Inbound vs Outbound API Integration in Salesforce: Serialize & Deserialize in Action
As a Salesforce Developer, integrating external systems with Salesforce via APIs is a common and powerful need—whether it's pushing data to external systems (Outbound) or accepting data into Salesforce (Inbound). In this blog, we’ll demystify Inbound and Outbound API calls, and focus on the critical roles of serialization and deserialization in Apex.
| Feature | Inbound API Integration | Outbound API Integration |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | External systems send data into Salesforce | Salesforce sends data to external systems |
| Triggered By | External API (e.g. REST client or webhook) | Salesforce (via Apex, Flow, Named Credential) |
| Tools Used | REST Resource classes, Web Services | HttpRequest, HttpResponse, HttpCallout |
| Auth Options | OAuth, Session ID, Named Credential, API key | Named Credentials, Auth Provider |
Serialization & Deserialization: Apex in Action
In any integration, data is exchanged in JSON or XML format. In Apex, JSON.serialize() and JSON.deserialize() help convert between Apex objects and JSON strings.
- Use Wrapper Classes: Create lightweight Apex classes to map JSON data.
- Handle Nulls Gracefully: Validate incoming data before insert/update.
- Log Everything: Store request/response bodies for troubleshooting.
- Use Named Credentials: Avoid hardcoding authentication info for callouts.
- Enable Debug Logs: Useful for tracing integration issues.
In any Salesforce integration project, understanding when and how to use Inbound vs Outbound APIs—combined with proper serialization/deserialization—is critical to building robust, secure, and scalable interfaces.
Whether you're pushing data out or pulling it in, Apex and Salesforce’s integration capabilities make it easy to stay connected across platforms.
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