Pieces & Integrations

How Activepieces talks to external services: the packaged integrations (pieces) and the stored credentials that authenticate them.

Language

Piece: A packaged integration (npm package) that provides triggers and actions for a specific service or capability. Avoid: connector, plugin, integration, app

Piece Metadata: The registry entry for an installed piece — name, version, auth schema, available actions/triggers.

App Connection: A stored set of credentials (OAuth2, API key, basic auth, etc.) used by pieces to authenticate with external services. Avoid: credential, auth, integration key

Connection Type: The authentication strategy for a connection: OAUTH2, CLOUD_OAUTH2, PLATFORM_OAUTH2, SECRET_TEXT, BASIC_AUTH, CUSTOM_AUTH, NO_AUTH. Avoid: auth type

Global Connection: A platform-scoped App Connection shared across all projects (scope = PLATFORM). Avoid: shared connection

OAuth App: Custom OAuth2 client credentials registered per piece to override Activepieces defaults.

externalId: A stable UUID used to cross-reference flows or connections across imports, templates, and environments.