Core Resources for Building an Integration

Every custom integration with Advanced Billing is built from three sets of resources: the API you call, the webhooks you receive, and, if you would rather not write code, an iPaaS that wires the two together for you. This page collects the reference material for all three, so you can pick an approach and go straight to what it needs.

Work through Design Your Integrations first if you have not already settled on an approach.

API

Use the API when you are writing your own code and need to read or change Advanced Billing data directly.

Before you start

Feature

API

You Need

1. Completed Design Your Integrations
2. Developer(s) experienced with integrating systems, data modification, and APIs.

Code

Yes

Difficulty

◉◉◉◎◎

API core resources

If you are coding your own integration, you already understand your project's needs. These resources are the ones that help most.

Core API reference material

Test authentication

Run this request to confirm your credentials work before you build anything on top of them. Replace SUBDOMAIN with your Site's subdomain and APIKEY with your API key.

curl https://SUBDOMAIN.chargify.com/subscriptions.json \
-X GET \
-u APIKEY:x \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json'

A 200 response listing your subscriptions confirms the key is valid.

API code generator

The API documentation generates ready-to-paste request code in a wide range of languages and frameworks. See How to get started.

Languages and frameworks the code generator supports

To use it, open an endpoint in the API documentation and select a language or framework from the panel on the right. Selecting Node with the Axios framework on the Create Subscription endpoint, for example, produces a complete working request.

Webhooks

Use webhooks when you need Advanced Billing to notify your system that something happened, rather than polling for it.

Before you start

Feature

Understand Webhooks in Advanced Billing

You Need

1. Completed Design Your Integrations
2. Developer(s) experienced with webhooks

Code

Yes

Difficulty

◉◉◉◎◎

Webhook core resources

Core webhook reference material

Webhook endpoint requirements

Your endpoints have to meet these constraints before Advanced Billing sends to them.

• HTTP endpoints work only while your Site is in test mode. Switch to HTTPS before you move the Site to live mode.
• If you specify a port number, only ports 80 and 443 are supported.
• A Site can have at most five multicast webhook endpoints.

Testing tips

Use these to develop faster.

Send a test webhook without creating real data

Advanced Billing has a dedicated testing page that fires a webhook at your endpoint on demand, so you don't have to manufacture a real subscription to see one arrive. Go to Tools > Webhook Testing, send the test, and review the outcome in the Webhooks Panel.

Replay webhooks instead of simulating events repeatedly

Simulating the same event over and over is the most tedious part of webhook development. Instead, trigger the event you care about once, then replay it as many times as you need. You can replay both failed and successful webhooks. Go to Tools > Webhooks Panel, select the webhook, and click Resend Selected Webhooks.

Replay webhooks in production, not just in testing

This helps in production as much as in development. In billing systems without replay, a failed webhook is simply lost, which is a problem when that webhook is what unlocks a paying user's features in your app. Rather than editing a database record by hand to repair it, replay the webhook. Webhooks stay available for replay for up to 90 days.

Review webhook workflow examples

For conceptual examples that show the coding workflow end to end, see Building Workflows with APIs and Webhooks.

iPaaS

Use an iPaaS when you need an integration but don't have developers to build one. An iPaaS connects Advanced Billing's webhooks and API to other systems through a visual builder rather than code.

Important: Maxio does not build, debug, maintain, or support anything you or a developer builds with an iPaaS. Depending on your plan, Maxio can help you determine which Advanced Billing webhooks and API endpoints to use.

Before you start

Feature

Advanced Billing's APIs and webhooks, plus a third-party iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service)

You Need

1. Completed Design Your Integrations
2. Person(s) with technical experience building (but not coding) integrations, handling data modification, and knowledge of APIs and webhooks.
3. An iPaaS software

Code

No-code to low-code

Difficulty

◉◎◎◎◎

Build an integration with iPaaS

Follow these four steps to go from a rough idea to a scoped, buildable integration.

List your trigger-action statements

At its simplest, an integration is a collection of triggers and actions. Write out every piece of functionality your integration needs as a trigger-action statement, using the patterns below as a guide.

The basic pattern

When trigger in system, action in system

Examples

1. When a subscription is canceled in Advanced Billing, update the deal record in HubSpot.
2. When an invoice is created in Advanced Billing, create an invoice in NetSuite.
3. When a Customer changes from the bronze to the silver plan in Advanced Billing, update the subscription's component price point in Advanced Billing.

Adding conditionals

Add a condition when you only want the action to run in certain cases.

When trigger in system, conditional, action in system

Examples with conditionals

1. When a subscription is canceled in Advanced Billing, if the subscription has the churn reason code TRIAL-CANCEL, update the deal record in HubSpot.
2. When an invoice is created in Advanced Billing, if the invoice type is signup, create an invoice in NetSuite.
3. When a Customer changes from the bronze to the silver plan in Advanced Billing, if the Customer subscribes to the user-licenses component, update the subscription's component price point in Advanced Billing.

Adding multiple actions

Chain actions when one trigger needs to do several things.

When trigger in system, conditional, action 1 in system, action 2 in system

Examples with multiple actions

1. When a subscription is canceled in Advanced Billing, if the subscription has the churn reason code TRIAL-CANCEL, update the deal record in HubSpot, then update the company record in HubSpot.
2. When an invoice is created in Advanced Billing, if the invoice type is signup, create an invoice in NetSuite, then mark the invoice paid in NetSuite.
3. When a Customer changes from the bronze to the silver plan in Advanced Billing, if the Customer subscribes to the user-licenses component, read the Customer signup date in Advanced Billing, and if that date was in January, update the subscription's component price point in Advanced Billing.

Choose an iPaaS

With your list of needs in hand, work out whether a given iPaaS actually supports them. Other companies have built third-party integrations with Zapier and Cyclr, so the comparison below covers both, along with what to expect from an iPaaS you already use.

Important: The pricing and connector counts below come from each vendor and change without notice. Treat them as a starting point and confirm current figures with the vendor.

Comparison of iPaaS options

Whichever you choose, the integration is your responsibility. Maxio does not help build, debug, maintain, or support it.

Scope the integration

Next, confirm the iPaaS supports the specific triggers and actions you listed in step 1.

How to scope each data flow, by platform

Finalize the design

After working through the three steps above, you have a clear picture of how to proceed. For worked Zapier and Cyclr examples to build against, see Building Integrations and Workflows with iPaaS.