Overview of Salesforce REST API Integration
- Salesforce REST API allows you to access Salesforce CRM data programmatically. Integration through JavaScript can help streamline workflows and automate tasks.
Prepare Authentication with OAuth 2.0
- REST API calls require OAuth 2.0 authentication. Set up an OAuth connected app in Salesforce to get your Consumer Key and Consumer Secret.
- Use JavaScript to handle the OAuth flow. A typical approach is to redirect the user to the Salesforce login page for authentication and authorization.
- Once the user authorizes, Salesforce will redirect to a callback URL with an authorization code. Use this code to obtain an access token.
Example: JavaScript OAuth Flow
const clientId = 'YOUR_CONSUMER_KEY';
const redirectUri = 'YOUR_CALLBACK_URL';
function redirectToSalesforce() {
const authorizationUrl = `https://login.salesforce.com/services/oauth2/authorize?response_type=code&client_id=${clientId}&redirect_uri=${redirectUri}`;
window.location.href = authorizationUrl;
}
// Fetch Access Token (use server-side code to secure client secret)
function fetchAccessToken(authorizationCode) {
const tokenUrl = 'https://login.salesforce.com/services/oauth2/token';
const data = new URLSearchParams({
grant_type: 'authorization_code',
client_id: clientId,
client_secret: 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET',
redirect_uri: redirectUri,
code: authorizationCode
});
return fetch(tokenUrl, {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' },
body: data
})
.then(response => response.json());
}
Construct REST API Calls
- Once authenticated, you can make HTTP requests to various Salesforce REST endpoints to perform CRUD operations.
- Use the access token from OAuth to authenticate requests by including it in the HTTP headers.
Performing CRUD Operations
- **Create** a record by sending a POST request with the record data in JSON format to the appropriate Salesforce endpoint.
- **Read** data by making a GET request to a Salesforce resource such as an SObject or executing a SOQL query.
- **Update** records using a PATCH request with the updated field data.
- **Delete** a record with a DELETE request to the resource URL.
Example: Execute SOQL Query
function querySalesforce(accessToken, query) {
const instanceUrl = 'https://YOUR_INSTANCE.salesforce.com';
const apiUrl = `${instanceUrl}/services/data/vXX.X/query?q=${encodeURIComponent(query)}`;
return fetch(apiUrl, {
method: 'GET',
headers: {
'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`
}
})
.then(response => response.json());
}
// Example usage:
querySalesforce('YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN', 'SELECT Name, Email FROM Contact').then(data => console.log(data));
Handle API Limits and Errors
- Respect API limits by optimizing queries and handling data in bulk efficiently.
- Implement error handling for network issues, authentication errors, and Salesforce-specific exceptions.
Security Concerns and Best Practices
- Avoid exposing sensitive information like Consumer Secret on the client side. Use a server-side component for secure operations.
- Store access tokens securely and implement refresh token mechanisms if needed for long-lived sessions.
- Ensure that all web interactions over the Salesforce API are encrypted using HTTPS.
