Integrating a system with no public technical documentation
Some partners expose no usable technical documentation at all, without that necessarily making integration impossible: it's a type of project I handle through network traffic analysis.
The typical need
A delivery platform, a proprietary till, a closed line-of-business tool: some systems you want to connect to a shop expose no official API and no technical documentation. Their only available interface is a web or desktop application meant for human use. The need itself is still the same as for a standard integration — syncing prices, menus, orders or stock — just without the usual starting point of API documentation.
How I approach this kind of need
The method involves observing the network exchanges generated by the system's official interface during normal use: which requests go out, with what parameters, in what order, with what authentication. This analysis makes it possible to progressively reconstruct the behaviour of the underlying API, even when it's documented nowhere. This work demands rigour: reproducing the same headers, matching the same data format, and never treating a request that works once as reliable.
Once the behaviour is understood, I build the integration much like a standard API, with one extra point: reinforced ongoing monitoring. A system that never promised stability can change without warning, unlike a deliberately versioned API. The integration layer needs to be designed to detect a break quickly, with controlled degradation rather than a silent failure that would go unnoticed for days.
Factors that affect the quote
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Complexity of the authentication
A simple access token is easy to reproduce; a more elaborate security mechanism with automatic renewal takes considerably more analysis work.
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Observed stability of the system
A system that changes little over time reduces the risk of a later break compared with one updated frequently.
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Scope of the exchange needed
Reading a single piece of data (a price, availability) is simpler than a full two-way exchange that includes creating orders.
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How critical the synced data is
Data displayed publicly in near real time calls for stricter monitoring than data updated once a day for informational purposes.
Frequently asked questions
Is this approach legal?
Is this kind of integration as reliable as a documented official API?
How long does it take to reconstruct an integration like this?
What happens if the system actually changes after going live?
Describe your need in one minute
A few targeted questions so I can reply with an estimate rather than another questionnaire.