Connect REST API Architecture

To use Connect REST API, understand a few characteristics of its architecture, like how to authenticate, and which data formats it supports.

Authentication

Connect REST API uses OAuth 2.0.

Salesforce is accessed securely, that is, using HTTPS.

Note

CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Scripting)

Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) enables web browsers to request resources from origins other than their own. For example, using CORS, JavaScript code at https://www.example.com could request a resource from https://www.salesforce.com. To access supported Salesforce APIs, Apex REST resources, and Lightning Out from JavaScript code in a web browser, add the origin serving the code to a Salesforce CORS allowlist. See Perform Cross-Origin Requests from Web Browsers.

Default HTML entity encoding

Responses are minimally HTML entity-encoded by default.

Clients can request raw (unencoded) output. Set the X-Chatter-Entity-Encoding HTTP header in a request to false.

For more information, see Response Body Encoding.

JSON and XML support

The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format is supported with UTF-8. Date-time information is in ISO 8601 format.

XML serialization is similar to SOAP API. XML requests are supported in UTF-8 and UTF-16, and XML responses are provided in UTF-8.

Responses are in JSON format by default. To specify XML, use the HTTP header Accept: application/xml. (To specify JSON, use Accept: application/json.)

You can append either .json or .xml to the URI of any resource to specify how the return is formatted. For example, /chatter/feeds/filter/me/001/feed-elements.xml.

Not all features support XML.

Note

Localized names and times

Connect REST API localizes both the names and datetimes to the locale setting of the user. Users set their locale in their personal information. If the user hasn’t set their locale, Connect REST API uses the default locale for the organization.

Clients can use any locale available in the organization to override the default locale. To override the locale for any API request, use the Accept-Language HTTP header.

ISO 8601 dates are always in GMT.

Note

Salesforce ID length

Salesforce IDs in response bodies are always 18 character IDs. In request bodies, you can use either 15 character IDs or 18 character IDs.

UI Themes

Clients can use the X-Connect-Theme HTTP header to specify a UI theme for any API request. There are 2 themes, each with their own set of motif icons: Classic and Salesforce1. Theme names are case-sensitive.

Method overriding

To override an HTTP method if you use an HTTP library that doesn’t allow overriding or setting an arbitrary HTTP method name, use the request parameter _HttpMethod.

1POST https://instance_name/services/data/v51.0/chatter/
2/chatter/users/me/conversations/03MD0000000008KMAQ
3?_HttpMethod=PATCH&read=true

The _HttpMethod parameter is case-sensitive. Use the correct case for all values.

Note

Connect REST API Developer Guide

Connect REST API Architecture