Build your own Frontend

Cobalt provides APIs and SDK functions that allow your customers to connect your platform with the third party applications.

Pre-requisites

Below are a few pre-requisites that you need to do before moving forward:

1. Create Linked Account

In order to enable your customer to connect to third party app, you first need to create a Linked account for them using a unique identifier.

Know more about Linked Accounts and how you can create one in the guide here.

We recommend you create a linked account at the same time as your customer signs up within your app.

2. Generate Session Token

Generate a Session Token for your Linked Account.

The session token gets expired in 24 hours. Please make sure you generate a new token in every new session or within 24 hours.

Steps to implement

The general steps to build your own flow are:

Display a list of integrations for your users to select

Retrieve a list of all integrations available to connect using the List Applications API or .getApplications() method and display them in your UI.

curl --request GET \
  --url https://api.gocobalt.io/api/v2/public/application \
  --header 'linked_account_id: <linked_account_id>' \
  --header 'x-api-key: <api-key>'

With the above call you can get all the details related to an appliction for a user.

We recommend using the assets provided by Cobalt as they meet the requirements of the supported integrations. For example QuickBooks Online require the specific use of QuickBooks branded buttons, including specific hover states.

Install and Initialise SDK

Install the Cobalt Frontend SDK for JavaScript that you want to use. You can install by either using npm package manager or directly in browser by using the script tag.

<!-- use a specific version -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@cobaltio/cobalt-js@3.0.1"></script>

<!-- use a version range instead of a specific version -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@cobaltio/cobalt-js@3"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@cobaltio/cobalt-js@3.0"></script>

<!-- omit the version completely to use the latest one -->
<!-- you should NOT use this in production -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@cobaltio/cobalt-js"></script>

Initialize the javascript SDK using the Session token.

Learn more about Cobalt’s JS SDK and how to initialize it here.

Manage Connections

Cobalt provides the flexibility for you to manage your customers’ application connections. The .connect() method lets your customers to connect to an application platform, authorizing you to access the platform APIs and data on their behalf.

cobalt.connect("slack") // opens a new tab for oauth apps
cobalt.connect("twilio", {
  number: <"Registered number">,
  sid: "ACCOUNT_SID",
}) // saves the auth data for key based apps

The .disconnect() method similarly, lets the user to disconnect from the application platform, revoking the authorization and deleting any and all configurations of the Linked account saved for that particular application.

cobalt.disconnect("slack")

Allow users to configure the connection

Once the user has successfully authenticated in their platform, he is redirected back to your app integration page. Use the .config() method to find an exisiting config or creating a new config for the linked account.

cobalt.config({
  slug: "slack",
  config_id: "OPTIONAL_ID_FOR_THIS_CONFIG",
  labels: {}, // optional dynamic labels
})

Save/Update the configuration

The .config() method provides you with all the published workflows and settings input for the user. The user can now enable the workflows, enter data for the settings and map fields. These updates to the config can be made using the .updateConfig() method.

cobalt.updateConfig({
  slug: "slack",
  config_id: "OPTIONAL_ID_FOR_THIS_CONFIG",
  fields: {
    "64da0b57c9ae95561bb0a24d": "C044U7Q074J"
  },
  workflows: [
    {
      id: "64d1fac58716dc5065127ffe",
      enabled: true,
      fields: {
        "64da0b57c9ae95561bb0a24f": "C044U7Q074J"
      }

    }
  ]
})

By completing these steps, you have successfully implemented your own frontend for authentication with apps.

Getting Started

Build

Ship Integrations

Maintain

Custom App

Deployment

Governance & Compliance

Build your own Frontend

Pre-requisites

Steps to implement

Getting Started

Build

Ship Integrations

Maintain

Custom App

Deployment

Governance & Compliance

​Pre-requisites

​Steps to implement

Pre-requisites

Steps to implement