An API is how your app asks another service to do something, such as create a payment or a shipping label; a webhook is how that service tells your app something happened, such as a successful payment or a delivered parcel. To connect a service: get keys from your account with it, start in the sandbox, keep keys on the server only, verify the signature of every webhook, and log each request and response so you know what happened when something fails.
- how to connect my app to other services with api
- what is a webhook and how does it work
- api vs webhook difference
- how to integrate a shipping company api with my store
- how to integrate api without coding
How do you connect your app to other services with APIs and webhooks?
Connecting your app to other services with APIs and webhooks means letting your app talk to outside systems: the payment gateway, the shipping carrier, WhatsApp, your accounting software or an SMS provider. An API is the window your app asks through, and a webhook is the doorbell the other service rings when something you care about happens.
An everyday example: a customer pays in your store. Your app uses the gateway's API to create the payment and open the checkout page. Once the customer enters a mada card and confirms, the gateway sends your app a webhook: 'payment succeeded'. The app then updates the order, sends a notification and calls the carrier's API to create a shipping label. A complete chain with no human in the loop.
An API is you asking. A webhook is someone telling you without being asked.
What is the difference between an API and a webhook?
- Your app starts the request
- Example: create a payment, quote shipping, send a message
- You get the answer right away in the same request
- Needs a secret key that proves who you are
- The other service sends a request to a URL in your app
- Example: payment succeeded, parcel delivered, customer replied
- Arrives when the event happens, even hours later
- Needs signature verification so nobody can fake it
Why is an API alone not enough? Because you do not know when the parcel will be delivered. Your app could ask the carrier every five minutes 'delivered yet?', but that is noisy and costly. It is better for the carrier to tell you by webhook the moment it happens.
The integrations a Gulf app most often needs
| Category | Examples in the market | API used to | Webhook tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payments | Moyasar, HyperPay and Tap in Saudi Arabia; Network International and Telr in the UAE | Create a payment, refund | Payment success or failure, refund |
| Buy now, pay later | Tabby and Tamara | Create an instalment order | Approval, rejection or cancellation |
| Shipping | SMSA, Aramex, SPL, J&T | Create a label, quote, track | Shipment status changes |
| Messaging | WhatsApp Business Platform, SMS providers | Send a confirmation or code | Delivery, read and replies |
| Accounting and invoicing | Accounting software and e-invoicing solution providers | Submit the invoice | Invoice clearance status |
| Maps | Map and address services | Search an address, compute distance | Rarely |
| Work tools | Google Sheets, CRM systems | Add a row or a contact | Updates from the other side |
For payments specifically, read how to add payments to your app; for WhatsApp, read send WhatsApp notifications from your app. Fanann comes with ready connections for many local payment methods and common services on its integrations page.
Steps to connect any service to your app
- 1Define the event and the outcome
Write one sentence: 'When a customer pays, create a shipping label automatically and send the tracking number to the customer.' That sentence is your integration spec.
- 2Open an account with the service
Register your business, complete any verification and get sandbox keys first.
- 3Build against the sandbox
Connect your app with sandbox keys and test success and failure cases, including a declined card and a wrong address.
- 4Register the webhook URL
Add your app's event endpoint in the service dashboard and copy the signing secret into your server settings.
- 5Test on a staging copy
Run the whole chain on staging before touching the live app.
- 6Switch to live keys
Swap the keys, run one small real transaction and refund it, then watch the logs closely for the first days.
Security: keys and signatures
Every integration opens a door between your app and the world. These rules keep it locked to everyone else:
- Secret keys live on the server only, in environment settings, never in the code or the mobile app. More in API keys and secrets: keep them out of your code.
- Verify every webhook signature. Most services sign their messages. Without verification, anyone can send your app 'payment succeeded'.
- Do not trust a webhook alone for amounts. On a payment notice, ask the gateway's API for the transaction's status and amount before confirming the order.
- Least privilege for keys. If the service offers restricted keys (read-only, for example), use them.
- Rotate keys when a technical team member leaves or you suspect a leak.
When something fails: retries and logs
External systems go down, networks drop and a webhook may arrive twice. A good integration expects all of that:
| Problem | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The service does not respond | The request times out with no result | Retry with growing intervals, then alert the team |
| Duplicate webhook | An order might ship twice | Store each event ID and ignore repeats |
| Late webhook | 'Payment succeeded' arrives an hour later | Never auto-cancel the order without checking via the API |
| Rate limit exceeded | The service temporarily refuses | Reduce frequency and cache results |
| Service changes | A new field appears or an old one is removed | Follow the provider's announcements and retest after updates |
Keep an integration log in your admin dashboard: every request your app sent and every webhook it received, with time, status and error message. When a customer calls saying 'I paid and my order is not confirmed', you open the log and know the answer in a minute instead of guessing.
Integrations in Fanann, and where MCP fits
In Fanann you do not write integration code. You describe what you want, and the Fanann Agent reads the service's docs, builds the API calls and webhook endpoints, stores keys in server settings, adds the integration log and tests the chain in the sandbox. You keep full ownership of the code.
You may also hear about MCP, a protocol that lets AI models use external tools and services in a standard way. It is useful when you want an AI assistant inside your app to use tools, while the classic connection between your app and a payment gateway or carrier still runs on APIs and webhooks. The full explanation is in what is MCP?.
Connect my store to my shipping carrier through its API, starting in the sandbox. When the payment gateway sends a 'payment succeeded' webhook: verify its signature, then ask the gateway's API for the transaction status and amount; if they match, create a shipping label automatically with the customer's address (including the National Address if provided), save the tracking number on the order and send the customer a WhatsApp notification with it. Receive the carrier's status webhooks, update the order status and notify the customer on delivery. Store every event ID and ignore duplicates; on a failed request retry 3 times with growing intervals, then alert the store manager. Keep all keys in server settings only. Add an 'Integration log' page to the admin dashboard showing every request and webhook with time, status and error.
Try it in FanannNext step: list the services your business handles by hand today (payments, shipping, messaging, accounting) and next to each write one 'when this happens, do that' sentence. That list is your app's integration plan.
Key takeaways
- With an API your app asks; with a webhook the other service tells it. Most integrations need both.
- Always start in the sandbox and move to live keys only after testing every case.
- Secret keys stay on the server, and every webhook's signature is verified before it is trusted.
- Design for failure: retries, no duplicate processing, and a log that shows what happened.
- In Fanann you describe the integration in plain language; the agent reads the docs, builds the connection and tests it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a webhook in simple terms?
What is the difference between an API and a webhook?
How do I connect my store to a shipping company?
Do I need a developer to integrate an API?
What happens if the external service goes down?
Ask your AI assistant about this
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I am reading this guide: “Connect your app to other services with APIs and webhooks” https://fanann.com/en/blog/api-integrations-ai-app/ My question: how to connect my app to other services with api Use that page as a source and explain the answer step by step for my situation, tell me what to check before I start, and cite the page link.