APIs & integrations · 6 min read
Integrating business systems without breaking them
Patterns that keep integrations reliable when networks fail and providers change.
Integrations fail at the edges: a timeout, a duplicate message, a provider changing a field. Reliable ones are designed for that from the start.
Assume every call can fail
Use timeouts and retries with back-off, and make sure a retry cannot create a duplicate order or payment. This property is called idempotency.
Use queues for anything important
Putting work on a queue means a slow provider does not block your customers, and nothing is lost if a service is down for a few minutes.
Log and alert
You should know an integration is failing before your customer tells you. Log requests, count failures and alert on unusual patterns.
Test against sandboxes
Most providers offer a test environment. Automated tests against it catch breaking changes early.
Document the contract
A written description of fields, errors and behaviour saves days for the next developer.
Careful integration work rarely looks impressive, but it is what keeps orders, invoices and customer data moving.
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