Power Apps Custom connectors understanding

 More than 365 plus connectors avaialble as microsoft and non microsoft services you may want to communicate with services that are not available as pre buit connectors.

Capability to create, share the connector, trigger the connectors on it own, or by any actions.


Life cycle:

Build your API:

using RESTAPI(Like power apps we have Logic apps, which supports SOAP APIs) that allows logic apps, power automate, powerapps to communicate with rest or soap api.


two types of APIs:

public apis(public internet eg: spootify, slack, rackspace etc..)

private apis (visible only to your network)


For public apis that you can plan to create or manage using these microsoft azure products

Azure functions,

Azure web apps,

Azure api apps.


2. Secure you api:

We have standard authentication methods for you apis and connectors

with help of azure active directory.


1. Generic OAuth 2.0,

2. OAuth 2.0 for specific services Azure AD, Dropbox, Github, Salesforce.

3. API Key

4. Basic authentication (username and password)


If you are setting Azure AD authentication for your API in azure portal, then  we don't need to implement authentication again.


3. Describe the API and define the connector:

Describe you API so that power apps, power automate, logic apps can communicate with your API.


In order to describe, we have below options.

1. An OpenAPI definition

2. Postman collection


Why logic apps are different from Power Apps and Power automate?


Connectors created in Power Automate are available in Power Apps. Likewise, connectors created in Power Apps are available in Power Automate. This isn't true for connectors created in Logic Apps. 

However, you can reuse the OpenAPI definition or Postman collection to recreate the connector in PApps, PAutoamte and LogicApps.


5. Share you connector:

with in you organization or other users


6. Certify your connector:

submit to MS, they will certify.

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