A Glossary of Essential API and Integration Concepts for HR Automation
In the rapidly evolving landscape of human resources and recruiting, leveraging technology for efficiency is no longer optional—it’s a strategic imperative. Understanding the foundational concepts behind API integrations and automation is crucial for HR and recruiting professionals aiming to streamline operations, enhance candidate experiences, and make data-driven decisions. This glossary provides clear, actionable definitions of key terms, illustrating how they apply to the everyday challenges and opportunities within HR automation. By demystifying these technical concepts, we empower HR leaders to speak confidently with IT teams, evaluate new technologies, and drive the next wave of hyper-automation in their organizations.
API (Application Programming Interface)
An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and interact with each other. Think of it as a menu in a restaurant: you don’t need to know how the kitchen works (the internal code), you just need to know what you can order and how to order it (the API endpoints and requests). In an HR context, APIs enable your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to exchange data with your Human Resources Information System (HRIS), or your background check provider to integrate with your onboarding platform. This seamless communication eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and accelerates critical HR processes from recruitment to payroll.
Webhook
A webhook is an automated message sent from one application to another when a specific event occurs. Unlike a traditional API request where you constantly ask a server for new information (polling), a webhook acts as a “push” notification. When an event happens, like a candidate submitting an application or an employee completing a training module, the source system immediately sends a data payload to a predefined URL in the target system. For HR and recruiting, webhooks are invaluable for real-time automation, such as triggering an email confirmation to a candidate the moment their application is received, initiating an onboarding workflow upon offer acceptance, or updating an HRIS when a new hire’s status changes. They enable instant, event-driven workflows that keep systems synchronized and processes moving without delay.
REST API (Representational State Transfer API)
REST API is an architectural style for designing networked applications. It’s the most common and flexible type of API used for web services, known for being stateless (each request from client to server contains all the information needed) and utilizing standard HTTP methods (GET for retrieving data, POST for creating, PUT for updating, DELETE for removing). Its simplicity and scalability make it ideal for connecting disparate systems. In HR, most modern cloud-based HRIS, ATS, and payroll systems expose their functionality via REST APIs. This allows integration platforms like Make.com to easily connect, retrieve candidate profiles, update employee records, or post job openings programmatically, facilitating robust HR automation strategies across the organization.
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
JSON is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. It’s built on two structures: a collection of name/value pairs (like an object in programming) and an ordered list of values (like an array). Due to its simplicity and flexibility, JSON has become the de facto standard for data exchange in REST APIs. In HR automation, when data is transferred between systems—such as candidate resumes from an ATS to an HRIS, or employee benefits elections to a payroll system—it is often formatted as JSON. Understanding JSON helps HR professionals grasp how data is structured and moved, ensuring accurate mapping and preventing errors during integration processes.
Endpoint
An endpoint is a specific URL or location where an API can be accessed to retrieve or send data for a particular resource. Think of it as a specific address within a larger building, each address leading to a different department or function. For example, an HRIS API might have an endpoint like `/employees` to retrieve a list of all employees, and another like `/employees/{id}` to get details for a specific employee. In an HR integration project, identifying the correct endpoints is crucial for building accurate workflows, allowing automation platforms to interact precisely with the desired data or functionality, such as creating a new candidate record or updating an employee’s status.
Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user, application, or system attempting to access a resource. It’s the “who are you?” step in security, ensuring that only legitimate entities can initiate interactions with an API. Common authentication methods for APIs include API keys, OAuth tokens, and username/password combinations. For HR automation, robust authentication is paramount due to the sensitive nature of employee and candidate data. Properly configuring authentication ensures that only authorized integration platforms or applications can access and manipulate confidential HR information, protecting privacy and maintaining compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR or CCPA.
Authorization
Authorization is the process of determining what an authenticated user or application is permitted to do after their identity has been verified. While authentication answers “who are you?”, authorization answers “what are you allowed to do?”. For example, an integration might be authenticated to access an HRIS, but authorized only to read employee data, not to modify salary information. In HR automation, precise authorization controls are vital for maintaining data integrity and security. They allow administrators to define granular permissions for various integrations, ensuring that a system designed to pull employee contact details for an emergency notification system cannot accidentally or maliciously alter sensitive performance review data.
API Key
An API key is a unique identifier, often a long string of alphanumeric characters, used to authenticate a user, developer, or program to an API. It acts like a secret password that grants access to a specific service or resource. When an application makes a request to an API, it includes the API key, allowing the server to identify the caller and apply any associated usage policies or permissions. In the context of HR automation, API keys are a common and relatively straightforward method for integration platforms to securely access HR software like ATS, HRIS, or payroll systems. Proper management and secure storage of API keys are essential to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive HR data.
iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service)
iPaaS, or Integration Platform as a Service, is a cloud-based platform that provides tools and capabilities to connect disparate applications, data sources, and APIs across an organization. It simplifies the development, execution, and governance of integration flows without requiring extensive coding. Platforms like Make.com are prime examples of iPaaS, offering visual builders and pre-built connectors to a vast array of SaaS applications. For HR and recruiting teams, iPaaS is a game-changer, enabling them to build complex automations such as syncing candidate data between an ATS and CRM, automating onboarding sequences across multiple systems, or consolidating HR analytics from various sources, all without relying heavily on IT development resources.
Data Mapping
Data mapping is the process of matching data fields from one system or format to corresponding fields in another system or format. It defines how data from a source system will be transformed and structured to fit the requirements of a target system. For example, mapping a “Candidate Email” field in an ATS to an “Employee Email” field in an HRIS. In HR automation, accurate data mapping is critical for successful integrations. Incorrect mapping can lead to lost data, errors, or misalignment of information, causing issues with payroll, onboarding, or reporting. Thorough data mapping ensures that candidate names, addresses, job titles, and other crucial details are consistently and correctly transferred between all connected HR systems, maintaining data integrity across the tech stack.
Low-code/No-code Automation
Low-code/No-code automation refers to development platforms that enable users to create applications and automated workflows with minimal or no traditional computer programming. Low-code platforms use visual interfaces with pre-built components and drag-and-drop functionality, while no-code platforms are even more abstract, allowing business users to build solutions through configuration rather than coding. In HR and recruiting, these tools empower professionals to design and implement their own automations—like candidate communication sequences, onboarding checklists, or data synchronization between systems—without needing a developer. This significantly reduces reliance on IT departments, accelerates the deployment of new efficiencies, and allows HR teams to be more agile in responding to evolving operational needs.
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
ETL stands for Extract, Transform, Load, a three-step process used to integrate data from various sources into a centralized data warehouse or database for analysis and reporting. “Extract” involves pulling data from source systems (e.g., ATS, HRIS, payroll). “Transform” involves cleaning, standardizing, and reformatting the data to meet the requirements of the target system (e.g., standardizing date formats, merging duplicate records). “Load” involves writing the transformed data into the destination. In HR automation, ETL is vital for building comprehensive analytics dashboards, enabling HR leaders to consolidate data from disparate systems to gain insights into hiring trends, employee retention, diversity metrics, and overall workforce performance, leading to more informed strategic decisions.
Workflow Automation
Workflow automation is the design and implementation of technology to automatically execute a sequence of tasks, processes, or actions that were previously performed manually. It involves defining rules and conditions that trigger specific steps in a predefined order, often across multiple software applications. For HR and recruiting, workflow automation is transformative. Examples include automatically sending an interview invitation when a candidate passes a screening stage, triggering background checks upon offer acceptance, or provisioning new hire access to various systems on their start date. By automating these repetitive, rule-based processes, HR teams can significantly reduce administrative burden, improve efficiency, minimize human error, and free up valuable time for strategic initiatives.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a software distribution model where a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the internet on a subscription basis. Users typically access SaaS applications via a web browser, eliminating the need for local installation or maintenance. Most modern HR and recruiting tools, such as Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), payroll systems, and performance management platforms, are delivered as SaaS. This model often relies heavily on robust APIs for seamless integration with other business applications. For HR teams, SaaS simplifies software deployment and management, while its API-driven nature facilitates the creation of complex, interconnected automation ecosystems.
Data Schema
A data schema is a formal definition or blueprint that describes the structure of data in a database or information system. It defines the tables, fields, relationships, data types (e.g., text, number, date), and constraints (e.g., primary keys, uniqueness) that govern how data is organized and stored. Think of it as the architectural plan for your data. In HR automation, understanding the data schema of various HR systems (ATS, HRIS, payroll) is crucial for successful integration and data mapping. It ensures that when you transfer information—like candidate names, addresses, or job titles—from one system to another, the data fits correctly into the target system’s structure, preventing errors and maintaining data consistency and integrity across your HR tech stack.
If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Make.com API Integrations: Unleashing Hyper-Automation for Strategic HR & Recruiting
