Options for integrating Desk-Net with a CMS

This post focusses on a high-level description of the three available out-of-the-box options for integrating Desk-Net with a headless CMS or any other type of content management or editorial system.

Please read the following posts if you would like to read about all integration options (e.g. with a DAM) or if you are interested in existing integrations (e.g. with WordPress).

There are three options available for integrating Desk-Net with a content management system:

1. Platform (or channel specific) integration
2. Global integration
3. Message Queue integration

You can use multiple of these options per account.

Data Flow

The three options vary in how data is sent from Desk-Net to the other system.

In all three cases the other system sends data back to Desk-Net straight via the Desk-Net API.

About 1. Platform Integration

Short Description

A story in Desk-Net can be assigned to no platform, one platform or several platforms (e.g. to the website, the printed magazine and to a newsletter).

Each one of these platforms can be connected to a different external content management system.

Data is sent over to that external system only if the story is assigned to that platform.

When to Use It?

This is the best option when you need just the data for one platform in the other system.

Example: You use WordPress to manage just one specific site, not as a headless CMS that sends data to various sources.

About 2. Global Integration

Short Description

The data of a story in Desk-Net is sent to another system regardless of the number of platforms assigned to it.

When to Use it?

Preferably use this option when you integrate Desk-Net with a headless CMS from which you distribute content into various directions.

Documentation

• Description of the available webhooks / JSON
• API documentation

About 3. Message Queue Integration

Short Description

Instead of sending data straight from Desk-Net to another system this option uses a message queue in between.

Whenever a new story is created or an existing one updated Desk-Net sends a notification to a message queue. 

The external system subscribes to these messages. Once a message has been received it then queries the Desk-Net API to retrieve the data of that story.

When to Use it?

Desk-Net customers prefer to use this option when they are looking for a very secure way to integrate Desk-Net with an on-premise system.

In other cases they use the message queue as a buffer between Desk-Net and the other system in order to increase the integration resilience in case one of the systems is down.

Diagram: Integration options