The APIs (Application Programming Interface) are one of the methods that allows developers of third-party solutions (management, eCommerce platforms, marketplaces, etc.) to interface with the database of bindCommerce, for reading and writing through external programs.

This is not the only method; the most relevant alternative methods are listed below:

• interfaces developed by the bindCommerce team: these are ready-made connectors that the bindCommerce team has developed towards a defined set of management platforms, eCommerce and marketplaces
• import file: through the bindCommerce interface it is possible to manage the parametric import of a multiplicity of files. The settings allow you to define the location of the file (FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, direct upload, Google Drive, Dropbox), the type of file (csv, fixed width, MS Excel, OpenOffice Calc, Google Sheet), its contents (products or orders, which columns are present in the file), and the behaviors to adopt.
• export file: through specific models developed by the bindCommerce team it is possible to manage scheduled parametric exports of files in multiple formats.

The API, on the other hand, allows you to manage the following actions through external programs:

• import and/or export of products (creation and updating) from external sources
• export of orders to external databases
• import of sales documents from external systems
• order status update (coming from systems external to bindCommerce)