CRM
Salesforce API and integration guide
Salesforce offers REST, SOAP, Bulk and Pub/Sub APIs, Change Data Capture and platform events, with free Developer Edition orgs. New integrations authenticate through External Client Apps.
Last verified October 2026 against the sources below. Confirm details with Salesforce before you build.
At a glance
- Category
- CRM · Salesforce
- API style
- REST, SOAP, Bulk API 2.0, Pub/Sub API and Streaming (CometD).
- Authentication
- OAuth 2.0 through an External Client App; Salesforce says creating new connected apps is restricted as of Spring '26 and recommends External Client Apps instead.
- Sandbox / developer program
- Yes. Free Developer Edition orgs; paid orgs also have sandboxes and scratch orgs.
- Webhooks / events
- Event-based: Change Data Capture and platform events delivered through the Pub/Sub API or CometD, retained for three days. Outbound HTTP calls are usually built with Flow.
- Rate limits
- Org-wide API calls per rolling 24 hours: 15,000 on Developer Edition; Enterprise starts at 100,000 plus per-license allocations. 25 concurrent long-running requests in production. CDC delivery allocations vary by edition.
- Exports and files
- Bulk API 2.0 query jobs for large extracts.
- Marketplace / partner program
- AppExchange. Not confirmed (partner program page not checked).
Key objects for construction workflows
- Opportunities
- Accounts
- Contacts
- Leads
- Quotes and orders
- Products
- Custom objects
Notes and gotchas
- Use External Client Apps for new work; new connected apps need Salesforce Support.
- The API limit is org-wide over a rolling 24 hours, and installed packages count against it.
- Change Data Capture covers only five selected entities by default without the add-on.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the Salesforce API limit?
It's org-wide over a rolling 24 hours: 15,000 calls on Developer Edition, and 100,000 plus per-license allocations on Enterprise. Salesforce's Limits Quick Reference has the current table.
Should I use a connected app or an External Client App?
Salesforce restricts creating new connected apps as of Spring '26 and recommends External Client Apps for new integrations.
How do I react to a Closed Won opportunity?
A record-triggered Flow, a platform event or Change Data Capture can signal the change; the integration then creates the project downstream and writes back its ID.
Next step
Connecting Salesforce to your other systems?
Bring the systems and the report or workflow you want to fix. We'll walk through what moves, who owns each record, and what to check first.