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How to Use Connectors

A connection in WSO2 Integrator: BI is a reusable configuration that defines how an integration securely connects to an external system. It encapsulates all connection-related details, such as:

  • Authentication credentials: Includes OAuth, API keys, or Basic authentication.
  • Endpoint or service URL: The specific address of the external system.
  • Transport-level settings: Includes configurations for TLS, timeouts, and retries.

Once you create a connection, you can reuse it across multiple integrations without redefining these details.

Create a new integration

To begin building your integration, you need to create a new project and configure its basic properties within the WSO2 Integrator: BI environment.

  1. Open the WSO2 Integrator: BI extension in VS Code.
  2. Click the Create New Integration button on the welcome screen.
  3. In the Create Your Integration form, enter a unique name for your project in the Integration Name field (for example, connectors).
  4. Click Select Path to choose the directory where your project files will be stored on your local machine.
  5. Browse to your preferred folder (for example, Desktop) and click Open.

  6. Click the Create Integration button to generate the project structure and open the design view.

    create new integration

Create and use a connection

Note

If you've already created the integration, open its Design view to add connections. Otherwise, create the integration first before proceeding.

You can create a connection either before or during the automation flow design. The key difference is when you create the connection:

Option 1: Create connection first (Recommended when you have a clear design)

Use this approach when:

  • You have a clear design before you start.
  • You plan to reuse the same connection across multiple integrations.
  • You want to avoid interruptions while you design the data flow.

To create the connection first:

  1. In the Design view of your integration, click the + Add Artifact button.
  2. In the Add Connection pane, select the HTTP connector.
  3. In the URL* field, enter the base service URL (for example, https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com).
  4. Enter a unique Connection Name (for example, httpClient), and click Save Connection.
  5. Click + Add Artifact again and select Automation to create a new flow.
  6. In the automation diagram, click the + icon and select your httpClient connection from the Connections list.

Option 2: Create connection while designing (Useful for prototyping)

Use this approach when:

  • You discover the need for a new external system during development.
  • You are prototyping or exploring integration logic.
  • You want to create connections only when they are required.

To create the connection while designing:

  1. In the Design view of your integration, click the + Add Artifact button.
  2. In the Artifacts pane, select Automation to create a new flow.
  3. Click the + icon on the flow and select + Add Connection from the Connections section.
  4. Select the HTTP connector.
  5. In the URL field, enter the base service URL (for example, https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com).
  6. Enter a unique Connection Name (for example, httpClient), and click Save Connection.
  7. Click the + icon below the Start node and select your httpClient connection from the Connections list.

Complete the integration

Regardless of which option you chose above, complete the following steps to configure the operation and test your integration:

  1. Select the Get operation and enter the resource path in the Path* field (for example, /posts/1).
  2. Set the Target Type to string and click Save.
  3. Add a Log Info statement from the Logging section.
  4. Set the message to the var1 variable to display the API response and click Save.
  5. Click the Run icon to build and execute the project.

  6. View the API response in the Terminal:

    time=2026-01-22T13:07:54.519+05:30 level=INFO module=sachindu/connectors message="{
 \"userId\": 1,
 \"id\": 1,
 \"title\": \"sunt aut facere repellat provident occaecati excepturi optio reprehenderit\",
 \"body\": \"quia et suscipit\nsuscipit recusandae consequuntur expedita et cum\nreprehenderit molestiae ut ut quas totam\nnostrum rerum est autem sunt rem eveniet architecto\"
}"
* Terminal will be reused by tasks, press any key to close it.

    configure http connection