Connect Releases

Connect is now available on Azure in Europe (Frankfurt), in addition to the existing Regions available on Azure (North America) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). For more information about host URLs, see Hosts.

You can now share configuration values across all your Connect applications. This helps ensure consistency, reduce redundancy, and simplify your configuration management.

To create a global configuration value, open connect.yaml and add the relevant fields to the new inheritAs property.

You can now use our fulfillment integration template to develop Connect applications which integrate with external fulfillment services.

By using this template, you can reduce your implementation time while also ensuring you follow best practices for integrating with third-party services.

The commercetools Connect CLI helps manage Connectors during development and production deployment. It provides a faster way to interact with commercetools Connect, reducing development time and maintenance needs. It also enables more complex CI/CD pipelines.

With the Connect CLI, you can:

• Log in to and authenticate with commercetools.
• Update and manage ConnectorStaged.
• Bootstrap a new Connector from a starter template or from one of our application templates.
• Validate Connectors locally.
• Package your code and test the dependencies locally to ensure they are loading correctly.
• Locally test the application's build and debug any incorrect dependencies.
• Run a local instance of the application in a local container.
• Validate local tests that are included in the application.
• Automatically install dependencies during project initialization.

Connect now supports deployments on Azure in North America, in addition to the existing Regions on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). For more information about host URLs, see Hosts.

Changes:

• [API] Added https://connect.eastus.azure.commercetools.com/ to Hosts.
• [API] Added eastus.azure to Region.
• [API] Added connectionString to ApplicationDeployment.
• [Script execution] Added CONNECT_PROVIDER to Extra environment variables to identify the cloud provider.
• [Script execution] Added CONNECT_AZURE_CONNECTION_STRING to Extra environment variables to configure Azure Service Bus as a Destination for Subscriptions.

To include the eastus.azure Region, we recommend you update the following libraries for existing Connectors of type merchant-center-custom-application:

• @commercetools-frontend/actions-global
• @commercetools-frontend/application-components
• @commercetools-frontend/application-config
• @commercetools-frontend/application-shell
• @commercetools-frontend/application-shell-connectors
• @commercetools-frontend/assets
• @commercetools-frontend/constants
• @commercetools-frontend/eslint-config-mc-app
• @commercetools-frontend/i18n
• @commercetools-frontend/jest-preset-mc-app
• @commercetools-frontend/l10n
• @commercetools-frontend/mc-dev-authentication
• @commercetools-frontend/mc-scripts
• @commercetools-frontend/permissions

You can now create and use common modules to share code between multiple Connect applications within a single Connector. This helps improve code efficiency, reduce implementation and maintenance time, and decrease potential bugs and inconsistencies.

For more information about how to create a common module, see Sharing code between Connect applications.

You can now use our application templates to help you get started with developing Connect applications.

By using these templates, you can reduce your implementation time while also ensuring you follow best practices for integrating with third-party services. We've introduced templates for the following use cases:

• Payment integration
• Product export
• Tax integration
• Transactional emails

To help you filter Deployments, we've added the deploymentType query parameter to the Query Deployments endpoint. This allows you to filter results based on the type: preview or production.

• [API] Added deploymentType query parameter to Query Deployments endpoint.

You can now create and deploy assets applications using commercetools Connect. Assets applications allow you to host static content with CDN capabilities.

To include an assets application in your Connector, set applicationType to assets in your connect.yaml file. For more information, see Developing a Connect application.

Changes:

• [API] Added assets to the applicationType field on ConnectorConfigurationApplication.

You can now create Custom Applications with the application entry point URI path (entryPointUriPath) as an environment variable in connect.yaml.

When creating Custom Applications, the environment variables ENTRY_POINT_URI_PATH and CUSTOM_APPLICATION_ID in connect.yaml are now required and reserved for the application entry point URI path and application ID. In addition, the endpoint field is now not required in connect.yaml for Custom Applications. These changes provide greater flexibility when deploying Custom Applications using Connect.

For more information, see Deploy to commercetools Connect.

You can now update a Connector when redeploying a Deployment. By setting the updateConnector property to true on the Redeploy update action, you can ensure that the Connector is updated to its latest state.

The integrationTypes field is now available for ConnectorStaged and Connector. This lets you categorize Connectors based on their integration type. By adding integrationTypes to your ConnectorStaged, you can filter the results of queries and searches for ConnectorStaged, Connectors, and Deployments.

Changes:

• [API] Added integrationTypes field to ConnectorStagedDraft.
• [API] Added integrationTypes field to ConnectorStaged.
• [API] Added integrationTypes field to Connector.
• [API] Added Set Integration Types update action to the Connectors Staged API.
• [API] Added query parameter integrationTypes to the Query ConnectorStaged endpoint.
• [API] Added query parameter integrationTypes to the Search Connectors endpoint.
• [API] Added query parameter integrationTypes to the Query Deployments endpoint.

The version field of ConnectorReference is now deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Before its removal, it has changed from being required to optional. This change eases the deployment of Connectors because you can now deploy a Connector without needing to specify its version, as the latest version is used by default.

Changes:

• [API] Made version optional on ConnectorReference.

The applicationType for Custom Applications in connect.yaml has changed from mc-app to merchant-center-custom-application.

Connectors created before this change are unaffected and can still be published, certified, and deployed.

You can now create and deploy Custom Applications using commercetools Connect. This allows you to extend the functionality of the Merchant Center without needing to maintain dedicated hosting.

To include a Custom Application in your Connector, set applicationType to mc-app in your connect.yaml file. For more information, see Developing a Connect application.

Changes:

• [API] Added mc-app to the applicationType field on ConnectorConfigurationApplication.

You can now specify required environment variables and their default values for standard configurations and required environment variables for secure configurations in connect.yaml. By defining environment variables as required, you ensure that those deploying your Connector know what values are required. Including a default value for standard configurations also ensures there is a fallback value.

Changes:

• [API] Added required to StandardConfigurationKey on ConnectorStaged.
• [API] Added default to StandardConfigurationKey on ConnectorStaged.
• [API] Added required to SecuredConfigurationKey on ConnectorStaged.

After collecting feedback during the beta phase, we have moved commercetools Connect out of beta. The status of the following has been changed to general availability:

• Connector
• Connector Staged
• Deployments

commercetools Connect lets you:

• Create private integrations for use in your own Composable Commerce Projects, or public integrations that other Composable Commerce customers can deploy.
• Deploy publicly available integrations that have been certified to ensure functionality, security, and compatibility with Composable Commerce.
• Deploy integrations without needing to provision infrastructure and runtime environments.
• Manage all aspects of commercetools Connect, from configuration to certification and deployment, using the Connect API.

For support, contact the Connect support team.

The following improvements are now available for publishing and deployment of Connectors:

• When creating a production-ready or previewable Connector, you can now view errors and warnings about the release process using the publishingReport and previewableReport fields on ConnectorStaged.
• Errors and warnings are now available during the Deployment build process. This provides you with feedback regarding Connector development and highlights any issues that arise during deployment.
• You can now include a link to documentation and support channels within your Connector. By adding these links you can assist clients when they are deploying your Connector.
• You can now publish a private or public Connector to production with the Publish update action. This action replaces the Trigger Certification Process update action and allows that private connectors do not need certification. This improves flexibility for in-house Connector development and deployment.
• You can now deploy Connectors partially. This lets clients choose which Connect applications within a Connector they want to deploy.

Changes:

• [API] Added ConnectorReport to Connectors Staged.
• [API] Added documentationUrl field to ConnectorStagedDraft.
• [API] Added documentationUrl field to ConnectorStaged.
• [API] Added documentationUrl field to Connector.
• [API] Added Set Documentation URL update action to the Connectors Staged API.
• [API] Added supportUrl field to Creator.
• [API] Added logoUrl field to Creator.
• [API] Added Set Support URL update action to the Connectors Staged API.
• [API] Added Set Creator Logo update action to the Connectors Staged API.
• [API] Added noOfContributors field to Creator.
• [API] Removed noOfDevelopers field from Creator.
• [API] Added Set Number of Contributors update action to the Connectors Staged API.
• [API] Removed Set Number of Developers update action from the Connectors Staged API.
• [API] Added Publish Connector update action to the Connectors Staged API.
• [API] Removed Trigger Certification Process update action from the Connectors Staged API.
• [API] Added DeploymentReport to DeploymentDetailsBuild on Deployment.
• [API] Added the DeploymentApplicationDoNotBelong error code.
• [API] Added the DeploymentApplicationRequired error code.

You can now view the Deployment Logs of Deployments made using Connectors with previewable status. This change allows you to receive important feedback when testing and evaluating in-development Connectors.

We are launching commercetools Connect in public beta. With Connect, you gain access to a managed execution environment and infrastructure provided by commercetools for running integrations.

You can develop your own Connect applications, or take advantage of pre-built, certified integrations that simplify processes, reduce operational costs, and minimize implementation time by launching and installing the integration.

Connect provides the following features:

• You can create Connect applications, and they can be restricted to defined Projects or made universally available to all Projects.
• Connect applications are certified to ensure functionality, security, and compatibility with commercetools Composable Commerce.
• Connect provisions the infrastructure and runtime environment for running integrations. You do not need to maintain dedicated cloud infrastructure for hosting integrations.
• From configuration to certification and deployment, all aspects of Connect are managed through the Connect API.

To learn more about Connect, check the following links:

• Overview of Connect
• Getting started
• Develop a Connect application
• Contact the Connect support team