“Can you just connect it to our other system via API?” is a common request, and a reasonable one — but the phrase hides a wide range of actual work. Here is what is really involved, in plain English.
What an API integration actually is
An API is simply a defined way for two systems to exchange data — your website asking your accounting software for an invoice, or your booking system telling your CRM that a new customer signed up. An integration is the code that makes that conversation happen reliably, including what to do when it fails.
What drives the cost
- Quality of the API you are connecting to. Some platforms document everything clearly; others require reverse-engineering behaviour, which takes longer.
- How much data has to move. A one-way sync of a few fields is simple. Two-way sync that has to resolve conflicts is not.
- Error handling. What happens if the other system is down for ten minutes? A robust integration answers that; a fragile one silently loses data.
- Authentication and security. Handling API keys and tokens correctly matters more than it looks like from the outside.
Questions worth asking before you commission one
Ask what happens when the connection fails, who gets notified, and how you would know if data stopped syncing without anyone noticing. A good API and backend development partner should have clear answers, not vague reassurance.
When it is worth doing properly
If the integration touches orders, payments or customer data, it is worth building it right the first time rather than patching a fragile version later. Describe the two systems you need talking to each other and we will tell you what is actually involved.
