Zoho CRM API Essential Guide

What type of API does Zoho CRM provide?

Zoho CRM offers multiple types of APIs, including:

1. REST API

Zoho CRM provides a comprehensive REST API that allows developers to interact with CRM data and functionality. The REST API supports standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE etc. for performing CRUD operations on CRM records.

2. GraphQL API

More recently, Zoho CRM has introduced a GraphQL API that provides more flexibility and efficiency in querying CRM data. The GraphQL API allows developers to:

• Retrieve precise data without over-fetching or under-fetching
• Aggregate data from multiple entities in a single API call
• Use a schema-based approach to construct queries

3. SOAP API

While not as prominently featured as REST and GraphQL, Zoho CRM also offers a SOAP API for integration scenarios that require SOAP web services.

Does the Zoho CRM API have webhooks?

Zoho CRM API Webhooks

Yes, the official Zoho CRM API does have webhooks. Webhooks in Zoho CRM allow you to send instant web notifications to third-party applications whenever specific events occur in your CRM system.

Types of Events You Can Subscribe To

You can subscribe to various events in Zoho CRM using webhooks. Here are some key points about the types of events you can subscribe to:

1. Module-specific events: You can set up webhooks for most CRM primary modules, such as Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Potentials (Opportunities), Events, and Tasks.

2. Action-based events: Webhooks can be triggered based on specific actions or changes in the CRM, such as record creation, modification, deletion, and stage changes (e.g., when an opportunity moves to "Closed Won").

3. Workflow-based events: You can associate webhooks with workflow rules, allowing you to trigger notifications based on custom criteria.

Key Considerations

• You can associate up to 6 webhooks per workflow rule (1 Instant Action and 5 Time-Based Actions).
• You can transfer data for a maximum of 10 CRM fields from your CRM to third-party applications using webhooks.
• Webhooks are one-way; you cannot retrieve data from other apps to your CRM using webhooks.
• The system supports only port numbers 80 and 443 for webhook notifications.

Best Practices

• Regularly update API tickets according to limits in third-party applications.
• Test your webhook integration thoroughly before rolling it out to CRM users.
• Be aware of daily webhook notification limits to avoid exceeding the maximum count.
• Use webhooks to automate processes such as generating invoices, adding subscribers to mailing lists, or triggering SMS reminders.

By leveraging Zoho CRM's webhook functionality, you can create powerful integrations and automate various business processes across your organization's software ecosystem.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Based on the search results provided, here are the key points about the API Rate Limits of the Zoho CRM API:

API Limit

1. The minimum limit is 4,000 requests per day per organization.
2. The maximum limit is 25,000 requests per day per organization or 500 requests per user license, whichever is lower.

Credit System

1. Zoho CRM uses a credit system for API calls.
2. The maximum credit limit in a 24-hour window is calculated as follows:
   • Allowed Credits = 50,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 1000) + Add-on credits
   • Maximum Credits = 1,000,000 credits

Credit Deduction

Different API operations consume different amounts of credits:

• Most API calls deduct 1 credit.
• Some operations have higher credit costs, for example:
  • Convert Lead: 5 credits
  • Bulk Read Initialize: 50 credits
  • Bulk Write Initialize: 500 credits

Concurrency Limits

1. Zoho CRM has a concurrency limit of 20 simultaneous active calls per organization per app.
2. There are sub-concurrency limits for specific API operations, with a limit of 10 concurrent calls for operations like:
   • Get Records with cvid or sort_by parameters
   • Convert Lead
   • Insert, Update, or Upsert records (when the record count is greater than 10)
   • Search records API invoked from a function
   • Query API

Optimization Tips

1. To optimize API usage, get a maximum of 200 records with each request.
2. For insert, update, or delete operations, use a maximum of 100 records per request.

Important Notes

1. The PST Time zone is considered for API limits.
2. CRM administrators are notified if the organization exceeds the API limit.
3. If an application requires more than the upper limit, additional API requests will not be processed.
4. API usage can be viewed in the CRM API page under the Usage section.

These limits and guidelines are designed to ensure fair usage and optimal performance of the Zoho CRM API across all users and organizations.

Latest API Version

Based on the search results provided, here is the answer to your question:

Most Recent Version of Zoho CRM API

The most recent version of the Zoho CRM API is Version 6 (V6) [3].

Key Points to Consider:

1. Version 6 introduces several new features and changes to the Zoho CRM API [3].

2. The changelog details significant changes introduced in version 6 of Zoho CRM APIs [3].

3. Some of the major updates in V6 include:

   • New modules for Voice of Customers (VoC) [3]
   • Changes in Module Metadata API and Fields Metadata API [3]
   • Updates to Related List API, Organization API, and Users API [3]
   • Modifications to Notes module, Mass Change Owner API, Send Mail API, Query API, and Bulk Write API [3]

4. The changes in V6 affect various aspects of the API, including response formats, data types, and available fields [3].

Best Practices:

1. Review the changelog thoroughly to understand all the changes and new features introduced in V6 [3].

2. Update your API integration to accommodate the new changes, especially if you're using affected modules or endpoints [3].

3. Pay attention to changes in data types and response formats to ensure your application can handle the updated API responses correctly [3].

4. Take advantage of new features like filter support in Mass Change Owner API and multi-file upload in Bulk Write API to enhance your integration capabilities [3].

5. Be aware of backward compatibility limitations, especially for features like the Bulk Write API updates [3].

It's important to note that while V6 is the most recent version mentioned in the search results, always check the official Zoho CRM API documentation for the latest updates and versions.

How to get a Zoho CRM developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for Zoho CRM and create an API integration, follow these steps:

1. Sign up for a Zoho Developer Account

First, you need to sign up for a Zoho Developer account:

1. Go to the Zoho Developer Console (https://api-console.zoho.com/).
2. If you don't have an account, click on "Sign Up" to create one.
3. Fill in the required information and complete the registration process.

2. Register Your Client Application

Once you have a developer account, you need to register your client application:

1. Log in to the Zoho Developer Console.
2. Click on "GET STARTED" if it's your first time registering a client application.
3. Choose the appropriate Client Type (e.g., server-based, client-based, or mobile-based).
4. Enter a Client Name for your application.
5. Provide at least one Authorized Redirect URI (e.g., https://www.your-domain.com/callback).
6. If you're registering a client-based application, enter at least one JavaScript Domain.
7. Click "CREATE" to generate your client credentials.

3. Obtain API Credentials

After registering your application, you'll receive the following credentials:

• Client ID
• Client Secret
• Authorized Redirect URI

These credentials are essential for authenticating your API requests to Zoho CRM.

4. Choose the Appropriate API

Zoho CRM offers different types of APIs for integration:

• REST API: For general-purpose integration using XML or JSON formats.
• GraphQL API: For more flexible and efficient data access.
• Mobile and Web SDK: For developing custom mobile and web applications.

Choose the API that best suits your integration needs.

5. Set Up Authentication

To make API calls, you'll need to implement OAuth 2.0 authentication using your client credentials. This typically involves:

1. Obtaining an authorization code
2. Exchanging the code for access and refresh tokens
3. Using the access token in your API requests

6. Start Developing

With your developer account set up and API credentials in hand, you can now start developing your integration:

• Use the Zoho CRM Developer Edition to test your integration in a safe environment.
• Refer to the API documentation for specific endpoints and request formats.
• Utilize Zoho's developer tools like Client Scripts, Deluge Functions, and Widgets to enhance your integration.

What can you do with the Zoho CRM API?

Based on the provided search results, I can give you an overview of the data models you can interact with using the Zoho CRM API. Here's a list of bullet points going over what is possible for each data model:

Modules and Custom Modules

• Fetch metadata of modules and custom modules
• Retrieve records from modules
• Create, update, and delete records in modules
• Perform bulk operations (push and retrieve data) on modules

Fields

• Fetch metadata of fields
• Filter fields by various types (e.g., Single Line, Pick List, Lookup, Email, Phone, etc.)
• View field API names and data types in developer mode

Layouts

• Fetch metadata of layouts
• Access layout information for modules

Custom Views

• Fetch metadata of custom views

Related Lists

• Fetch metadata of related lists
• Visualize relationships between entities

Subforms

• Interact with subforms as part of the data model

Picklist History

• Access picklist history data

Relationships

• View and interact with one-to-one and many-to-one relationships between entities
• Identify fields that connect different entities

Users

• Interact with user data, including user lookups and multi-user lookups

Activities

• Access and manage activity data

Campaigns and Deals

• Interact with campaign and deal data, including their relationships

Contacts

• Manage contact data and its relationships with other modules

Notifications

• Receive notifications for data changes in the CRM

Query Operations

• Perform SELECT queries (using SQL syntax) to fetch records from Zoho CRM

Composite Operations

• Combine up to five API calls in a single request

Key Points to Consider:

1. The Zoho CRM API provides various types of APIs, including Metadata APIs, Rest APIs, Composite API, Bulk APIs, Notification APIs, and Query APIs.

2. To access the Data Model feature, users need "Manage Extensibility" or "Modules Customization" permission.

3. The Data Model provides a visual representation of the CRM's data structure, showing relationships between different entities.

4. Developer mode offers additional information about entities and fields, such as API names and data types.

5. The API allows for automatic updating of the Data Model when changes are made to modules or custom modules.

6. Various features are available in the Data Model, including filtering fields, zooming, mini-map navigation, and rearranging layouts.

By utilizing these data models and API capabilities, developers can effectively integrate Zoho CRM with third-party applications and perform a wide range of operations on CRM data.