Overview
Bizagi offers a Web services connector, which is part of its integration layer, to simplify the configuration of integrations with external web services. This connector supports both SOAP web services and REST services.
This article focuses on integrating external REST services. For information about integrating SOAP web services, see Invoking SOAP Web services.
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Version 11 introduced a powerful feature for B2B integrations based on REST services known as Bizagi connectors.
It is strongly recommended to use Bizagi connectors because they provide additional extensibility options, such as support for headers and OAuth authentication.
For more information, see Bizagi connectors. |
RESTful services integration
The following image illustrates how Bizagi integrates with RESTful services through its Web services connector:
The exchange of information between Bizagi and an external system is performed through standard XML structures. This approach makes the integration independent of the platforms, technologies, and programming languages used to implement the service.
Before proceeding, it is useful to understand the main characteristics of REST services and how they differ from traditional SOAP web services. Both approaches are widely used in application integrations, and one is not intended to replace the other.
REST services compared to SOAP web services
REST services became widely adopted as an efficient alternative for accessing information from web and mobile applications.
Typical examples include:
•Geographic and mapping services
•General web information services
•Social network services
•Currency exchange services
•Weather services
•Product pricing services
REST services expose information as resources that can be consumed through HTTP or HTTPS.
SOAP web services follow a different approach. They are commonly used in service oriented architectures (SOA) and enterprise integrations, where service definitions and communication structures are more formally defined.
The configuration of a SOAP or REST integration differs in the following ways.
SOAP Services
When invoking a SOAP web service, the consuming system can interpret and use the service definition.
This definition is provided through a WSDL (Web Services Description Language), which describes the expected input and output structures of the service.
REST Services
When invoking a REST service, there is typically no service definition available that a consuming system can automatically interpret.
As a result, you must understand the service documentation, define the required inputs, and configure how the response is processed.
About REST services
REST services support four HTTP methods that are used to interact with resources.
Action |
HTTP Method |
|---|---|
Create |
POST |
Read |
GET |
Update |
PUT |
Delete |
DELETE |
The configuration steps in the Bizagi Interfaces Wizard vary slightly depending on the selected HTTP method.
When using POST or PUT, additional information must be sent to the resource. Therefore, an extra configuration step is required to define that information.
The methods described in this article use Basic Authentication.
Prerequisites
Because REST services are commonly exposed over the Internet, it is important to review the documentation of the service before attempting to configure the integration.
The documentation should specify:
•The expected input parameters.
•The structure of the service response.
•The supported HTTP methods.
REST service APIs generally provide descriptions of their input and output structures, along with examples showing how to consume resources using GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.
For information about additional REST configuration options, such as defining the content-type, see Configuration options in REST.
What you need to do in Bizagi
You can invoke an external REST service from any Activity in a Bizagi Process.
To configure the invocation, use the Interfaces Wizard to define the information sent from Bizagi and how the response returned by the external service updates the process data.
The configuration process consists of the following steps:
1.Create an interface invocation.
2.Specify the service type, URL, and method.
3.Map the service input parameters for POST and PUT methods.
4.Map the response returned by the external service.
5.Configure optional error handling.
Examples
The following examples demonstrate how to invoke REST services:
•For GET and DELETE methods, see Example for data collection methods.
•For POST and PUT methods, see Example for data placement methods.
After completing these examples, you will understand how to invoke a REST service from Bizagi.
Considerations
Bizagi preserves the configuration of an invocation and its mappings even if the external web service changes afterwards.
If the external web service changes its definition or introduces new or modified parameters, you should review the configuration in Bizagi Studio to determine whether the invocation must be reconfigured.
It is recommended to review the service configuration and verify that all mappings remain valid for any new or modified parameters.
You may also choose to manage your Test or Production interfaces if changes are made to the external systems, such as moving the server that hosts the external web service.
Last Updated 8/27/2026 2:59:05 PM