Add a connection

Add a connection to tell Faustine where a deployment of your API runs and which credential values to use there. A gateway cannot serve an API that has no connection. For what a connection is, see Connections.

Before you begin

• The API's analysis has finished and its Authentication tab has a strategy. See Authentication.
• The deployment is reachable from the internet. Faustine calls it from its own servers, so localhost and private addresses do not work.
• You have the credential for this deployment. For a bot user, create a dedicated user for Faustine. Logins protected by multi-factor authentication are not supported.

Add the connection

Endpoint

1. In the portal, go to APIs and select your API.
2. Select the Connections tab, then New connection.
3. Enter a Name, such as Staging.
4. If this deployment holds real customer data, turn on Production connection. Tests never run against a production connection.
5. Enter the endpoint:
   • For REST, enter the Base URL, such as https://staging.nimbuscrm.example.
   • For GraphQL, enter the GraphQL endpoint itself in Base URL, such as https://staging.nimbuscrm.example/graphql.
   • For gRPC, enter the Address (host:port) with no scheme, and leave TLS on unless the server is on a private network.
6. Select Continue.

Credentials and labels

1. In Credentials, enter the values the API's strategy asks for. The step names the strategy and links to the Authentication tab.
2. Select Continue.
3. In Labels, add any key=value tags that describe this deployment, such as env=staging. Labels are optional. Gateways route by them.
4. Select Continue.

Test

1. In Operation, select the read operation this connection is tested with. Faustine suggests one that takes no required input.
2. If the operation needs input, enter it in Input (JSON).
3. Select Test connection, then Run test in the dialog. The test is a real call to your API.
4. When the step shows Reached the endpoint, select Review.

If the step shows Could not reach the endpoint, read the error under it. You can select Continue anyway and fix the connection later. Gateways report it as degraded until a test passes.

Review and create

1. In Review & create, check the name, the endpoint, the credentials and the test operation.
2. Select Create connection.

Faustine creates the connection and tests it once more. The step shows Connection created and reachable. Select All connections to go back to the list, where the new connection appears with its status.

Change a connection

To change a connection, select its row in the Connections tab. The page has four sections: Endpoint, Credentials, Labels and Test call. Change what you need and select Save changes. Secret fields are empty. Leave them empty to keep the stored value.

Run now in Test call calls the selected operation through the connection and shows the response.

Troubleshooting

Next steps

• Add an API to a gateway: serve the API through this connection.
• Generate and run API tests: exercise the API's operations against a connection that is not production.
• Connections: the default connection, labels and importing several connections.