Choose an Authentication Type

Not sure which authentication type to use for your connector? Match your external API's requirements to find the right option.

Decision Guide

Your API requires...	Use
No authentication	None
A static API key or token	API Key
OAuth 2.0 client credentials (client ID + secret)	OAuth Client Credentials
A self-signed JWT as the bearer token	JWT
A JWT assertion exchanged for an OAuth access token (e.g. Salesforce)	OAuth JWT Bearer

Start Simple

If you are unsure, start with API Key — it covers most third-party APIs. Move to OAuth or JWT when your API provider requires token-based flows.

Common Scenarios

Scenario	Recommended type
Weather API or other public API authenticated with a key	API Key
Salesforce integration using client credentials	OAuth Client Credentials or OAuth JWT Bearer
Internal service that validates signed JWTs directly	JWT
Public API with no authentication required	None

Next Steps

• Authentication — Configuration fields and request flow for each type
• Secrets and Variables — Store credentials with get_secret() instead of hardcoding values
• Testing & Debugging — Verify authentication is working