API integrations between existing systems
API integrations between ERP, CRM, e-commerce and payment stacks. Practical guides per platform, or have the connection built.
8 articles
API integrations overview
What is an API integration?
An API integration lets two systems exchange data on their own, so nobody has to retype it. When a customer orders in your webshop, the order lands in your accounting and shipping software automatically. You keep working in the systems you already use, and the integration makes sure they all know the same thing.
Below you will find guides per platform, followed by the integrations we have built ourselves, how such a project runs and roughly what it costs. Want the basics first? Read what an API actually is.
API integration guides per platform
Pick a platform for a practical guide to the integration: what you automate with it, what the approach looks like and where it often goes wrong.
Which API integrations does MG Software build?
We build integrations between systems that are already in use: webshops, accounting, transport planning, payment providers and sales systems. These are five projects where an integration made the difference.
Bloemenwinkel.nl: Exact Online, MyParcel and marketplaces
The PrestaShop webshop was not connected to Exact Online or MyParcel, so orders were retyped and labels printed one by one. Now orders, invoices and credit notes synchronise with Exact Online automatically. One click on process creates the shipping label with track-and-trace. Product catalogue and stock also sync with external sales platforms.
View the projectOverseas Courier Service: Orbitrax
OCS entered the same shipment data in several systems. We built a goods portal that acts as the central source for shipments and connects directly to the Orbitrax TMS for transport planning, route optimisation and status updates. Deviations trigger an automatic notification.
View the projectSolarFast: lead integration with 2Solar
Every form on the new website posts the enquiry through the API to 2Solar, the sales system. Each form has its own key and source, so you can see which channel produces which lead.
View the projectRefront: Stripe and developer tools
In Refront, logged hours flow automatically into invoices, which are sent in one click via Stripe. The platform also talks to Slack, GitHub and Azure DevOps.
View the projectOGJG: Mollie and live lectures
The membership platform for Oud Geleerd Jong Gedaan lets members pay with iDEAL and direct debit through Mollie. Live lectures open from the platform into the right broadcast, with no extra software.
View the project
How an integration project runs
Switching an integration on is rarely the hard part. The hard part is agreeing what happens when data does not match. That is why we work in this order.
- 1
Decide which system leads
A customer address can live in your webshop, CRM and accounting. For each piece of data we define where it is created and where it is only read. Without that choice, systems overwrite each other.
- 2
Map fields and rules
We lay the fields of both sides next to each other: what one system calls an order number and the other calls something else, which VAT codes belong to which product, what happens with a credit note. This work decides the quality of the integration.
- 3
Build in error handling and monitoring
An API is sometimes unreachable or rejects a message. The integration then retries, records what went wrong and raises an alert when someone has to step in. That way you never lose an order without noticing.
- 4
Test with real data and go live
We test with your own products, customers and exceptions, not only sample data. Then the integration goes live and we watch the logs closely for the first days.
- 5
Ongoing management
Suppliers change their API and your processes change too. So we keep managing and developing the integration, and an update on the other side does not catch you off guard.
What does an API integration cost?
The price depends on how many systems you connect, how good the other party's API is, how much data moves back and forth and how strict the error handling has to be. A fixed price without knowing your situation would be guesswork.
In our project calculator, API integrations are an option with an indication of €1,500. Treat that as a guide within a larger project, not as a quote. Fill in the calculator for a first picture and we will then discuss what your situation really needs.
Have an integration built
Do you know which systems need to connect, or only that there is a lot of manual work right now? Both are a good starting point. On the software integrations page you can read how we approach this. You can also get in touch directly, and we will look together at which integration pays off most.
Frequently asked questions about API integrations
What is the difference between an API integration and a plug-in?
A plug-in is a ready-made connector that covers a standard situation, for example webshop to accounting. That works well as long as your processes are standard. Once you have your own rules, such as unusual VAT codes, several warehouses or a specific shipping process, a custom API integration fits better because it does exactly what you need.
Can any system be connected?
If a system has an API, webhooks or an automated export, usually yes. If it has none, there are sometimes alternatives, but they are less reliable and harder to maintain. We check up front what the system allows and tell you honestly when an integration is not a good idea.
What happens when an integration fails?
A well-built integration retries failed messages, stores them so nothing gets lost and raises an alert when someone needs to step in. That is why we build error handling and monitoring in from the start, not after something goes wrong.
Who manages the integration after delivery?
It can be MG Software, but you can also do it yourself. Supplier APIs change regularly, so someone has to keep following and updating the integration. We agree up front how management is arranged, so it does not come as a surprise.