Technology and Infrastructure → Integration Tools

Integration Tools

1) Why do we need specialized tools

Integrations are the "circulatory system" of the platform: payments, KYC/AML, content providers, anti-fraud, reporting, marketing channels. Without systemic tools, risks are growing: brittle contracts, hand crutches, protracted onboarding of partners and incidents on the prod. The goal is to speed up time-to-integrate, increase the reliability and manageability of changes.

2) Integration tools map (by layer)

2. 1 Design and specifications

OpenAPI/Swagger (REST), gRPC/Protobuf, GraphQL SDL - a single source of truth for contracts.
JSON-Schema/Avro/Proto - descriptions of data models and events.
API Style Guide - naming rules, error codes, pagination, idempotency, limits.

2. 2 Generation of SDK and documentation

Client/server generators for popular languages.
Postman/Insomnia collections + environment variables.
Portal auto-build: interactive examples, try-it-out, changelog, Rejection/Sunset.

2. 3 API Gateway and Traffic Management

Routing: by version prefix '/v1/', by headers/media types.
Policies: authentication (OAuth2/OIDC, HMAC, mTLS), rate limits/quotas, WAF.
Transform: header/field mapping, error normalization.

2. 4 Integration layer (adapters)

iPaaS/ESB for fast bundles and orchestration.
Workflow/Orchestration - process engines (for example, state machines for a cascade of calls).
Mapping/Validation: visual/code mappings, scheme validators.

2. 5 Event bus and circuit registers

Message broker/Streaming for event integrations and asynchronous webhooks.
Schema Registry: backward/forward, event versions.

2. 6 Data: ETL/ELT and CDC

CDC (Change Data Capture) for replication to DWH/analytics.
ETL/ELT pipelines with data quality (DQ), deduplication and PII control.

2. 7 Testing and quality

Contract Testing: OpenAPI-diff, CDC/Pact; buf breaking для protobuf.
Ioc services and simulators PSP/KYC/game providers; Replay tools for repeating payloads.
Load scenarios at the integration level (including webhooks).

2. 8 Security of keys and secrets

Secret repositories, key rotation, leak scan.
Manage partner accounts and keys through the devportal.

2. 9 Observability integrations

Metrics/logs/tracks with labels' partner ',' api _ version ',' endpoint ',' error _ code '.
DLQ (dead-letter) and retray queues for unsuccessful web hook/message deliveries.
Integration Health Dashboard: SLO on delivery and delays.

2. 10 Partner operating system

Developer Portal: registration, key issuance, Self-Service tests, application statuses.
Release Center: changelog on integrations, Deprecation/EOL, notifications.
Sandbox & Test Data: scripts, fixes, pre-configured error cases.

3) Reference architecture of integrations

[Partner/Client]
↕ (DevPortal: keys, docs, sandbox)
[API Gateway/WAF] — rate limits, auth, routing
↘               ↙
[Integration Layer / Adapters] ←→ [Workflow Engine]
↘               ↙
[Event Bus / Broker] ←→ [Schema Registry]
↘
[Core Microservices] ←→ [DWH/Analytics via CDC/ELT]
↘
[Webhook Delivery Service] — signer, retries, DLQ, replay

Key properties: clear isolation of adapters from the kernel, event contracts with schema control, guarantee of delivery of webhooks with resubmission and tracing.

4) Integration reliability patterns

Idempotency: 'Idempotency-Key '/' Request-Id' + key logging.
Retry + Backoff + Jitter: taking semantics into account (without doubling write-offs).
Circuit Breaker/Timeouts/Bulkhead: protection against partner freezes.
Exactly-once: receive deduplication + transactional outbox/inbox patterns.
Webhook signature: HMAC signature and valid time window.
Versioning: vN by URI/media type and Deprecation/Sunset on old contracts.

5) Onboarding and change management process

1. Discovery: a partner registers with the portal, receives sandbox keys.
2. Contract Alignment: reconciliation of specifications, examples of payloads, negative cases.
3. Test Plan: functional, fault tolerance, load on webhooks.
4. Go-Live Checklist: limits, alerts, dashboard, keys to production, list of contact persons 24/7.
5. Change Management: RFC/ADR for breaking changes, notifications, migration windows, Sunset date.

6) Integration Health Metrics (SLO/SLA)

T2I-to-Integrate-From the request to the first successful production call.
Success Rate by operations/webhooks, delay P50/P95/P99.
Retry Rate / DLQ Size, Schema-Validation Failure Rate.
Old-Version Traffic (% on v1 after T-date), Partner Error Mix (4xx/5xx).
Cost-per-Integration: hardware, licenses, support.

7) Life Cycle Stage Tools

7. 1 Design

Conventions, specification templates, autolinting.
Examples of contracts are success/decline/fraud/timeout.

7. 2 Build

Server/client generation, adapters to specific PSP/KYC/content providers.
Built-in middleware: signature, idempotency, correlation 'trace _ id'.

7. 3 Test

Contract tests, mock hubs, negative response scenarios.
Load profiles: bursts (promos, tournaments), regulatory reports.

7. 4 Launch

Canaries, Shadow traffic, comparison of results.
Partner hotline, war-room script for the first 24-72 hours.

7. 5 Operate

Alerts on integration SLOs, auto-triggers for retray growth.
Fast replay console for unsuccessful webhooks/collbacks.

8) Security of integrations

Authentication: OAuth2 Client Credentials for server-to-server; HMAC/mTLS for webhooks.
Authorization: scope-s/roles by endpoints.
PII/PCI: tokenization, log masking, traffic segmentation, encryption keys.
Secrets: rotation, principle of least privileges, audit.

9) Data & Analytics integrations

CDC → DWH: Integration marts (success, failures, delays, causes).
Anti-fraud signals: enrichment of events, stream aggregation of features.
Data directory: lineage schemas/events, contract versions.

10) Specifics for iGaming/fintech

Payments/outputs: adapters to several PSPs, smart routing, SLA zoning, channel prioritization.
KYC/AML: parallel checks (documents, PEP/Sanctions), consolidation of responses.
Game/content providers: catalog synchronization, round events, limits and responsible games.
Marketing/CRM: segmentation webhooks, coupons/promos, delayed deliveries.
Regulatory reporting: stable versions of schemes and export windows, quality control.

11) Examples (diagrams and fragments)

11. 1 Idempotent REST call

POST /v2/payouts
Idempotency-Key: 7c8d-…-a1

Replay responses are 200/201 with the same 'payout _ id'.

11. 2 Webhook signature (HMAC, pseudocode)

signature = HMAC_SHA256(secret, timestamp + "." + payload)
header: X-Signature: t=1730738400,v1=<signature>

Check: window ± 5 min, redelivery from DLQ at 5xx.

11. 3 Event contract (JSON-Schema, fragment)

json
{
"$id": "com. company. wallet. v2. balance. changed",
"type": "object",
"required": ["event_id","occurred_at","account_id","delta","balance_after"],
"properties": {
"event_id": {"type":"string","format":"uuid"},
"occurred_at": {"type":"string","format":"date-time"},
"account_id": {"type":"string"},
"delta": {"type":"number"},
"balance_after": {"type":"number"}
}
}

12) Tool implementation checklist

1. Specifications of contracts in the repository with linking and breaking-checks.
2. Autogeneration of SDK and Postman collections for each release.
3. API gateway with auth, limits, transformations and versioning policies.
4. Ioc hub and simulators of critical counterparties (PSP, KYC, content).
5. Schema Registry + compatibility rules for events.
6. Webhook delivery with HMAC signature, retrays, DLQ and replay console.
7. Integration dashboards, SLO alerts, key and secret audits.
8. Devportal: onboarding, keys, sandbox scripts, release center.
9. Deprecation/EOL process with dates and communications.
10. CDC/ELT to DWH, integration quality showcases.

13) Anti-patterns

Manual "scripts" instead of adapters and pipes with monitoring.
Lack of idempotency and signature with webhooks.
Mixing contracts of several partners into one "universal" and unmanaged endpoint.

Zero control of schemes: "broke the consumer - learned from Twitter."

There is no portal and release communications: partners "by ear" catch changes.

14) The bottom line

Integration tools are an ecosystem: specifications, gateway, adapters, events and schemes, tests and mock services, webhook delivery, observability and devportal. Assemble this "security belt" and integrations will become predictable, fast and scalable - and business will not be afraid of changes and new partners.