As businesses scale, developers are often tasked with creating and managing various API integrations to ensure smooth workflows across platforms. HubSpot offers a robust ecosystem for developers to integrate with its suite of tools through powerful APIs. Managing these integrations effectively can be a game-changer for businesses looking to streamline operations, improve customer experience, and drive growth.
In this article, we’ll explore the top five HubSpot API management tools for developers, helping you manage your integrations efficiently, securely, and with greater control.
Here is a quick look of our top five tools list:
- HubSpot API Explorer
- HubSpot App Marketplace
- Operations Hub’s Programmable Automation
- HubSpot API Rate Limits Dashboard
- HubSpot Custom Objects API
New to HubSpot?
HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM platform designed to help businesses grow through its suite of tools for marketing, sales, customer service, and operations. Whether you’re looking to streamline processes, attract customers, or scale your business, HubSpot’s user-friendly platform offers powerful, integrated solutions to enhance your entire customer journey.
1. HubSpot API Explorer
The HubSpot API Explorer is an invaluable tool for developers who are getting started with HubSpot’s APIs or want to explore new functionality. The tool provides a user-friendly interface that allows developers to experiment with different API endpoints and methods, such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. By testing these endpoints directly within the tool, developers can see the real-time response structure and data returned by HubSpot’s API.
Key Features:
- Interactive Documentation: HubSpot API Explorer provides interactive documentation for all HubSpot APIs. You can test out API calls in real-time, ensuring you understand how each endpoint behaves.
- Live Response Preview: As you send requests, you’ll immediately see live responses, complete with status codes, body data, and headers. This helps developers troubleshoot issues and fine-tune integrations quickly.
- Authentication: You can use your API keys, OAuth tokens, or private apps for authentication, making it easy to manage various levels of access.
Best For:
- Developers who need to test HubSpot API endpoints.
- Beginners looking to explore how HubSpot’s APIs work.
2. HubSpot App Marketplace
While the HubSpot App Marketplace may be more commonly associated with end-users, it is also an essential tool for developers. The marketplace is the gateway to creating, submitting, and managing your integrations and apps built for the HubSpot platform. Whether you’re developing internal tools or building an app for thousands of customers, the App Marketplace is a powerful way to distribute and manage integrations.
Key Features:
- Easy Submission and Management: Developers can create apps that integrate with HubSpot and publish them in the HubSpot App Marketplace for others to use. This process is streamlined with clear guidelines and requirements.
- Wide Audience: Publishing an app on the marketplace gives developers access to HubSpot’s vast user base, offering potential monetization and customer acquisition opportunities.
- API Limits: The marketplace also enforces rate limits and performance benchmarks to ensure that applications running within HubSpot operate efficiently without impacting overall system performance.
Best For:
- Developers building commercial or internal apps for the HubSpot ecosystem.
- Teams looking to distribute their integrations across multiple HubSpot accounts.
3. Operations Hub’s Programmable Automation
Operations Hub is a game-changer for automating complex business processes. Developers can use Programmable Automation to integrate custom logic within workflows by writing serverless JavaScript code that runs within HubSpot’s platform. This tool allows for deeper customization of business workflows, enabling automation beyond the typical “if-then” logic provided by native workflows.
Key Features:
- Serverless JavaScript Functions: With programmable automation, developers can add custom actions to workflows, such as enriching customer data from third-party sources, performing calculations, or triggering external API requests.
- Flexible and Scalable: This tool gives you the flexibility to customize your workflows for specific business needs, making it ideal for teams with dynamic requirements.
- Streamlined Operations: Automate repetitive tasks, enrich data in real-time, and ensure data consistency across systems without manual intervention.
Best For:
- Developers who need to create advanced workflows and automate complex processes.
- Businesses that require custom logic integrated into their CRM workflows.
4. HubSpot API Rate Limits Dashboard
Managing API rate limits is crucial to ensure that your integrations don’t exceed the allowed number of requests, which could lead to disruptions in service. HubSpot’s API Rate Limits Dashboard is a tool designed specifically to help developers monitor their API usage in real time.
Key Features:
- Real-time Monitoring: Developers can view their API usage and limits for the day, including the number of requests made and how close they are to reaching their quota.
- Alerts and Notifications: Set up alerts to notify you when you are nearing your API rate limits, helping you proactively manage and throttle API calls when necessary.
- Error Reporting: If your app or integration exceeds the rate limit, the dashboard provides detailed error messages and suggestions for how to reduce API calls or optimize performance.
Best For:
- Developers managing high-volume integrations that require careful monitoring of API usage.
- Businesses that want to ensure their APIs remain within usage limits to avoid interruptions.
5. HubSpot Custom Objects API
While HubSpot comes with default objects like Contacts, Deals, and Companies, many businesses require custom data structures to meet their unique needs. The HubSpot Custom Objects API allows developers to create and manage custom objects that can be seamlessly integrated with HubSpot’s existing features, such as workflows, reports, and dashboards.
Key Features:
- Custom Object Creation: With the Custom Objects API, you can define new objects and associate them with standard objects like Contacts and Companies. This is incredibly useful for organizations that need to store and manage non-standard data, such as product inventories, subscriptions, or project details.
- Flexible Associations: Create associations between custom objects and standard HubSpot objects to build complex data models tailored to your business.
- Data Enrichment and Automation: Once your custom objects are in place, they can be used in HubSpot’s automation tools, allowing you to trigger workflows, emails, or other actions based on custom data.
Best For:
- Developers building custom data models that extend beyond the default CRM features.
- Businesses with unique data requirements not covered by standard HubSpot objects.
HubSpot offers a range of powerful API management tools for developers that simplify the creation, management, and scaling of integrations. From testing APIs in real-time with the API Explorer to automating complex processes with Programmable Automation, developers have the tools they need to unlock the full potential of the HubSpot platform.
By leveraging these tools, businesses can improve data consistency, automate manual tasks, and build custom applications that streamline operations and provide a superior customer experience. Whether you are building internal tools or commercial applications, these five tools should be a part of every HubSpot developer’s toolkit.
If you’re interested in exploring HubSpot’s APIs and getting started with any of these tools, you can try them out with the HubSpot CRM’s free plan before scaling up to advanced features. Happy coding!
