Integration

The crucial step in onboarding a product is to integrate it with the AppDirect platform so orders are placed on the marketplace, and end users have access to subscriptions from their MyApps page within the marketplace.

This kind of full integration requires technical work. You must use AppDirect APIs to create a connector that will act as an intermediary between the marketplace and the product host. This connector must accept orders and updates from the marketplace, interpret them so the product host can process them and update the user subscriptions appropriately, and return the results to the marketplace.

An integration must pass a specific set of integration tests. These tests are listed on the Integration Report page. Keep them in mind at each stage of the process.

Subscription and User events

A subscription may go through several changes during the subscription lifecycle. When a change happens in the marketplace that affects a subscription, the marketplace generates an event record. To integrate the product host with the marketplace, you must create a connector that will interpret these events into terms the product host can use to update the user subscriptions appropriately.

The events that a connector must be able to interpret include:

• Creating a new subscription (SUBSCRIPTION_ORDER)
• Modifying an existing subscription (SUBSCRIPTION_CHANGE)
• Canceling a subscription (SUBSCRIPTION_CANCEL)
• Changing the status of a subscription (SUBSCRIPTION_NOTICE)
• Assigning a license to a user (USER_ASSIGNMENT)
• Removing a license from a user (USER_UNASSIGNMENT)

If your product enables metered usage, your integration must send usage information to the AppDirect platform for billing.

An integration must also enable Single Sign-On (SSO) between the product host and the marketplace, so end users who have already logged in to the marketplace can get access to their subscriptions by clicking tiles on the MyApps page.

Integration tasks

Here are the steps and tasks you must complete when you integrate a product with your marketplace:

• Managing credentials—When the marketplace communicates with the connector, it must have a way to identify itself. The marketplace generates credentials which are used to validate its API calls to the connector.
• Creating the connector—AppDirect uses APIs to send integration event notices to an external system in XML or JSON format. The connector must be able to accept and interpret these events, and to send messages about the outcome back to the AppDirect platform once each operation is complete.
• Specifying endpoints—The marketplace must be configured to send information about subscription events to the appropriate URL. You may specify a different URL for each type of event.
• Authentication—End users get access to their subscriptions by clicking a tile that appears on their MyApps page within the marketplace. This tile must be enabled to provide Single Sign-On so there's no need for the end user to log in again. Setting this up involves work both in the marketplace and on the vendor host.
• Testing—Once these tasks have been completed, you must test them to ensure that everything works before submitting an application for final approval of the product integration.

Most of these tasks involve work both on the product host, and within the marketplace.

📝 Note: A Download type product does not require authentication for users. Instead, you simply create a download link the buyer uses to download the product file.