API‑First CRM: How Developers Use Our Platform

For engineering‑led teams, an API‑first CRM approach unlocks possibilities that no out‑of‑the‑box interface can match.

API architecture

RESTful with JSON. Bearer‑token auth. 1,000 requests/minute for Pro, custom limits for Enterprise. Pagination and rate‑limit headers in every response.

Authentication

Public keys (client‑side, restricted) and private keys (server‑side, full access). Rotate quarterly, store in environment variables.

Creating the first contact

Use `/v1/contacts` with required fields, pipeline stage, and custom data. Record creation takes under 100ms. Check record at `/v1/contacts/{id}`.

Webhook integration

Events: `contact.created`, `deal.stage_changed`, `activity.logged`, `contact.deleted`, `pipeline.updated`. Always validate HMAC signatures.

Batch operations

Use `/v1/contacts/batch` for up to 10,000 records per request. For larger imports: chunked uploads or the streaming import API.

Error handling

Exponential backoff on 429 and 5xx. Maximum 3 retries (1s, 4s, 16s). ACK webhook events within 5s; move heavy processing to background queues.

SDKs

Official Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, and PHP SDKs. Community‑maintained Rust, Java, and .NET. All open source.

Best practices

1. Use idempotency keys. 2. Implement circuit breakers. 3. Monitor `/v1/analytics` closely. 4. Use sandbox mode (`test_` prefixes). 5. Alert on pipeline anomalies. 6. Log all API interactions.