API Connections

API connections let Precision Bridge read from and write to systems with REST APIs. Each API adaptor describes a system's endpoints, authentication, and fields; a connection is a configured instance of that adaptor with specific credentials and settings.

Creating an API Connection

1. Navigate to the Connections page and click New Connection.
2. Select the API adaptor for the system you are connecting to.
3. If the adaptor offers more than one Authentication scheme, choose the one your instance uses. The connection fields update to match the selected scheme.
4. Enter the connection fields the adaptor defines (for example, the base URL and the credentials for the chosen authentication scheme).
5. Save the connection, then use Test to verify it.

Authentication

The authentication schemes available depend on the adaptor. Common schemes include Basic (username and password), Bearer token, OAuth2, and JWT. Selecting a scheme determines which credential fields are shown.

Proxy

If the connection must route through a proxy server, select it in the Proxy field. Leave it set to no proxy for a direct connection. Proxies are configured separately under Preferences.

Connecting to a Local System

When the system you are connecting to runs on the same machine as Precision Bridge, and Precision Bridge is running inside Docker, localhost and 127.0.0.1 refer to the container rather than the host machine. The Redirect localhost to host machine toggle is enabled by default in Docker, so you can enter localhost as normal and Precision Bridge rewrites it to host.docker.internal when it connects. If you disable the toggle, enter host.docker.internal yourself instead. This behaviour is shared with database connections — see Database Connections.

Advanced Settings

The Advanced tab holds connection-level options:

• Verify SSL — whether SSL certificates are verified when connecting. Leave this enabled. If you hit certificate errors, upload your organisation's CA certificate under Preferences → SSL Certificates rather than disabling verification. See SSL Certificates.
• Default Timeout (seconds) — the maximum time to wait for an API response before the request fails.
• Small Table Max Records — the record threshold below which a table can be fetched into the in-memory cache for local querying and counting.

Table Metadata

API connections cache table and field metadata for faster project loading, and tables marked Fetch in memory can be cached for local querying. The Metadata tab provides these controls, and the Connection Explorer lets you browse tables and records once the connection is configured. See Table Metadata and Caching and Connection Explorer.

See Also

• Creating Connections
• SSL Certificates
• Table Metadata and Caching