Callout in Salesforce

Salesforce’s new HTTP Callout (Beta) element in its flow builder enables codeless interaction as of Spring 23. Released as of the winter of ’24, it is now available to the public. Using HTTP Callout and Flow Builder, you may automate operations that rely on external information.  After you specify the API’s specifics, Flow Builder creates a generic action that you may utilize in Flow Builder as well as elsewhere in Salesforce. Integrate systems directly when required without writing code or using a middleware provider like Mulesoft.

You don’t have to use the Salesforce platform to get the Salesforce data. However, there is a limit on how often a Salesforce customer may make API calls. This aims to ensure that all users of the hosted service experience the same level of accessibility. In order to prevent abuse, the API may temporarily block every user within the company who has made too many requests.

Table of Contents

• API Limits in Salesforce
• Salesforce REST API limits
• What Are The API Timeout Limits
• Salesforce Bulk API limits
• What Are The Salesforce Streaming API limits
• Salesforce API Callout Limits
• Salesforce API limits check
• How to check your usage of Daily API limits in Salesforce –
• What happens when you exceed or reach the API request limit
• Should you Increase Salesforce API call limits
• Ways to Reduce API Call Usage
• Conclusion

API Limits in Salesforce

Using the Salesforce API requires first enabling API Permission. The authority to do so comes from the company’s administration. The Developer Edition automatically includes this access. Salesforce supports many different types of application programming interfaces. Therefore, you can choose from a number of different routes to fulfill your requirements. 

All the third-party apps you can connect to Salesforce via APIs. Coupler.io is one such tool; it uses APIs to import Salesforce data into analytic frameworks like Google Sheets, Excel, and BigQuery.

Salesforce REST API limits

There are three sorts of restrictions on requests made through the Salesforce REST API:

• Total API Request Allocation.
• Concurrent API Request Limit.
• API Timeout Limits.

What Are The API Timeout Limits

The maximum allowed time for the API call is 600,000 milliseconds (10 minutes). If a request takes longer than the allotted amount of time, the API will return a REQUEST_RUNNING_TOO_LONG status code for the SOAP API and a QUERY TIMEOUT exception code using the REST API. When making calls to Composite Resource via the REST API, this pertains to the composites as a whole, not to individual subrequests.

Salesforce Bulk API limits

The RESTful architecture at the heart of the Bulk API makes it ideal for processing massive datasets. You may utilize it to do asynchronous operations on a large number of records, such as inserting, updating, upserting, or deleting them and then retrieving the outcomes at a later time. In the background, Salesforce completes the task.

When retrieving more than 10,000 records from Salesforce, most applications turn to the bulk API. You may submit up to 15,000 contributions in a single batch once every 24 hours. For this reason, any batches processed by both the bulk API and the bulk API 2.0 will count toward the total. The 2.0 version of Bulk API only uses batches for ingesting jobs. The situation is different with query work. 

In Bulk API, batch creation is a manual process. Bulk API 2.0, on the other hand, is going to generate batches for you.

What Are The Salesforce Streaming API Limits?

The core function of the Streaming API is to monitor Salesforce for updates. When an event occurs, the consumer receives an update immediately instead of patiently waiting for the modification to take effect. Consumers can get accurate, up-to-the-moment results by using streaming APIs to access data in actual time from the web. It monitors Salesforce for any changes and then uses those changes to initiate polling via a Push Topic.

Salesforce API Callout Limits

When Apex code conducts a callout to an HTTP request or web services call, it is subject to the Salesforce API callout limits. A SOAP API call or any other type that external web services call will do for the web services call. An Apex transaction may make up to 100 HTTP requests or API calls.

There is a 10-second delay by default. Each callout has its own individual timeout that you can set. Time intervals start at 1 ms and go up to 120,000 ms. 

Each operation that initiates a call for the API counts toward use quotas, with the exception of outgoing calls like Apex callouts. Your Apex code can make outgoing calls at any time of day or night. Creating over 100 callouts in just one execution co is the only limitation.

Salesforce API limits check

Monitoring your API usage in Salesforce is crucial to recognize when you are nearing or have reached your limits. This lets you keep tabs on how often you access the API.

How to check your usage of Daily API limits in Salesforce 

The Salesforce API daily limit is a flat rate and applies to any given 24-hour period, regardless of the date. In the Total API Request area, you will find the sum of all API requests made in the previous day.

A pop-up message will appear on your Salesforce Settings page once you exceed your daily Salesforce API limit. To view your current API call limit as well as the total number of API calls you have made in the past 24 hours in Salesforce. 

What happens when you exceed or reach the API request limit

Your organization can experience one of two outcomes if it hits or surpasses its daily API request limit.

• The company may immediately limit all users’ capability to make telephone calls. You won’t be able to make any more calls until your usage over the past 24 hours drops below the threshold.
• If possible, Salesforce Automation will let you keep working until a certain point. This helps to keep processes running smoothly even during rare but sudden peaks in activity. 

To prevent arbitrary overuse of the API as well as to safeguard the platform’s resources, a hard cap is in place.

Should you Increase Salesforce API call limits?

When checking out or consulting your account accurately, you can buy more API calls if you require a larger limit but don’t want to buy more user licenses or upgrade the Salesforce Edition.

Ways to Reduce API Call Usage

Consider the following while attempting to restrict API usage:

• Take care of problems that show up in the Salesforce Error Log. 
• You should mark unused columns as Unassigned or Do not include. 
• Cut back on the number of user-defined fields you synchronize. 
• If you want to know if your other integrations make use of API Calls, you should take Salesforce training in Hyderabad. 

Conclusion

Like many cloud systems, Salesforce keeps an eye on usage and can even limit it. API developers, as well as consumers alike, may experience annoyance due to the constraints placed on them, but these limitations are necessary. 

You shouldn’t let this prevent you from getting the most out of Salesforce. Try a fantastic option for anyone looking for a low-cost method of exporting data from their salesforce databases with other third-party applications. 

Author Bio

Suneel, a Technology Architect with a decade of experience in various tech verticals like BPM, BAM, RPA, cybersecurity, cloud computing, cloud integration, software development, MERN Stack, and containerization (Kubernetes) apps, is dedicated to simplifying complex IT concepts in his articles with examples. Suneel’s writing offers clear and engaging insights, making IT accessible to every tech enthusiast and career aspirant. His passion for technology and writing guides you with the latest innovations and technologies in his expertise. You can reach Suneel on LinkedIn