Magento

Magento's API, in Plain Terms (and What It Can't Reach on Its Own)

Magento exposes two current APIs for outside systems, REST and GraphQL, plus a legacy SOAP API kept mainly for backward compatibility. REST covers most integration work (orders, customers, products, inventory); GraphQL was built for storefront-facing use, like headless frontends pulling catalog and cart data. Every real integration with a Magento store, including the ones we build, runs on top of one of these.

The basics, in plain terms

REST is the default for backend integrations. Orders, customers, products, and inventory data all have REST endpoints, and this is what most ERP, CRM, and warehouse integrations are built against, including custom ones.

GraphQL is built for storefronts, not back offices. It's query-based rather than endpoint-based, which fits headless and PWA frontends well since a single request can pull exactly the fields a page needs instead of several round trips to separate REST endpoints.

SOAP still exists but is legacy. It's there for older integrations that were built against it years ago. New integration work has no reason to start on SOAP when REST and GraphQL cover the same ground more flexibly.

Authentication runs through integration tokens. Set up an Integration in Admin under System, and Magento issues OAuth-based tokens scoped to exactly the resources that integration needs, rather than handing out full admin access. Simpler cases can use admin or customer REST tokens instead.

Newer versions added event-driven webhooks. Depending on which edition and version you're running, Magento supports webhooks that fire on specific events instead of requiring an outside system to keep polling the API for changes.

Where the API alone doesn't get you there

The API only exposes what Magento's own developers decided to expose. A lot of admin-only actions, certain configuration changes, some promotion and pricing rule setups, parts of the B2B quote negotiation flow, have no corresponding API endpoint at all. If an integration needs one of those actions to happen automatically, the API simply has nothing to call.

That's not a bug anyone's going to fix on request, it's just how the platform was built. The practical answer is automating the action the way a person actually does it, through Magento's own Admin interface, using headless-browser automation that drives the UI directly and reports the result back out, instead of waiting on an endpoint that may never exist.

What we've built on top of Magento's API

Real-time order and inventory sync through REST

An order placed in Magento reaches your accounting or ERP system through the REST API the moment it's placed, with stock levels flowing back the same way, instead of a batch job running once a night.

Automation for the admin actions with no endpoint at all

When a workflow needs an Admin-only action that Magento's API doesn't expose, we build headless-browser automation that performs that action directly in the Admin UI, then feeds the result back into whatever system is waiting on it.

What are you trying to connect to or automate in Magento?

Tell us the system or the action. We'll tell you whether it's a straightforward REST or GraphQL integration, or one of the gaps where the Admin UI itself has to be automated instead.

Let's talk

Hit a wall trying to automate something Magento's API doesn't expose?

Some integration needs are a straightforward REST or GraphQL build. Others run into an admin action with no endpoint behind it at all, and that's a different problem with a different fix. Tell us what you're trying to connect or automate and we'll tell you which one you're dealing with. Magento's API is one example of this; we build the same kind of automation for whatever system your business runs, API or not.

Let's talk

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Magento's REST and GraphQL APIs?+

REST exposes resources through fixed endpoints and is the standard choice for backend integrations like orders, customers, and inventory. GraphQL is query-based, built mainly for storefront and headless use, letting a single request pull exactly the fields a page needs.

Does Magento have webhooks?+

Depending on which edition and version you're running, yes. Webhook support lets an outside system react to events as they happen instead of repeatedly polling the API to check for changes.

How do I authenticate with the Magento API?+

The standard approach is creating an Integration in Admin under System, which issues OAuth-based tokens scoped to specific resources. Simpler setups can use a straightforward admin or customer REST token instead, though that comes with broader access.

Is Magento's SOAP API still supported?+

It still exists for backward compatibility with older integrations built against it, but it isn't the API to build anything new on. REST and GraphQL cover the same ground with more flexibility and are what current integration work uses.

Can the Magento API trigger an admin-only action, like a pricing rule change?+

Only if that specific action has an API endpoint, and a fair number of admin-only actions simply don't. When that's the case, the alternative is automating the action directly through the Admin interface rather than waiting for an endpoint that may never ship.