Integrate External / Third-Party APIs into WordPress Site

Overview

Integrating third-party APIs into WordPress allows you to extend your website’s functionality and provides an improved user experience. With WordPress API integration, you can fetch data from external APIs, connect external API to WordPress plugins, and execute API calls based on different events.

Whether you need to retrieve real-time data or automate form submissions, our plugin makes it simple to use external APIs in WordPress.

The guide also highlights the steps to generate custom REST endpoints in WordPress specific to your own complex SQL query.This guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of integrating a third-party API into your WordPress site. You’ll learn how to perform API operations on plugin events using WordPress hooks, create custom REST API endpoints, and fetch data from external sources.

Use Cases for Custom REST API Plugin

Usecase 1: Fetch Data from REST API to Display on WordPress

If you have an API endpoint provided by a third-party service and want to retrieve data from their side on your WordPress site, this can be achieved using a WordPress external API plugin.

The plugin allows WordPress to fetch data from API endpoints efficiently and display the retrieved information dynamically. Additionally, you can set up real-time API requests using WordPress hooks to keep your content updated.

Usecase 2: Call External API on Form Submission

Our Custom API for WP plugin allows you to integrate with an external API and perform actions like:

1. Register / sign-in / delete members on the third-party provider side.

2. Fetch / update data by making API call to the provider based on events like WPforms, Gravity Forms, Elementor, Contact-form7, or any other form submission.

The plugin provides a hook that dynamically integrates with forms to send data to external APIs.

Usecase 3: Integrate External APIs with Payment Gateways

Let's say your WordPress website includes a payment gateway, such as PayPal, Stripe, or any other that is offered by WooCommerce, Wpforms, or any other plugin.
You might need to update user status, membership levels, or order details on a third-party service. Using WordPress API integration, you can trigger API calls based on transaction status and automate these updates seamlessly.

Usecase 4: Sync/Fetch Supplier Data from External API to WooCommerce

If your supplier provides an API that allows you to fetch product details, stock levels, or pricing information, you can use an external API plugin to sync this data with your WooCommerce store.
The plugin enables real-time data updates by connecting external API to WordPress, ensuring that your store always has accurate information.

Click here to know more about WooCommerce Product Sync via APIs.

1. Connect Authentication Endpoint

To integrate a third-party API into WordPress, you first need to authenticate your API connection.

• Navigate to the Connect External API tab in the plugin and click on Connect External API.

• Select Simple API .

• Enter a name for the API connection, choose the required API method (GET, POST, etc.), and enter the API endpoint URL where the access token is generated.

• If required, add Authorization, Headers, and Body data and click Save and then Test the connection.


Once you receive the access token in the response, you can use it to call additional APIs.

2. Connect Data API

To integrate a third-party API into WordPress, you first need to authenticate your API connection.

Now that authentication is set up, follow these steps to fetch data from an external API:

• Navigate to the Connect External API tab in the plugin and click on Connect External API.

• Select the Simple API .

• Fill the following details

1. API Name .

2. Select required API method.

3. API Endpoint URL (where data is fetched from)

4. Pass the Authorization Header. If you want get the token from the token API that we configured in Step 1, you can pass the value in the following format: ##<token_variable> , <token_api_name>##

5. In Advance Settings, select the dependent API.


• Click on Save and Test the connection.

3. Advanced Settings

In the Advanced Settings section, you can

• Restrict API access based on user roles.
• Connect dependent APIs to automate workflows.
• Enable automatic data fetching.
• Display API data on the WordPress frontend.
• Store API data in WordPress tables for future use.

Related Articles

• Custom API for WordPress
• WordPress Rest API Authentication
• Post Sync from External APIs to WordPress
• Display API data on WordPress frontend

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