What is iPaaS (integration platform as a service)?

In practice

The honest comparison is not platform cost against developer cost. It is total cost including what happens when a flow needs branching logic the visual editor cannot express, when you need the same flow in a test environment, and when the person who built it leaves. Visual flows are readable at ten steps and unreadable at eighty.

Where it fits in a build

Strong fit for connecting mainstream SaaS products with modest logic between them. Weaker fit for the core of an operational system, where you want the process in code, in version control, with tests.

Common mistakes

• Putting business-critical logic in a visual flow with no version history or review.
• Pricing per task without modelling growth, then being surprised by the renewal.
• Using an iPaaS as a queue, which it is not, and losing events under load.

Related terms

• System integration
• API

Working on something that involves this?

ASTACKRA designs and builds AI systems, automation and custom software for businesses that need technology shaped around their own workflow. If this term turned up in a proposal and you want a straight answer about whether it applies to your situation, ask us — no obligation, and we will tell you if the answer is no.