Details
An API is one of several ways that web applications can use to communicate with each other. They differ from webhooks in that APIs are triggered from your platform - instead of webhooks, which are triggered from our platform.
Getting Started With an API Integration
What is an API integration?
API stands for Application Programming Interface and an API integration is simply the connection between two (or more) systems. Our APIs make it possible to integrate Vision6 with other applications, like your customer relationship management system, databases, online store, or even learning management systems.
You can use an API integration to send and receive data between your Vision6 account and other systems you already use.
Why use an API?
APIs make your life easier by connecting the applications and services you use together, allowing you to share and sync data across platforms. With a Vision6 API integration, you can be more agile and efficient in how you conduct your business across the systems you depend on each day.
- Reduce manual data entry
- Synchronise your lists and contact records
- Save time by automating workflows and communications
- Send timely, targeted messages based on customer behaviour
What types of applications can I integrate with?
The possibilities are endless! But, the most common types of systems that Vision6 customers integrate with are content management systems (CMS), customer relationship management systems (CRM), and ecommerce platforms.
- CMS example: If you use a CMS to publish content on your website, you could use the Vision6 API to automatically create and send emails based on your blog posts or news articles. Some popular CMS platforms include Wordpress, Joomla, Magento, Drupal, Hubspot, and Ghost.
- CRM example: You could use the Vision6 API to automatically sync your email contacts with your CRM platform and then set up automated emails that are sent when contacts meet certain segment criteria. Some popular CRM platforms include Salesforce, Pipedrive, Oracle, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, and Hubspot.
- Ecommerce example: You could use the Vision6 API to send transactional emails & SMS messages like order receipts or reminders when a customer abandons their shopping cart. You could also use order data to send emails when an order has shipped, or even for asking your customers to leave a review about a specific product that they recently purchased. Some popular ecommerce platforms include Shopify, Woocommerce, BigCommerce, and OpenCart.
Who benefits from using an API Integration?
Custom API integrations can be valuable for everyone, but particularly businesses, government departments or organisations who work with multiple systems and want them to ‘talk to each other’.
You can use the API to retrieve, update, delete, or create new data. Integrating data flows via an API can create improvements in speed, agility, consistency, and accuracy, allowing for smoother business operations.
Setting up the API Integration
How do I get started using the API?
To get started, you’ll firstly need to determine who is going to build your API integration. Prior knowledge of programming with APIs is recommended, so you may need to hire an experienced API programmer to complete the build for you. You will also need to create an API Key and familiarise yourself with our API Documentation.
What is an API Key?
An API Key is a unique identifier that is used to authenticate a programmer or program to the Vision6 API. You can think of an API Key as a kind of digital ‘password’, which provides a layer of security. You can create a new API Key from the Integrations page within Vision6.
Are API keys tied to Vision6 user accounts and what happens if I remove the user who created the key?
Your API Keys are connected to your Vision6 account. However, they are not bound to specific users individually. If you remove a user from your account, you will still be able to use the API Keys they created and your integration will continue to function as normal. Just like a Vision6 user account, API Keys can be assigned different permission levels.
Where do I find a programmer who can help me build the API integration?
The best place to find an experienced programmer to help you set up your API integration is our Experts Marketplace. Hundreds of customers use our experts marketplace to find integration partners who are already familiar with Vision6 and understand how it works. You can browse the directory to find the right expert for your needs and reach out to them to get a custom quote.
How much does it cost to set up an API integration?
All of our plans automatically come with API access included in the price. It doesn’t cost anything extra to create an API Key and Vision6 does not charge for API calls. If you decide to outsource the integration build to a programmer or agency, you will need to consider their hourly rates and project costs.
Do I need to upgrade my free trial account to build and test the API integration?
Our free trial account provides access to all of our features (including the API Keys), so you can test Vision6 out before committing to a monthly payment. Many of our customers choose to set up the API on a free trial account to test capabilities and ensure the integration can achieve their requirements before upgrading.
However, please note that there is a limit on the number of API calls you can achieve with a free trial account. You get 250 free emails included in your trial account, which are counted towards if you send emails via the API. If you exceed this limit, you will be prompted to upgrade your account.
The REST API is also limited to 100 recipients on each request/payload.
How long does it take to create an API integration?
The time it takes to implement your custom API integration will depend on what you want the API to do. Some integrations can take one or more months to build, depending on the complexity of your requirements.
The process typically involves research, planning, creating a data or architecture map, development, and testing. Your API programmer will be able to provide you with a timeline.
Do you have a developer sandbox to test emails, but not actually send them out?
We don’t currently provide a developer-only mode or sandbox environment for API testing. So please be mindful that your emails and SMS will actually be sent to your recipients.
As such, you may wish to create a contacts list purely for the purpose of testing, using email addresses such as test_123456@[your-company-domain-name].com.au or other internal addresses/phone numbers.
You can use this testing list to simulate scenarios with your API integration before deploying to your actual customer database.
Choosing the right API
What is the difference between the REST API and the JSON-RPC API?
You may have noticed we have two APIs available: REST and JSON-RPC. Whether you choose to use the REST API or the JSON-RPC API will depend on what you’re trying to achieve with your integration. However, where possible we recommend using the REST API since the JSON-RPC API will eventually be deprecated.
For example, REST may be suitable if you want transactional methods (via email and / or SMS) that can be used to trigger time-sensitive and critical communications. The REST API only allows email messages to be sent via transactional sends. JSON-RPC may be suitable if you want to synchronise contact data between Vision6 and a CRM and/or contact management systems.
Our API Documentation provides more information on what you can achieve with each API. If you’re unsure which API suits your needs, you can contact our support team to find out more.
API Use Cases
Can I add or unsubscribe contacts with the API?
You can create, update, and delete contacts with an API integration. Here is the REST API contacts documentation and here is the JSON-RPC API contacts documentation. Where possible we recommend using the REST API since the JSON-RPC API will eventually be deprecated.
Can the API update or create new custom fields within Contacts?
You can use the API integration to update or create new fields within your contacts list. You can use the addField method with the JSON-RPC API to add a new field to a list. Or you could use this REST API method or this JSON-RPC API method to update your contacts. Where possible we recommend using the REST API since the JSON-RPC API will eventually be deprecated.
Can I sync contact data between Vision6 and my CRM using an API?
Many Vision6 customers use an API integration to synchronise their contact records with their CRM. By integrating your CRM with Vision6, it’s simple to automatically sync contact information, such as a contact’s name, email address, phone number, sales cycle stage, and all of your other custom fields.
Can I upload images or PDFs to my Files & Images library via the API?
You can upload files into your Files & Images library in Vision6 using the JSON-RPC API. The method for this is called 'uploadBase64FileData'. You can also use the REST API to add attachments to transactional email messages.
Can I use the API to create and send transactional emails & SMS messages like password resets, order confirmations, or welcome messages?
The REST API supports transactional methods that can be used to trigger time-sensitive and critical communications. Some great examples are welcome packs, invoices (as attachments), statements, payment confirmations and password resets.
Can I use the API to create events within Vision6?
If you’d like to create an event, you can follow this help article to learn how to set one up. Currently, neither the REST API nor JSON-RPC API support event creation or event management within Vision6. If you’d like to see us add this capability to our API, you can let us know by submitting a feature request and maybe you’ll see it released in the future!
Can I use the API to control automation workflows?
You can use the JSON-RPC API ‘autoresponder’ method to control message automations.
API Security
Are Vision6’s APIs secure?
The security of your data is important to us. That’s why we take a security-first approach to our systems and practices based on international protocols and standards, such as SOC2 certification. Our product and infrastructure are designed from the ground up to be secure, including the APIs.
All of our customer data is stored on servers in an Australian Tier 4 data centre that is ISO 27001 compliant. IP address restrictions can also be configured as an extra level of access control for the API. Should you require further information about our API security, you can request an API Penetration Test Assurance Report by filling in this form or contact our support team.
Who has access to my API keys?
When you create an API Key in Vision6, the key itself is only visible in a single one-time access pop up for the user. This is your only opportunity to copy this API Key. It is a private key, which you should copy and save in a safe location ready for use.
How do I safely share my API key with my programmer?
You should treat your API Keys the same way you would treat your credit card details or personal passwords. Don’t publish your API Key publicly or copy it over the internet. You can give your programmer their own login to your Vision6 account to create an API Key themselves.