Build Custom Middleware to Connect Your Business Systems
Creating custom middleware involves building a central API to translate data between your existing software. This process requires defining data maps, handling authentication, and writing code to manage API calls.
Syntora specializes in designing and building custom middleware for system integration, enabling disparate platforms to communicate efficiently. Our approach focuses on developing robust API-driven solutions using modern serverless architectures. This expertise allows us to engineer tailored integrations to address complex data flow challenges.
The scope of an integration project hinges on the number of systems involved and the complexity of the data transformations needed. For instance, connecting two systems with a few standardized data fields typically involves a shorter engagement than integrating multiple legacy platforms with inconsistent data formats, which would require more extensive discovery and custom logic.
What Problem Does This Solve?
Many businesses start with task-based automation platforms. They're great for simple triggers, like sending a Slack message when a new lead arrives. But they fail when real business logic is needed. A workflow that must check inventory in one system and a customer's credit in another before creating an invoice requires duplicating logic, which doubles task usage and cost.
A regional insurance agency with 6 adjusters tried connecting their claims management system to their accounting software. The platform's webhook listener had a 30-second timeout. If the accounting system's API took 31 seconds to respond during peak hours, the entire workflow would fail silently. This resulted in 15% of invoices being dropped, discovered only at the end of the month.
These platforms are designed for linear, stateless tasks. They cannot manage complex state, handle multi-step transactions with rollbacks, or provide the detailed, structured logging needed to debug production issues. When a process is critical to revenue, you cannot rely on a system that treats every API call as an isolated, billable task with no transactional guarantee.
How Would Syntora Approach This?
Syntora would begin by auditing your existing systems and mapping every relevant data field between source and destination. We would use tools like Postman to document each service's authentication method (such as OAuth2 or API Key) and API rate limits. For an integration between a CRM and an ERP, this discovery phase typically involves identifying and mapping 20-30 distinct fields and defining transformation rules, an activity that usually takes 3-4 days.
We would build the core logic as a FastAPI application in Python. Our approach emphasizes creating functions that are idempotent and transactional, ensuring data consistency even if operations are retried. We would use httpx for asynchronous, parallel API calls, enabling simultaneous querying of multiple systems to optimize processing time. All logs would be written as structured JSON using structlog, facilitating instant searchability within platforms like AWS CloudWatch.
The FastAPI application would be deployed as a serverless function on AWS Lambda. This architecture offers automatic scaling and, for typical usage patterns, aims for operational costs under $20 per month for up to 1 million invocations. For any data requiring temporary storage or caching between API calls, we would implement a Supabase Postgres database. This design provides a production-grade service without the overhead of managing dedicated servers.
The delivered system would include built-in health checks and monitoring. We would configure AWS CloudWatch alarms to notify stakeholders of critical events, such as sustained high error rates or unusual latency, sending alerts to a dedicated Slack channel for prompt investigation. As part of our engagement, we would provide a comprehensive runbook detailing how to interpret and respond to these alerts, ensuring your team can effectively manage the system post-delivery.
What Are the Key Benefits?
Your Systems Integrated in 3 Weeks
From initial API audit to live production deployment in 15 business days. Stop manual data entry this month, not next quarter.
Pay Once, Own It Forever
A single, fixed-price build gets you the full source code in your company's GitHub. No recurring license fees that punish you for growing.
Code You Can Actually Read
You receive the complete Python source code, documentation, and a Postman collection to test every endpoint. No black boxes or vendor lock-in.
Alerts Before Your Users Complain
We configure CloudWatch alarms to detect API failures or latency spikes over 2 seconds, sending alerts directly to Slack.
Connects Anything with an API
We build integrations for CRMs, ERPs, and industry-specific platforms for property management, logistics, and professional services.
What Does the Process Look Like?
Week 1: Scoping and API Access
You provide API credentials for the systems you want to connect. We audit the endpoints, document data schemas, and deliver a detailed integration map for your approval.
Week 2: Core Logic Development
We write the Python code for the middleware service. You receive daily updates and access to a staging environment to see progress.
Week 3: Deployment and Testing
We deploy the service to AWS Lambda and run end-to-end tests with your live data. You receive the full source code in your GitHub repository.
Weeks 4-6: Monitoring and Handoff
We monitor the live system for performance and errors. At the end of the period, we deliver a runbook and transition to an optional monthly support plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does a typical custom integration cost?
- Pricing depends on the number of systems and the complexity of the business logic. A two-system integration is a smaller scope than a four-system integration with conditional logic and data enrichment. We provide a fixed-price quote after a 30-minute discovery call where we review the specific APIs and requirements.
- What happens when an external API we rely on changes or goes down?
- The middleware is built with error handling and retry logic. If an API is temporarily down, it will retry the request 3 times with exponential backoff. If an API change breaks the integration, it triggers a CloudWatch alarm. Our optional maintenance plan covers fixing these issues within one business day.
- Why not just hire a freelance developer on Upwork?
- A freelancer can write code, but Syntora delivers a production-ready system. This includes deployment on AWS Lambda, structured logging with structlog, monitoring via CloudWatch, and a runbook for handoff. You are not just buying lines of Python; you are buying a reliable, observable system built by an engineer who has done this exact work before.
- Can this middleware handle high data volumes?
- Yes, the AWS Lambda architecture is designed for scale. It can handle thousands of concurrent requests without any configuration changes. We built a system for a logistics company that processes over 50,000 shipment updates per day. The serverless model means you only pay for the compute you use, whether it's 100 or 100,000 transactions.
- Do we need an engineering team to maintain this?
- No. The system is designed for low-touch maintenance. Common issues, like an expired API key, are documented in the runbook and can be fixed by a non-technical person. For code-level changes, we offer a flat monthly support plan, which is more cost-effective than hiring a full-time engineer for a system that rarely needs changes.
- What kind of systems can you not integrate?
- We only integrate systems that provide a modern, documented REST or GraphQL API. We do not work with systems that require screen scraping, desktop automation, or access via legacy protocols like SOAP or FTP. Our process relies on stable, documented APIs to ensure reliability. We can determine this on our initial discovery call.
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