Chapter 8. Connecting to HTTP and HTTPS endpoints

In an integration, you can connect to HTTP and HTTPS endpoints to execute the GET, PUT, POST, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS, TRACE, or PATCH method. To do this, create an HTTP or HTTPS connection and then add it to an integration. The following topics provide details:

8.1. Create a connection to an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint

To create a connection to an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint:

  1. In Fuse Online, in the left panel, click Connections to display any available connections.
  2. In the upper right, click Create Connection to display Fuse Online connectors.
  3. If you want to use Hyper Text Transfer Protocol to connect to the endpoint, then click the HTTP connector. If you want to use Secure Hyper Text Transfer protocol, then click the HTTPS connector.
  4. In the Base URL field, enter the endpoint path. For example, www.mycompany.com/sales.
  5. Click Validate. Fuse Online immediately tries to validate the connection and displays a message that indicates whether validation is successful. If validation fails, revise specification of the base URL and try again.
  6. If validation is successful, click Next.
  7. In the Connection Name field, enter your choice of a name that helps you distinguish this connection from any other connections. For example, enter HTTPS My Company Sales.
  8. In the Description field, optionally enter any information that is helpful to know about this connection.
  9. In the upper right, click Create to see that the connection you created is now available. If you entered the example name, you would see that HTTPS My Company Sales appears as a connection that you can choose to add to an integration.

8.2. Add an HTTP or HTTPS connection to an integration

After you create an HTTP or HTTPS connection, you can use it in any number of integrations as follows:

  • To start an integration by periodically invoking an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint, add an HTTP or HTTPS connection as the integration’s start connection.
  • To finish an integration by invoking an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint once, add an HTTP or HTTPS connection as the integration’s finish connection.
  • In the middle of an integration, to invoke an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint once, add an HTTP or HTTPS connection after the start connection and before the finish connection.

If you are creating an integration, Fuse Online prompts you to choose and configure the start connection, and then choose and configure the finish connection. To add a middle connection, hover over the plus sign in the left panel at the location where you want to add the connection, and select Add a connection.

In all of these situations, Fuse Online displays the available connections. To add an HTTP or HTTPS connection:

  1. Click the HTTP or HTTPS connection that you want to add to the integration.

  2. Select the action that you want the connection to perform:

    • If you are adding a start connection, then Periodic invoke URL is the only available action. This action invokes the endpoint at intervals that you specify and triggers the integration if the endpoint returns any data.
    • If you are adding a finish or middle connection, then Invoke URL is the only available action. This action invokes the endpoint once.
  3. In the URL Path field, specify the location of the endpoint that you want to invoke.

  4. In the HTTP Method field, select the method that you want the connection to perform. The default method is GET.

    • GET obtains the content at the URL path.
    • PUT replaces the content at the URL path with the integration data.
    • POST stores the integration data at the URL path to create new content.
    • DELETE removes content at the URL path.
    • HEAD obtains metadata about the content at the URL path.
    • OPTIONS obtains communication option settings at the URL path.
    • TRACE obtains information for testing and diagnostic purposes.
    • PATCH partially updates the content at the URL path according to the integration data.
  5. If you are adding a start connection, which periodically invokes the URL, then in the Period field, accept the default interval of 1 second or specify a number and its unit (milliseconds, seconds, minutes, or hours) to indicate how long to wait between invocations.
  6. Click Done to specify the action’s input or output type. See Specifying connection action input and output types.