Company
Date Published
Author
Bru Woodring
Word count
871
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

SaaS integrations involve a complex interplay of transfer protocols and transport languages to ensure secure and accurate data exchange between systems. Transfer protocols, essential for moving data across networks, are typically determined by APIs, with common examples including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, and FTPS. These protocols facilitate different types of data transfers, with HTTP and HTTPS often used for data collections via APIs, while FTP, SFTP, and FTPS are preferred for file transfers, particularly in the absence of an API. Transport languages, such as CSV, XML, JSON, YAML, and SOAP, provide the necessary data formatting during transit. The combination of HTTPS with JSON is especially popular due to JSON's lightweight structure and compatibility with JavaScript, whereas SOAP offers a more structured approach with additional security features. While these technical details may not concern the average user, understanding them is crucial for developing robust B2B SaaS integrations.