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Adalo API Essential Guide

Aug 14, 20246 minute read

What type of API does Adalo provide?

Adalo uses a REST API. The key points are:

  1. Adalo has a REST API that allows connecting other applications to your Adalo app.

  2. Custom Actions in Adalo work best with REST APIs and can only recognize JSON responses. APIs utilizing XML, SOAP, or GraphQL are not supported unless they can return JSON responses.

  3. Adalo provides External Collections feature that allows connecting your Adalo app to other services using APIs. These External Collections can be used like standard collections once set up.

  4. The Adalo API requires an API key for all requests, which should be included in the Authorization header.

  5. The Adalo API has a rate limit of 5 requests per second.

  6. Adalo's API can be used to trigger push notifications and access/modify data in collections.

While Adalo supports connecting to external APIs, including GraphQL APIs, through features like External Collections and Custom Actions, its own API is REST-based. The platform is designed to work primarily with REST APIs, with some limitations on other API types unless they can provide JSON responses.

Does the Adalo API have webhooks?

Availability of Webhooks

The official Adalo API does not appear to have native webhook functionality. The search results do not mention any built-in webhook capabilities provided directly by Adalo's API.

Workarounds and Alternatives

While native webhooks are not available, there are some workarounds and alternatives mentioned:

  1. Using third-party services:

    • Integromat (now Make) can be used to create webhooks that interact with Adalo.
    • Zapier is mentioned as having some ability to POST and PUT data to Adalo.
  2. Custom Actions:

    • It's suggested that Custom Actions in Adalo can be used to send webhook-like notifications to external services.
  3. Connected APIs:

    • Adalo has a feature called "connected APIs" which allows connecting to external APIs, but it's not clear if this provides webhook functionality.
  4. n8n integration:

    • n8n.io is mentioned as a platform that can create workflows to automate tasks and transfer data between webhooks and Adalo.

API Capabilities

While not specifically about webhooks, the Adalo API does have some relevant capabilities:

  • It can be used to trigger push notifications for apps.
  • It allows access and modification of data in collections.
  • The API has a rate limit of 5 requests per second.

Key Considerations

  • The Adalo API is available on the Team and Business Plans.
  • There's no mention of specific events you can subscribe to via webhooks, likely because native webhook support is not available.
  • For real-time updates or notifications, developers may need to implement polling or use third-party services to create webhook-like functionality.

In conclusion, while the official Adalo API does not seem to offer native webhook support, there are various workarounds and integrations that can be used to achieve similar functionality. Developers looking to implement webhook-like features with Adalo may need to explore these third-party solutions or custom implementations.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Based on the search results provided, there is limited specific information about the API rate limits for Adalo's API. However, here are the key points I could gather:

Current Rate Limit

  • The current rate limit per account is 5 requests per second. This can cause 429 (Too Many Requests) errors if exceeded.

Issues with Rate Limiting

  • Several users reported experiencing 429 errors even when making infrequent requests (e.g. one request per hour).

  • There were also reports of 503 (Service Unavailable) errors, which may be related to other issues beyond just rate limiting.

Adalo's Response

  • An Adalo representative acknowledged there were added stresses to the API over a particular weekend, causing intermittent issues.

  • They stated they were investigating ways to handle this more consistently in the long term.

Key Points to Consider

  • The rate limit appears to be applied per account rather than per endpoint.

  • Users should check their API requests for errors, as Adalo reported seeing many requests with missing tokens or other errors.

  • The rate limiting implementation may not be perfectly consistent, as users reported issues even with very low request frequencies.

Best Practices

  • Implement proper error handling in your application to gracefully handle 429 and 503 errors.

  • Consider implementing backoff and retry logic for failed requests.

  • Monitor your API usage to ensure you're not inadvertently exceeding the rate limit.

It's worth noting that this information is based on forum posts from 2021, so the current rate limits and implementation may have changed. For the most up-to-date and accurate information, it would be best to consult Adalo's official API documentation or contact their support directly.

Latest API Version

Based on the search results provided, I don't have specific information about the most recent version of the Adalo API. The search results don't mention API versions or recent updates. However, I can provide some general information about the Adalo API based on the available content:

Key Points:

  1. The Adalo API is available on the Team and Business Plans.

  2. It can be used to trigger push notifications and access/modify data in collections.

  3. The API has a rate limit of 5 requests per second.

  4. An API key is required for all requests to the Adalo API.

API Usage:

To use the Adalo API, you need to include the following headers in your requests:

Authorization: Bearer [Your App's API Key]
Content-Type: application/json

Accessing Your API Key:

To access your Adalo API key:

  1. Click on the settings gear in the left navigation of the editor
  2. Expand App Access
  3. Click Generate API Key

Alternatively, you can find your API key by clicking on the 3 dots next to any of your collection names and selecting <> API Documents. Your secret key will be visible in the cURL at the end after Bearer.

Best Practices:

  1. Be mindful of the rate limit to avoid receiving 429 status codes.
  2. Keep your API key secure and don't share it publicly.
  3. Use the API for integrations, automations, and accessing/modifying data in your Adalo app.

While I couldn't find information about the most recent version of the API, it's always a good practice to check the official Adalo documentation or contact their support for the most up-to-date information on API versions and features.

How to get a Adalo developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for Adalo to create an API integration, you don't actually need a separate developer account. Adalo provides API access as part of their Team and Business plans. Here's how you can access and use the Adalo API:

Accessing Your API Key

To get your API key for integration:

  1. In the Adalo editor, click on the settings gear in the left navigation panel.
  2. Expand the "App Access" section.
  3. Click on "Generate API Key".

Alternatively, you can find your API key by:

  1. Clicking on the 3 dots next to any of your collection names.
  2. Selecting "<> API Documents".
  3. Looking for your secret key in the cURL at the end after "Bearer".

Using the API

When making requests to the Adalo API, you'll need to include two headers:

Authorization: Bearer [Your App's API Key]
Content-Type: application/json

Best Practices

  1. Keep your API key secure and don't share it publicly.
  2. Be mindful of the rate limit to avoid receiving 429 status codes.
  3. Use the API to enhance your app's functionality, such as integrating with external services or automating tasks.

What can you do with the Adalo API?

Based on the information provided, here are the key data models you can interact with using the Adalo API:

Collections

  • Access and modify data in your app's collections
  • Perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on collection records
  • Key capabilities:
    • Get records from a collection
    • Create new records
    • Update existing records
    • Delete records
    • Filter and sort records
    • Paginate through large result sets

Users

  • Interact with user data and accounts
  • Possible operations:
    • Create new user accounts
    • Update user profile information
    • Authenticate users
    • Manage user permissions

Push Notifications

  • Trigger push notifications to app users
  • Capabilities likely include:
    • Send notifications to specific users or user segments
    • Schedule notifications
    • Customize notification content and payload

External Collections

  • Connect to external data sources and APIs
  • Use external collections similar to standard collections
  • Power lists, forms, and actions with external data

App Configuration

  • Access and potentially modify app-level settings
  • May include things like:
    • App metadata
    • Global app settings
    • Feature toggles

Custom Actions

  • Trigger custom actions defined in your Adalo app
  • Execute app logic remotely via API

Key Points to Consider:

  • The API has a rate limit of 5 requests per second
  • Authentication is required using an API key
  • The API follows RESTful conventions for endpoints and operations
  • Pagination may be required for large data sets
  • The specific capabilities may vary based on your Adalo plan level

It's important to note that the exact data models and operations available may depend on your specific Adalo plan and app configuration. Consulting the official Adalo API documentation for the most up-to-date and comprehensive information is recommended.