Anypoint Connector basics

1. Anypoint connector Basics
The Anypoint Connector DevKit is an essential
development tool in the Anypoint Platform that makes
coding Anypoint Connectors easier. DevKit is a Maven-
based tool that lets you build reusable components
that can be run as part of a Mule application, and can
be easily configured from Anypoint Studio.

2. • DevKit exposes connector developers to Java
annotations that generate code and files to interact
with Mule runtime, as well as Anypoint Studio. The
generated code provides the interface between the
connector and Mule that would otherwise require
each connector developer to include extensive
boilerplate code, as well as the code and files
required to interact with your connector in Anypoint
Studio.

3. • An Anypoint Connector is a reusable
component that interacts with Mule runtime
and Anypoint Studio. A connector
communicates with a target resource and
conveys information between a resource and
Mule, and transforms the data into a Mule
message.

4. • Anypoint Connector DevKit abstracts the
communication that happens between Mule and the
external service or API, and generates a user interface
to help simplify usage of the connector by the
developer who would eventually use it in their
application.
• A well-developed connector makes Mule app
development much simpler for users when handling
tasks like pagination, session expirations, and input and
output metadata. This tutorial shows you how to
create a well-designed connector.

5. What is DevKit?
• The DevKit is an important part of the
Anypoint Platform. The DevKit is a Maven-
based tool that lets you build reusable
components that not only can be run as part
of a Mule application, but also can be easily
configured and consumed from Anypoint
Studio.

6. When to Use DevKit
• Here are several scenarios in which you may want to build your own
connector:
• You need to consume an API in one or more applications and you
want to make sure everyone uses the same component.
• You have an API and want to add strategic value to your business by
providing a connector and telling the world "I am part of Mule
Platform".
• You want to facilitate integration with SaaS and on-premise Web
services, applications, and data sources.
• The API you consume supports Pagination, Batch, and/or has a SQL
capability.
• The API you consume has different entity types and/or its structure
can change.

7. Authentication
• This connector supports the following
authentication types:
• Custom with a username and password that
provides a token to send with each request as
part of the request.
• OAuthV2

8. Adding DataSense
What is it?
• Data Sense improves the user experience at
design time when creating Mule applications
by enabling your connector to determine the
API of your target resource.
• Even though Data Sense is optional, its use
enables connector users to acquire metadata
of the entities in a service.

9. • DevKit is a Maven-based tool, available in Anypoint
Studio, that lets you build reusable components via a
wizard-like experience to connect to any endpoint.
These components can then be run as part of a Mule
application on-premises or in the cloud and can be
easily configured and consumed from Anypoint Studio.
• Intuitive interface provides easy on-ramp with
templates and samples
• Wizard-based tooling ensures fast, high quality output
• Custom connectors can be shared in Anypoint
Exchange and reused broadly