Integration Issues
Integration issues affect your ability to connect with external services, exchange data reliably, and maintain synchronization across systems. These problems can disrupt business operations, cause data inconsistencies, and impact user experience.
Common Integration Challenges
Data Exchange:
- API authentication failures
- Request/response format mismatches
- Rate limiting and throttling
- Timeout and connectivity issues
Data Consistency:
- Sync failures between systems
- Duplicate or missing records
- Conflict resolution issues
- Data transformation errors
Reliability:
- Webhook delivery failures
- Retry logic problems
- Connection pooling issues
- Service availability impacts
Integration Issue Types
API Authentication
Authentication and authorization problems prevent your application from accessing external APIs and services.
Common Issues:
- OAuth token expiration
- API key misconfiguration
- Invalid credentials
- Rate limiting responses
- CORS configuration errors
Impact:
- Failed data requests
- Service unavailability
- User authentication failures
- Integration downtime
Webhook Failures
Webhook delivery failures prevent your application from receiving real-time updates from external services.
Common Issues:
- Endpoint not reachable
- Invalid payload format
- SSL/TLS certificate errors
- Timeout issues
- Retry exhaustion
Impact:
- Missed event notifications
- Data staleness
- Broken automation
- Incomplete workflows
Data Sync
Data synchronization issues cause inconsistencies between your application and connected systems.
Common Issues:
- Real-time vs batch sync conflicts
- Duplicate record creation
- Missing data updates
- Conflict resolution failures
- Sync performance degradation
Impact:
- Data inconsistencies
- User confusion
- Operational errors
- Report inaccuracies
Third-Party API
Third-party API integration problems affect your ability to consume external services reliably.
Common Issues:
- API version deprecation
- Breaking changes in responses
- Endpoint availability
- Timeout handling
- Error response parsing
Impact:
- Integration breakage
- Service degradation
- User experience issues
- Development delays
Diagnosis Approach
1. Check API Connectivity
Test basic connectivity to the external service:
# Test endpoint availability
curl -I https://api.example.com/v1/
# Test with authentication
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
https://api.example.com/v1/endpoint
2. Review Error Logs
Check application and server logs for integration errors:
# Common error patterns
- 401 Unauthorized - Authentication failed
- 403 Forbidden - Permission denied
- 429 Too Many Requests - Rate limited
- 500 Server Error - API service issue
- Timeout errors - Connection or response timeout
3. Monitor Webhook Delivery
Track webhook success and failure rates:
- Delivery attempt counts
- Success/failure status codes
- Retry attempts
- Payload validation errors
- Endpoint response times
4. Validate Data Sync
Compare data across systems:
- Record counts match
- Last sync timestamps
- Data field values
- Conflict detection
- Sync queue depth
General Troubleshooting Steps
Step 1: Verify Credentials
- Check API keys are current and valid
- Verify OAuth tokens haven't expired
- Confirm credentials match environment (dev/staging/prod)
- Test authentication in isolation
- Review permission scopes
Step 2: Test Endpoints
- Use API testing tool (Postman, curl)
- Verify request format matches documentation
- Check response codes and messages
- Validate SSL certificates
- Test from multiple locations/IPs
Step 3: Review Rate Limits
- Check current usage vs limits
- Implement exponential backoff
- Cache responses when possible
- Distribute requests over time
- Request limit increases if needed
Step 4: Monitor & Alert
- Set up integration health checks
- Alert on error rate thresholds
- Track response times
- Monitor queue depths
- Log all integration errors
Platform-Specific Considerations
| Platform | Integration Capabilities | Common Issues |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Webhooks, API, App integrations | Webhook verification, API rate limits |
| WordPress | REST API, Webhooks, Plugin integrations | Authentication tokens, plugin conflicts |
| Wix | Velo APIs, App integrations | CORS issues, API limitations |
| Squarespace | Limited API, third-party integrations | Limited webhook support, API restrictions |
| Webflow | Logic, API, Zapier integrations | Rate limits, webhook configuration |
Best Practices
Authentication
- Store credentials securely (environment variables, secrets manager)
- Implement token refresh logic
- Use API keys for server-to-server, OAuth for user-delegated access
- Rotate credentials regularly
- Monitor for unauthorized access attempts
Error Handling
- Implement comprehensive error catching
- Log all integration errors with context
- Use circuit breakers for failing services
- Provide meaningful error messages
- Fail gracefully with fallbacks
Retry Logic
- Use exponential backoff with jitter
- Set maximum retry attempts
- Identify retriable vs permanent errors
- Queue failed requests for later retry
- Alert on retry exhaustion
Monitoring
- Track integration success/failure rates
- Monitor response times and latency
- Set up uptime monitoring
- Create dashboards for integration health
- Alert on anomalies and failures
When to Seek Help
Contact platform support or integration provider when:
- API documentation is unclear or outdated
- Rate limits are insufficient for your use case
- Webhooks consistently fail despite correct configuration
- Breaking API changes are announced
- Service level agreements (SLAs) are not being met
- Custom integration requirements exceed standard capabilities
Further Reading
- Tracking Issues - Analytics tracking integration issues
- Security Issues - API security and CORS configuration
- Infrastructure Issues - Server and network connectivity
- Website Platforms - Platform-specific integration guides