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HTTP Request Integration

Overview

The HTTP Request action allows you to make API calls to any web service, giving you unlimited integration possibilities. Perfect for custom APIs, internal services, and any system with an HTTP endpoint.

What It Enables

Common Use Cases

  1. Custom APIs: Call your own internal APIs
  2. Third-Party Services: Integrate with services not in our directory
  3. REST APIs: Standard GET, POST, PUT, DELETE operations
  4. Webhooks: Send data to external webhooks
  5. Data Fetching: Retrieve data from any HTTP endpoint
  6. Authentication: Support for various auth methods

Prerequisites

How to Use HTTP Request

Step 1: Add HTTP Request Action

  1. In your flow, click “Add Step”
  2. Search for “HTTP”
  3. Select “HTTP Request” action

Step 2: Configure Request

Method

Choose the HTTP method:

URL

Enter the full API endpoint:

https://api.example.com/v1/users

Tips:

Dynamic URL Example:

https://api.example.com/users/

Step 3: Add Headers (Optional)

Common headers:

Content-Type:

Content-Type: application/json

Authorization:

Authorization: Bearer

Custom Headers:

X-API-Key: your-api-key
X-Custom-Header: custom-value

Step 4: Add Query Parameters (Optional)

For GET requests with parameters:

Example:

URL: https://api.example.com/users
Query Params:
  - limit: 10
  - offset: 0
  - status: active

Results in:

https://api.example.com/users?limit=10&offset=0&status=active

Step 5: Add Body (For POST/PUT/PATCH)

JSON Body:

{
  "name": "",
  "email": "",
  "status": "active"
}

Form Data:

name: John Doe
email: john@example.com

Raw Text:

Plain text or XML content

Step 6: Configure Authentication

Choose authentication method:

None

No authentication required

Basic Auth

Username: your-username
Password: your-password

Bearer Token

Token: your-bearer-token

API Key

Add as header or query parameter:

Header: X-API-Key: your-key
OR
Query: ?api_key=your-key

OAuth 2.0

Use OAuth connection (if supported)

Step 7: Advanced Options

Timeout: Maximum wait time (default: 30 seconds)

Timeout: 60

Follow Redirects: Follow 301/302 redirects (default: true)

Follow Redirects: true

Fail on Error: Fail flow if status code is 4xx or 5xx (default: true)

Fail on Error: true

Step 8: Test Request

  1. Click “Test Step”
  2. Review response
  3. Check status code
  4. Inspect response body
  5. Verify data structure

Response Data

Success Response

{
  "status": 200,
  "headers": {
    "content-type": "application/json",
    "x-rate-limit-remaining": "99"
  },
  "body": {
    "id": "123",
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com"
  }
}

Using Response Data

Access response in next steps:

Common Errors & Fixes

❌ “Connection timeout”

Cause: API is slow or unreachable

Fix:

  1. Increase timeout value
  2. Check API endpoint is correct
  3. Verify network connectivity
  4. Check API service status
  5. Try request in Postman/curl first

❌ “401 Unauthorized”

Cause: Authentication failed

Fix:

  1. Verify API key/token is correct
  2. Check authentication method matches API requirements
  3. Ensure token hasn’t expired
  4. Check header format (Bearer vs Basic)
  5. Verify API key has required permissions

Example Fix:

❌ Wrong: Authorization: your-token
✅ Right: Authorization: Bearer your-token

❌ “400 Bad Request”

Cause: Invalid request format

Fix:

  1. Check request body format (JSON syntax)
  2. Verify required fields are included
  3. Check data types match API expectations
  4. Review API documentation
  5. Test with API’s example request

Common Issues:

❌ “404 Not Found”

Cause: Endpoint doesn’t exist

Fix:

  1. Verify URL is correct
  2. Check for typos in endpoint path
  3. Ensure API version is correct
  4. Verify resource ID exists
  5. Check API documentation for correct endpoint

❌ “429 Too Many Requests”

Cause: Rate limit exceeded

Fix:

  1. Slow down request frequency
  2. Check rate limit headers
  3. Implement retry with backoff
  4. Use batch endpoints if available
  5. Contact API provider for limit increase

❌ “500 Internal Server Error”

Cause: API server error

Fix:

  1. Check API service status
  2. Retry request after delay
  3. Verify request isn’t causing server error
  4. Contact API support
  5. Check API logs if available

❌ “SSL Certificate Error”

Cause: Invalid or self-signed certificate

Fix:

  1. Verify URL uses https://
  2. Check certificate is valid
  3. For development: Use http:// (not recommended for production)
  4. Contact API provider about certificate

Test Checklist

Tips & Best Practices

Security Best Practices

  1. Never Hardcode Secrets: Use connections or environment variables
  2. Use HTTPS: Always use secure connections
  3. Validate Responses: Check status codes before using data
  4. Rate Limiting: Respect API rate limits
  5. Error Handling: Handle failures gracefully

Performance Tips

  1. Timeouts: Set appropriate timeouts for your use case
  2. Parallel Requests: Use branches for concurrent calls
  3. Caching: Cache responses when appropriate
  4. Batch Operations: Use batch endpoints when available
  5. Compression: Enable gzip if API supports it

Debugging Tips

  1. Test Externally First: Use Postman or curl to verify API works
  2. Check Logs: Review response body and headers
  3. Incremental Testing: Start simple, add complexity gradually
  4. Save Examples: Keep working examples for reference
  5. Monitor Rate Limits: Check rate limit headers

API Design Tips

  1. Idempotency: Design for safe retries
  2. Versioning: Use versioned API endpoints
  3. Error Messages: Provide clear error responses
  4. Documentation: Keep API docs up to date
  5. Status Codes: Use appropriate HTTP status codes

Advanced Patterns

Retry Logic

Handle transient failures:

1. HTTP Request
2. Branch: Check if status is 5xx
3. If yes: Wait 5 seconds, retry
4. If no: Continue

Pagination

Handle paginated responses:

1. HTTP Request (page 1)
2. Loop: While has_more is true
3. HTTP Request (next page)
4. Combine results

Authentication Refresh

Handle token expiration:

1. HTTP Request with token
2. Branch: Check if 401
3. If yes: Refresh token, retry
4. If no: Continue

Batch Processing

Process multiple items:

1. Loop through items
2. HTTP Request for each
3. Collect responses
4. Handle errors individually

Common API Patterns

REST API

GET    /users          # List users
GET    /users/123      # Get user
POST   /users          # Create user
PUT    /users/123      # Update user
DELETE /users/123      # Delete user

GraphQL API

Method: POST
URL: https://api.example.com/graphql
Body:
{
  "query": "{ users { id name email } }"
}

SOAP API

Method: POST
URL: https://api.example.com/soap
Headers:
  Content-Type: text/xml
Body:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<soap:Envelope>
  <soap:Body>
    <GetUser>
      <UserId>123</UserId>
    </GetUser>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Example Requests

GET Request with Query Params

Method: GET
URL: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos
Headers:
  Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json
Query Params:
  type: public
  sort: updated

POST Request with JSON

Method: POST
URL: https://api.example.com/users
Headers:
  Content-Type: application/json
  Authorization: Bearer 
Body:
{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "role": "admin"
}

PUT Request with Authentication

Method: PUT
URL: https://api.example.com/users/123
Headers:
  Content-Type: application/json
  X-API-Key: 
Body:
{
  "status": "active",
  "last_login": ""
}

DELETE Request

Method: DELETE
URL: https://api.example.com/users/123
Headers:
  Authorization: Bearer

Limitations

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