for your organization. Creating a presentation to communicate essential financial data isn’t simple, with all the calculations,
                                  • Zoho Desk Android app update: Accessing the guided conversation bots in the IM module

                                    Hello everyone! In the latest version(v2.9.8) of the Zoho Desk Android app update, we have brought in support for Guided conversation bots within the IM Module. These bots use predefined conversation flows to automate initial responses, handle routine
                                  • Zoho Analytics Embed - Zoomed Right In?

                                    Hey all, I am using the Zoho Show app on an android TV and cannot figure out why, but the Zoho Analytics embed is zoomed right in. When I preview on my laptop it looks fine, when I go in and edit the code, it looks zoomed? Then when it displays on the
                                  • Assistance with Image File Upload in Zoho Creator

                                    Hi , I'm building an application for storyboard creation using Zoho Creator, integrating Gemini AI for automated image generation. In the "Generate Frame" form, user inputs are collected to construct image prompts. Current Workflow: On Validation (Form
                                  • Migrating all email accounts from cpanel shared hosting and email boxes to zoho

                                    I have already read previous articles posted on this forum but none of them suit my needs.So i am currently working for a small company. The company website runs on cPanel shared hosting and the company page is a WordPress website. I recently redesigned
                                  • Domain Change from apkbark.com to apkbark.io – Do I Need to Setup Zoho Mail Again?

                                    I recently migrated my website from the old domain https://apkbark.com to the new domain https://apkbark.io. The Zoho Mail setup was previously configured and working perfectly on the old domain. Now I would like to know: Will my Zoho Mail setup automatically
                                  • How to add different type of revenue under sales ?

                                    How to add different type of revenue under sales ?
                                  • Types of Revenue

                                    i have different types of revenue , I want to see under sales in different categories , while preparing invoice I want to allocated if possible
                                  • Zoho books account recovery

                                    I had submitted a request to restore zohobooks account, but I am yet to get a feedback till now. The email addresses used to access the zohobooks can not access it again. I don't know what went wrong. I need quick attention to this. More details are provided
                                  • Payments calendar for receivables and liabilities by due dates

                                    Hello guys! What method can you recommend for tracking and planning future payments against expected income? We operate on the principle - we expect some income this month, then we look at what expenses are due this month and pay accordingly. I've seen
                                  • Email Search

                                    Has search stopped working for people? Searched on Zoho email content, I get nothing back. Signed out and back in, still same issues
                                  • Zoholics Europe 2025: Your Ultimate Data Analysis (Zoho Analytics) Workshop Experience

                                    Why should you attend? This year, Zoholics Europe 2025 is putting data analysis centre stage. With a dedicated workshop designed to answer all your data-related questions, you’ll gain practical skills, real-time solutions, and expert insights that you
                                  • how i can update client_secret or refresh_token in case if my was stolen?

                                    i want to know how i can protect my data on this case
                                  • [Webinar] CoCreator – Generative AI-Assisted Application Development in Zoho Creator

                                    Hello Creators! The Zoho Developer Community is hosting a webinar on CoCreator – Generative AI-Assisted Application Development to showcase our latest AI capabilities. What's this about? It's all about our latest AI capabilities in Zoho Creator. Instead
                                  • custom fields not populating from deluge script into invoice

                                    Hello, I've created some Deluge script that is meant to take a few inputted invoice custom fields and calculate a few others. I can see when I execute the function that my inputted custom fields are being passed, yet im still ending up with all "null"
                                  • Using English But Dropdowns in Thai

                                    We have selected English in Settings but all of the dropdown boxes are in Thai. How do i change this? The organization is based in Thailand and we are using the THB as our currency, but need the dropdowns to be in English. Please help! 🙏
                                  • Introducing Import Contract API

                                    We are excited to introduce the Import Contract API in Zoho Contracts. Here's a brief overview: Import Contract API The Import Contract API allows you to import contracts directly into Zoho Contracts in any of the following states: Draft Signed Active
                                  • Cambio de Plane

                                    Tenia un plan gratuito, hice una actualización a un plan de pago, salí por completo y entre nuevamente, pero no me deja corregir, pagar o modificar las facturas que había realizado en el modo de prueba. Me da el siguiente error: Factura de proveedor se
                                  • Better integration between Zoho CRM and Zoho Bookings

                                    I've noticed that when a meeting which was created in Zoho Bookings is updated by a sales person in Zoho CRM, the change is not reflected back into Zoho Bookings. I have raised this with support who advised that meetings created in Bookings need to be
                                  • Why is there a limit to JSONString of less 100 characters

                                    having this problem.
                                  • Enhanced crash reporting in Zoho Apptics

                                    All app crashes have the same sad ending: The app dies while the user still wants to use it. But the reason behind each crash? They vary every time. Identifying the root cause and fixing it is already hard work for your dev team. What makes it harder?
                                  • Description column in the "all expenses" overview page?

                                    Hi! I'm new to Zoho Books and accounting. I'm surprised there doesn't seem to have a proper "description" field for the expenses, only "notes", and that I can't have such a description visible on the overview page. So that I can quickly visualize my expenses...
                                  • Only Default Administrator Profile can Convert Estimates Zoho Finance

                                    In Zoho Finance Only the Default Administrator Profile can convert the Estimates A different Profile with the Admin level permission cannot convert the Estimate of someone else to a Sales Order, Only and only the default Administrator Profile Why is that
                                  • Zoho Notebook suddenly running very slow on long notes

                                    I have been a longtime user of Zoho Notebook. Historically, it has run quite well, but I've noticed over the last few days that it has begun to run unbearably slow when typing in large notes, to the point where I can type four words and have to wait for
                                  • Is there a way to pass the source of the chat from SalesIQ to the CRM lead creation?

                                    Currently when I update the values of the visitor and the lead is automatically generated in the CRM it says that the lead source is Chat, but in reality it was from either Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp. Is there a way to make sure that the correct
                                  • Imported tasks

                                    Good afternoon, I have recently setup a test instance of Zoho CRM and am currently working through a data migration from Hubspot usine the API migration tool. I needed to get a feel for how seamless this process was but I am running into an issue. It
                                  • Assigning Leads to Queues

                                    Do you support Queues as Lead Owner? This is a basic function in any CRM. Assign Lead to a Queue group where any member can take ownership by him self.
                                  • Migration of emails from Yandex to Zoho

                                    I am trying to migrate an yandex mail account to zoho mail account. I am confused with all the related articles/informations in the net. Could someone please outline the process to do it, just thinking about me as a novice with limited knowledge or experience. A couple of questions from the knowledge gained. 1. I believe we have to delete the yandex current MX from the website records and add Zoho MX. What happens to the emails as we remove the mail exchange record. Yandex stops updating emails and
                                  • Next Page