name: Unified APIs Vocabulary description: >- Vocabulary and taxonomy for the unified API ecosystem, covering integration patterns, data normalization, connector architecture, and the landscape of unified API platforms serving SaaS integration needs. tags: - Unified API - Integration - Aggregation - SaaS - Connectors modified: '2026-05-03' domains: - name: Core Concepts description: Fundamental concepts in the unified API category terms: - term: Unified API definition: A single standardized API that abstracts multiple third-party APIs behind one interface with normalized data models aliases: [Universal API, Aggregation API] - term: Connector definition: An integration module mapping a specific upstream provider's API to the unified data model - term: Data Normalization definition: The process of transforming provider-specific data structures into a consistent, canonical schema - term: Field Mapping definition: The explicit correspondence between normalized field names and provider-specific field names - term: Integration Hub definition: A platform offering a marketplace of pre-built connectors for SaaS and business applications aliases: [iPaaS] - term: Passthrough API definition: An API endpoint in a unified platform that proxies requests directly to the upstream provider without normalization - term: Bidirectional Sync definition: Data synchronization that flows in both directions — from and to the upstream provider - name: Vertical Categories description: The main software verticals served by unified API platforms terms: - term: CRM definition: Customer Relationship Management — platforms managing contacts, leads, deals, and customer interactions (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive) - term: HRIS definition: Human Resource Information System — platforms managing employees, payroll, benefits, and org structure (Workday, BambooHR, Rippling) - term: ATS definition: Applicant Tracking System — platforms managing job postings, candidates, and hiring workflows (Lever, Greenhouse, Ashby) - term: Accounting definition: Financial record-keeping platforms managing invoices, expenses, journals, and financial statements (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite) - term: File Storage definition: Cloud file storage and document management platforms (Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, SharePoint) - term: Ticketing definition: Customer support and issue tracking platforms (Zendesk, Jira, ServiceNow, Linear) - term: Marketing Automation definition: Platforms managing email campaigns, marketing workflows, and customer journeys (Marketo, Mailchimp, HubSpot Marketing) - term: Data Pipeline definition: ETL/ELT platforms for extracting and loading data between systems (Fivetran, Airbyte, Stitch) - name: Technical Architecture description: Technical patterns and concepts in unified API architecture terms: - term: Canonical Data Model definition: The normalized, provider-agnostic schema that all connectors translate to and from - term: Webhook Relay definition: A unified API platform's ability to receive provider-specific webhooks and normalize them to a standard format - term: OAuth 2.0 Orchestration definition: A unified API platform's management of OAuth 2.0 flows on behalf of end users for connected integrations - term: Rate Limit Handling definition: Automatic management of upstream provider API rate limits including backoff, queuing, and retry logic - term: Sandbox Environment definition: A test environment provided by a connector or upstream platform for integration development without affecting production data - term: Scopes definition: OAuth permission scopes controlling which data objects a connector can access on behalf of a user - term: Tenant definition: A single end-customer's credentials and configuration within a unified API integration - name: Integration Patterns description: Design patterns in API integration and normalization terms: - term: Read Model definition: Integration pattern focused on one-way data extraction from upstream providers to a central data store - term: Write-Through definition: Integration pattern where data written to the unified API is immediately propagated to the upstream provider - term: Event-Driven definition: Integration pattern relying on webhooks and events rather than polling for real-time data synchronization - term: Polling definition: Periodically querying an upstream provider for new or changed records when webhooks are not available - term: Delta Sync definition: Synchronizing only records that have changed since the last sync, using cursors or timestamps - term: Full Sync definition: Re-fetching all records from the upstream provider, used for initial loads or reconciliation - name: Platform Landscape description: Key platforms in the unified API market as of 2026 terms: - term: Merge definition: Leading unified API platform with 220+ integrations across HRIS, ATS, CRM, accounting, and ticketing url: https://merge.dev/ - term: Apideck definition: Unified API platform covering CRM, HRIS, ATS, file storage, and accounting with real-time data url: https://apideck.com/ - term: Codat definition: Unified API platform specialized in financial and accounting data for fintech use cases url: https://codat.io/ - term: Unified.to definition: Unified API platform offering normalized access to CRM, HR, and accounting providers url: https://unified.to/ - term: Nango definition: Open-source unified API and OAuth infrastructure platform url: https://nango.dev/ - term: Airbyte definition: Open-source data integration platform with 300+ connectors for data pipeline use cases url: https://airbyte.com/ - term: Fivetran definition: Automated data pipeline platform providing managed connectors for data warehouse integration url: https://fivetran.com/