Zapier: methods and functional background

Zapier is an integration platform that connects i-Reserve to thousands of other applications — without programming. i-Reserve is an app within Zapier that is accessible to everyone. This article covers the functional background; the concrete steps are in Setting up the Zapier connection.

Zaps: triggers, actions and searches

In Zapier a link is called a Zap. A Zap has two or more steps, built from:

• Triggers — an event that starts the Zap (for example a new reservation in i-Reserve).
• Actions — something that gets executed (for example creating a customer or sending an email).
• Searches — looking up existing data to build on.

More background on this model is at What is an integration platform.

Authentication: OAuth with a connection user

To use i-Reserve in a Zap you need a connection to your environment. That connection uses:

• An OAuth client (client ID + secret) in i-Reserve — see Setting OAuth Clients.
• A connection user whose rights determine what the Zap is allowed to do in i-Reserve.

Zapier or Power Automate?

Choose Zapier for a very broad set of (often non-Microsoft) apps and a quick start without a Microsoft environment. If your organisation already runs on Microsoft 365, look at Power Automate.