Bubble Docs
  • Introduction
  • New? Start Here
  • What is Bubble?
  • The Glossary
  • User manual
    • Getting started
      • What is Bubble?
      • Building for...
        • Web
        • Native iOS and Android
          • Mobile app quick start guide
          • What is a native mobile app?
          • Native mobile vs. web development
          • Differences in native and web elements
          • Native mobile app terminology
      • Building your first app
        • Planning features
        • Database structure
        • Design and UX
        • eCommerce and payments
          • Shopping cart
          • Checkout page
          • One-time payments
          • Subscriptions
          • Marketplace
      • Creating and managing apps
      • The Bubble editor
        • Tabs and sections
          • Design tab
            • The element tree
            • The property editor
          • Workflow tab
          • Data tab
          • Styles tab
          • Plugins tab
          • Settings tab
            • Application settings
              • Custom headers/body
              • Visual settings
              • Social media sharing
              • Translating your app
              • Email settings
              • Collaboration
            • Custom domain and DNS
          • Logs tab
        • Tools
          • Key features
          • The search tool
          • The Issue Checker
          • The element tree
          • The element property editor
          • The debugger
          • Notes
        • Previewing your app
      • Transitioning to Bubble from...
        • JavaScript
        • HTML and CSS
        • SQL
    • Design
      • Elements
        • Web app
          • The page
          • Containers
            • Groups
            • Repeating groups
            • Table elements
            • Popups
            • Floating groups
            • Group focus
          • Visual elements
          • Input forms
            • Text and numbers
            • Dates and time
            • File uploads
            • Selection controls
        • iOS and Android app
          • The view
          • Containers
          • Visual elements
          • Input forms
          • Mobile reusable elements
        • The element hierarchy
          • The element tree
        • Reusable Elements
      • Styling
        • Color variables
        • Font variables
        • Styles
        • Custom Fonts
      • Responsive design
        • Building responsive pages
        • Legacy articles
          • The Basics (Legacy)
          • Building Responsive Pages (Legacy)
          • Migrating Legacy Pages
          • Tips When Designing (Legacy)
      • Templates
      • The Component Library
      • Importing from Figma
    • Data
      • The database
        • Data types and fields
        • Creating, saving and deleting data
        • Finding data
        • Displaying data
        • Protecting data with privacy rules
        • The database editor
        • Export/import data
          • Exporting data
          • Importing data (CSV)
        • Working with location data
        • Using Algolia
        • Database structure by app type
          • Marketplace Apps
          • Directory & Listings Apps
          • Social Network Apps
          • SaaS Apps
          • Project Management Apps
          • CRM Apps
          • Professional Services Apps
          • On-demand Apps
          • Documentation/ CMS Apps
          • Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Apps
          • Portfolio Apps
          • Gallery Apps
          • Online Store / Ecommerce Apps
          • Blog Apps
          • Messaging App
          • Dashboards
          • Building Block Apps
          • Bubble as a backend
      • Files
      • Images
      • Static data
        • App texts (translations)
        • Option sets
      • Temporary data
        • Custom states
        • URL parameters
      • User accounts
        • Authentication plugins
          • Facebook plugin
          • Fitbit plugin
          • Google plugin
          • Instagram plugin
          • LinkedIn plugin
          • Pinterest plugin
          • Slack plugin
          • Wistia plugin
          • YouTube plugin
        • Cookies set by Bubble
      • Time, dates and time zones
    • Logic
      • The frontend and backend
      • Workflows
        • Events
          • Frontend events
            • Recurring workflows
            • Custom events
          • Backend events
            • Database trigger events
        • Actions
        • API Workflows
      • Dynamic expressions
      • Conditions
      • Navigation
        • Single-page applications (SPA)
        • Multi-page applications
        • Page slugs
      • Device resources
        • Location services
        • Camera/photo library
    • Workload
      • Understanding workload
        • Activity types
        • The workload calculation
        • Client-side and server-side processing
      • Tracking workload
        • Measuring
          • Using App Metrics
        • Monitoring
          • Workload notifications
          • Infinite recursion protection
      • Optimizing workload
        • Optimization framework
        • Optimization checklist
          • Page load
          • Searches
          • Workflows and actions
          • Backend workflows
        • Agency showcases
          • Minimum Studio
          • Neam
          • Support Dept
    • Security
      • Bubble's security features
      • Planning app security
      • Client-side and server-side
      • Bubble account security
      • App security
      • Page security
      • Database security
      • API security
        • API Connector security
        • Data API security
        • Workflow API security
      • Flusk
        • Overview
        • Flusk plan features
        • Getting started with Flusk
        • Flusk security tools
          • The Issues Explorer
          • Issue details
          • Tools and settings
            • Pages rating
            • Database rating
        • Flusk FAQ
      • Cookies
      • Security checklist
    • Previewing your app
      • Previewing a web app
      • Previewing a mobile app
    • Publishing your app
      • Web app
      • Native mobile app
        • Global native mobile settings
        • iOS App Store
        • Google Play Store
        • Publishing FAQ
    • AI
      • Generate apps with AI
        • About AI app generation
      • AI page designer
      • Connect to AI agents
    • Maintenance
      • Collaborators
      • Version control
        • Best practices: Version control
        • Transitioning from the legacy version control
        • Terminology: Version control
        • Version Control (legacy)
      • Commenting
      • Database maintenance
        • Copying the database
        • Restoring database backups
        • Bulk operations
          • Bulk operation methods compared
        • Wiping change history
      • Performance
        • Hard limits
        • Capacity Usage (legacy)
        • Notes on queries
      • SEO
        • Introduction to SEO
        • SEO: App
        • SEO: Page
      • Testing and debugging
        • Introduction to testing and debugging
        • The debugger
        • The server logs
        • Supported browsers
      • API workflow scheduler
    • Integrations
      • API
        • Introduction to APIs
          • What is a RESTful API?
        • The Bubble API
          • Bubble API terminology
          • Authentication
            • How to authenticate
            • No authentication
            • As a User
            • As an admin
          • The Data API
            • Data API Privacy Rules
            • Data API endpoints
            • Data API requests
          • The Workflow API
            • Workflow API privacy rules
            • Workflow API endpoints
            • API workflows
              • Creating API workflows
              • Scheduling API workflows
              • Recursive API workflows
              • API Workflow Scheduler
              • Case: Stripe notifications
        • The API Connector
          • Authentication
          • API Connector security
          • API guides
            • OpenAI
              • Authentication
              • Calls
                • ChatGPT
                  • Chat
            • Google Translate
              • How to setup Google API keys
          • Streaming API
        • API security
        • Plugins that connect to APIs
        • API Glossary
      • Plugins
        • What Plugins Can Do
        • Installing and using Plugins
        • Authentication plugins
        • Special Plugins
      • SQL Database Connector
      • Bubble App Connector
      • WorkOS
        • WorkOS SSO
        • WorkOS API
    • Infrastructure
      • Sub-apps
      • Bubble release tiers
      • Hosting and scaling
        • How Bubble hosting works
        • Scaling with Bubble
        • CDN (Cloudflare)
        • Bubble app names
        • Domain and DNS
      • Compliance
        • GDPR
        • SOC 2 Type II
        • HIPAA
        • Other frameworks and standards
    • Bubble for Enterprise
      • Hosting and infrastructure
        • Dedicated instance
          • The Dedicated editor experience
          • Technical specs
          • Main cluster dependencies
          • Customizable options
          • Migration process
            • Pre-migration
            • During migration
            • Post-migration
      • Security and compliance
        • Single sign-on (SSO)
        • GDPR
        • SOC 2 Type II
        • HIPAA
        • Other frameworks
        • Bubble's security features
      • Admin and collaboration
      • Priority support
      • Billing and Payment Guideline for Dedicated Instances
  • Core Reference
    • Using the core reference
    • Bubble's Interface
      • Design tab
      • Design tab (Legacy)
      • Workflow tab
      • Data tab
      • Styles tab
      • Styles tab (Legacy)
      • Plugins tab
      • Settings tab
      • Logs tab
      • Template tab
      • Toolbar
      • Top and context menu options
      • Deployment and version control
        • Deployment & Version Control Dropdown (legacy)
      • Notes
    • Elements
      • Native mobile elements
        • View element
        • List component
      • General properties
      • General properties (Legacy)
      • Styling properties
      • Styling Properties (Legacy)
      • Responsive Properties
      • Responsive Properties (Legacy)
      • Conditional formatting
      • States
      • Page Element
        • Page Element (Legacy)
      • Visual Elements
      • Containers
      • Container Layout Types
      • Containers (Legacy)
      • Input Forms
      • Reusable Elements
      • Element Templates (legacy)
    • Workflows
    • Events
      • General events
      • Element events
      • Custom events
      • Recurring event
      • Database trigger event
    • Actions
      • Account
      • Navigation
      • Data (things)
      • Email
      • Element
      • Custom
    • On-device resources
    • Data
      • Data Sources
      • Operators and comparisons
      • Search
      • Privacy
    • Styles
    • API
      • The Bubble API
        • The Data API
          • Authentication
          • Data API endpoints
          • Data API requests
        • The Workflow API
      • The API Connector
        • Authentication
        • Adding calls
    • Bubble-made Plugins
      • AddtoAny Share Buttons
      • Airtable
      • API Connector
      • Blockspring
      • Box
      • Braintree
      • Bubble App Connector
      • Chart.js
      • Circle Music Player
      • Draggable Elements
      • Dropzone
      • Facebook
      • Fitbit
      • Full Calendar
      • Google
      • Google Analytics
      • Google Optimize
      • Google Places
      • Ionic Elements
      • iTunes
      • Slidebar Menu
      • LinkedIn
      • Localize Translation
      • Mixpanel
      • Mouse & Keyboard Interactions
      • Multiselect Dropdown
      • Progress Bar
      • Rich Text Editor
      • Rich Text Editor (Legacy)
      • Screenshotlayer
      • SelectPDF
      • Slack
      • Segment
      • Slick Slideshow
      • SQL Database Connector
      • Star Rating
      • Stripe
      • Tinder-like Element
      • Twitter
      • YouTube
      • Zapier
    • Application Settings
      • App plan
      • General
      • Domain / email
      • Languages
      • SEO / metatags
      • API
      • Collaboration
      • Sub-apps
      • Versions
  • Account & Marketplace
    • Account and billing
      • Pricing and plans
        • Plans and billing
        • Billing cycle
        • FAQ: Pricing and Workload
      • Account Management
      • Building Apps for Others
      • Selling on the Marketplace
      • Plans & Billing (legacy)
    • Official Bubble Certification
      • Hiring certified developers
    • Building Plugins
      • The Plugin Editor
      • General Settings
      • Updating to Plugin API v4
      • Adding API Connections
      • Building Elements
      • Building Actions
      • Loading Data
      • Publishing and versioning
      • Github Integration
    • Building Templates
    • Application and data ownership
    • Marketplace policies
    • Bug reports
  • Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
  • Beta features
    • About the Beta features section
    • Native mobile apps
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • Call name
  • Use as
  • Delete call
  • Method
  • URL
  • Body
  • Headers
  • Body type
  • Parameters
  • Allow blank
  • Include errors in response & allow workflow actions to continue
  • Capture response headers
  • Make the call directly in the browser
  • Allow call to run directly in the browser where applicable
  • Initialize call

Was this helpful?

  1. Core Reference
  2. API
  3. The API Connector

Adding calls

After authentication is set up, you can add as many calls as you need to the API provider.

Last updated 8 days ago

Was this helpful?

This core reference entry is suited for advanced-level builders.

To learn about this topic more in-depth, we recommend reading the suggested articles below:

The API Connector

  • Article:

  • Article series:

    • Article:

    • Article:


Cases

  • Article: Case:

  • Article: Case:


APIs

  • Article series: This article series covers how APIs work in general, and the different steps that take place when two computer systems communicate.

Call name

Choose a name for this call. It must be unique because no two API calls can have the same name.

Use as

Select from Data or Action to determine how this call will be used in Bubble. Data calls appear in the 'Get data from an external API' dropdown menu and Action calls appear in the Plugins section of the Actions dropdown menu.

Delete call

This deletes the API call.

Warning: Deleting an API call is permanent and cannot be undone.

Method

This is the . The most common are GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE.

URL

This is the call's URL. It is not client safe, meaning the value is not sent to the user's browser when the call is made.

Body

This is the call's body. It is client safe, meaning values are sent to the user's browser when the call is made.

Headers

Click to add and configure a new HTTP header to this specific call. Check the Private box to stop the information in the header to be visible client-side. Check the Optional box to set up this specific key to be optional.

Body type

Select here the body type of the request. Most requests will send a JSON body, but for more advanced usage (such as uploading a file), you can use a Form-data or Raw body.

Note: If you are using a Raw (plain text) body, be sure to include a 'Content-Type' header that specifies the format you are using so that it can be parsed properly by the API you are calling.

Parameters

Click to add and configure a new call parameter. Parameters are not sent to the client by default, but they will be if you enable the Client-safe checkbox.

Default values for an API connector call (or plugin) behave differently if they are optional or mandatory. Optional default values are placeholders that aren't passed to a call unless they're changed to something else in the app. Mandatory default values are actual default values.

Allow blank

Check this box to prevent a parameter default value used for initialization from being sent to the client or workflow inputs.

Default values for an API connector call behave differently if they are optional or mandatory. Optional default values are placeholders that aren't passed to a call unless they're changed to something else in the app. Mandatory default values are actual default values.

Include errors in response & allow workflow actions to continue

Check this box to handle API call response errors yourself. When this box is checked, Bubble will allow workflows or actions to continue when an api call error is returned and expose the error object for use in a dynamic expression. There are 4 parameters that are available as a part of the error object: error's status code (number), error's status message (text), error's body (text), and error's has returned error (yes/no).

Note: If you check or un-check this option after initializing the call, you will need to re-initialize as this option changes the format of the response.

Capture response headers

When the parameters are detected from an initialization request, you can include the request headers in the detected data if some important data is in them.

Some API calls in the API Connector can run directly from the user's browser instead of Bubble's servers. This can improve performance and avoid shared rate limits imposed by some external APIs.

Make the call directly in the browser

When this is available

This option appears as a checkbox in the API Connector, but only when:

  • The call has no headers

  • All parameters are private

  • There are no shared headers or parameters

If these conditions aren’t met, the checkbox won’t appear and the call will run through Bubble as usual.

What to know

  • Only data calls can use this feature — actions and initialization still run through Bubble.

  • Useful for public or read-only APIs.

  • Each user's browser sends the request, reducing server load and potential rate limit issues.

Native mobile apps: This option in the API Connector only applies to web apps. This feature is not supported in native mobile apps.

Allow call to run directly in the browser where applicable

Check this box to allow this API call to run directly from the browser, rather than Bubble's server.

The biggest benefit of using this option, on top of performance, is that your API call will not count against API call quotas across all of Bubble, lessening the risk of accidental rate limiting by a 3rd party API.

Note: Due to the nature of this type of client-side (from the browser) API call, it will only be sent from the browser if it doesn't require interaction with the server. For example, using the API call response as a data source.

If this option is selected, but the API call is included in a workflow that involves the server (i.e. making changes to a Data type), the API will revert to being sent from the server.

Whenever an API call is made from the browser, information related to that call can be intercepted on the client side. That means you should be cautious exposing sensitive information (e.g. API keys) in these calls. If you are unsure of the potential risk of sending data to the browser we recommend not activating this setting.

Initialize call

When initializing a call, you should use only sample or non-sensitive data in the parameters. Any data entered during this step becomes part of the API schema, which is included in your app’s source code and could potentially be accessed by others.

Every call needs to be initialized before it can be used in your app. Initialization is done for two reasons:

  • To confirm that the call was successful

  • Bubble uses the response to recognize the data being returned by the server

Take caution when utilizing initialization API calls as they may produce actual outcomes, including the modification of live data. Be mindful of what kind of results the initial call may produce prior to executing it.

This option will only available in certain situations. More specifically, this option is only available for public API calls ( is set to None) with no or private . In addition, the call must be used as a . Support for Use as Action is coming soon.

To initialize an API call with mandatory parameters and no obvious default, you can set a default as an example, click to “Initialize,” then unset the default or select .

Authentication
Headers
Parameters
data call
API Connector authentication methods
The API Connector
Authentication
API Connector security
Connecting to OpenAI/ChatGPT
Connecting with Google Translate
APIs
Intro to APIs & the API Connector | Bubble Crash-Course
Bubble Webinar 2 - The API Connector
How to Setup Google API Keys
Allow blank
HTTP verb