Dipping Into the Salesforce API: REST Basics for Admins

This year I started exploring Salesforce APIs—specifically the REST API—and it opened a whole new world of integration possibilities.

Even if you’re not writing full-scale integrations yet, understanding the basics helps you:

  • Test endpoints with tools like Postman

  • Support third-party vendors connecting to your org

  • Build smarter automation using Named Credentials and External Services

I started with simple GET requests like:

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GET /services/data/v59.0/sobjects/Account/001XXXXXXXXXXXX

Then moved to writing test POSTs to create records. The key is knowing how to authenticate (OAuth 2.0, ideally) and how to format your request body as JSON.

Now I feel more comfortable reading API docs, understanding webhook payloads, and troubleshooting integration issues—skills that make you invaluable when systems need to talk to each other.

Steven Van Elk