Connections overview
By the end of this page you will know what a connection is, how its credentials work, and where to find Connections in the Studio.
What a connection is
Some apps need to work with a service outside qRaptor. Taking a payment is the usual example. A connection gives your generated app two things for that service:
- Code that talks to the service. qRaptor writes and tests this code itself, so it isn’t generated fresh for each app. The rest of your app’s generated code calls into it. Connections built this way carry a Verified badge.
- A place for your credentials. You save your keys once, on the Connections page. Your app reads them when it starts.
You add a connection to an app by mentioning it in your prompt, for example @razorpay. See Accept payments with Razorpay for the full walkthrough.
Available connections
| Connection | What it’s for | Mention it as |
|---|---|---|
| Razorpay | Accepting payments in your app | @razorpay |
More services will be added to this list over time.
How credentials work
- They’re shared across the project. You save credentials once, and every app in the project that uses the connection reads the same ones.
- Preview and production are separate. Each connection holds one set of values for Preview and another for Production. Put test keys on the preview side and live keys on the production side. An app uses the set that matches where it’s running.
- They never go into your app’s build. Credentials are handed to your app when it starts. Changing one needs no rebuild and no redeploy. A preview picks up the change on its own; a production app needs a restart. See Update or remove credentials.
- You don’t name them. Each connection has a single set of credentials per project, and the Connections page manages it for you. On the Configuration page it appears under a fixed name, such as
razorpay-default.
Open Connections
Connections isn’t in the project sidebar. You reach it from Apps, in either of two places.
From the Create Apps page. A Connections strip sits above the prompt box, with one chip per connection. The chip’s dot shows how far its setup has got:
| Dot | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Credentials are set for both preview and production |
| Amber | Some credentials are still missing |
| Grey | Not set up yet |
Click + Connection at the right of the strip. It opens Connections in a new tab, so the prompt you’re writing stays where it is.
From your list of apps. Once a project has at least one app, Apps opens on your list of apps. The Connections button sits in the header, next to + New.
The Integrations item in the project sidebar is a different feature. It connects your agents to channels such as telephony. See Integrations overview.
The Connections page
The page lists each available connection as a card. Each card shows:
- the service’s name, its Verified badge and its version
- the mention to use in a prompt, such as
@razorpay - a Webhook label, if the service sends events back to your app
- one status badge for Preview and one for Production
- how many required fields the connection has, and how many operations it gives your app
The status badges read:
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ready | Credentials are filled for this environment |
| Needs credentials | A required field is still empty. An app will refuse to start until it’s filled |
| Not configured | Nothing has been saved for this environment yet |
Click a card to open the connection and add its credentials. See Add credentials.
Who can change credentials
Developer Developer role or above. Everyone else on the project can open Connections, but sees the forms read-only, with a note saying a developer or above can add credentials.
Common issues
- Connections isn’t in the sidebar. That’s by design. Open Apps, then use the Connections button or the strip on the Create Apps page.
- The Connections button isn’t on the Apps page. The button only appears on your list of apps. In a project with no apps yet, Apps opens on the Create Apps page; use + Connection in the strip there instead.
- You mentioned a connection before saving its credentials. That’s fine. The app still generates, but it won’t start until the credentials are filled in. Add them, then start the preview again.