Ways to Integrate

You have multiple options when it comes to integrating with Loqate, and in this article we'll look at what those options are, along with their pros and cons.

The two main integration options are:

• Using Tags: this option is available for Address Capture, Email Verification and Phone Verification
• Using APIs: this option is available for all Loqate products and services

There's also a third option available for certain situations, which is Integrations by Platform. You can use Address Capture, Verify, Email Verification and Phone Verification via pre-built integrations with various tools, including Shopware and Microsoft Dynamics 365. This offers a slightly different approach to integrating with Loqate natively, useful if you already use one of the tools that we integrate with. 

These options are not mutually exclusive, so you can use more than one in conjunction if you want.

Regardless of which option(s) you choose, you can make changes in the Account Section for security, customisation and certain features.

Use cases

You know your business best, and what your requirements are. Here are a few examples though of possible use cases, and which of the Tag or API integration option might be best for each:

Tag Integrations

The simplest way of setting up Address Verification, Email Verification and Phone Verification is by using the Tag method, which uses automatically-generated code snippets that you can insert into your website to set these services up.

This method is designed for simple webforms, allowing you to set up standard configurations via your Loqate account.

Pros:

• Speed: you can get started quickly and easily
• Simplicity: there's no need for technical know-how, as the functionality comes from our JavaScript solution and CSS

Cons:

• Customisation: unlike API integrations, you don't have as much control over how your integration works as it will always be based off our JavaScript and CSS
• Security: adding JavaScript to your website, while an effective way of adding new functionality, does come with some security considerations, and as such may not be appropriate for all circumstances. See our Security article for more information

Check out our Quick Setup Guide for simple instructions that walk you through how to get set up with Tag integrations.

From an additional security perspective, consider using the Limits functionality to restrict your integration by IP address, service and/or URL. See our Security article for more details.

API Integrations

All Loqate products can be integrated using our APIs, which are also available for Address Verification, Email Verification and Phone Verification for more flexible integrations.

Pros:

• Control: you're not constrained by any existing integrations or ways of working, and you don't need to rely on our preset JavaScript or CSS
• Customisation: you can shape your customer journey however you see fit

Cons:

• Complexity: API integrations require technical knowledge and resources
• Speed: it takes time to implement and test API integrations

Check out our API documentation for details of all of the Loqate APIs.

You can still take advantage of all of the security functionality available in the Account Section - see our Security article for more details.

Integrations by Platform

As well as the option of creating your own integration using the Tag and/or API methods, we also have a range of pre-built integrations which allow you to access Address Capture, Verify, Email Validation and Phone Validation within various tools. We're always working on new integrations, but some of our current integrations include:

• Microsoft Dynamics 365
• SAP
• Shopware

If you already use any of these tools, you can use our pre-built integrations to quickly and easily add Loqate functionality to your site.

Check out our Integrations documentation for details of how to get up and running.