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What Are Reusable Connections?

Reusable connections (also called integration-agnostic connections) are centrally managed connections that you define once and reuse across multiple integrations. Unlike integration-specific connections that are tied to a single integration, reusable connections provide a flexible, scalable approach to managing authentication credentials and connection details.

Key benefits​

Reusable connections offer several advantages:

  1. Define once, use everywhere - Create a connection once and reference it in multiple integrations without re-entering credentials
  2. Consistent credentials - Ensure all integrations use the same connection configuration, reducing errors and simplifying maintenance
  3. Flexible visibility - Control whether customers see and configure connections themselves or whether you manage them behind the scenes
  4. Test connection support - Easily define test credentials for use in the test runner while building integrations
  5. Multi-tenant support - Use stable keys to sync connections across multiple Prismatic tenants (US/EU, dev/prod, etc.)

Where you can use reusable connections​

Reusable connections work across all integration types in Prismatic:

When you enable a reusable connection for workflows, your customers can select from saved connections when adding steps to their custom integrations, eliminating the need to re-enter credentials they've already provided.

Types of reusable connections​

Prismatic provides three types of reusable connections, each designed for different use cases. The flowchart below helps you determine which type fits your needs:

Customer-activated connections​

Customer-activated connections are used when your customers have unique credentials to a third-party app and need to enter them (or go through an OAuth 2.0 flow) themselves.

Example: You've built several Salesforce integrations. Rather than having customers enter OAuth 2.0 credentials separately for each integration, you create one customer-activated connection. Customers authenticate once, and their saved credentials work across all Salesforce integrations.

Key characteristic: Customers enter their own credentials, which can be reused across multiple instances.

Organization-activated customer connections​

Organization-activated customer connections are used when each customer has unique credentials, but you know the values and want to provide them on behalf of your customer.

Example: Your customers' integrations need to connect to your app. You generate API keys for your app on behalf of your customers, so they don't need to enter credentials for the app they're already logged into.

Key characteristic: You configure customer-specific credentials; customers don't see the connection in the config wizard.

Organization-activated global connections​

Organization-activated global connections are used when a third-party account you own is shared by all your customers' instances.

Example: Your organization has a Twilio API key that all customers' instances will use for SMS. You want customers to send messages through your Twilio account without entering your API key.

Key characteristic: Single connection shared across all customers; invisible to customer users.

Getting started​

To create a reusable connection:

  1. Click your organization's name in the bottom left corner
  2. Open the Connections tab
  3. Click + Add Connection
  4. Select the connection type that matches your use case
  5. Configure the connection details and stable key
  6. Reference the connection in your integrations

For detailed instructions on creating and using each type, see the specific pages linked above.

For a comparison between reusable and integration-specific connections, see the connections overview.

Next steps​