API Landscape
Propeller has two API surfaces that serve fundamentally different use cases. By the end of this page you will know which API to use for any given task in your implementation.
GraphQL API (for frontends)
The GraphQL API is designed for building customer-facing experiences: webshops, customer portals, dealer portals and any interface where end users browse products, place orders or manage their accounts.
Use GraphQL when you need to:
- Display products, categories, pricing and media
- Manage shopping carts and checkout flows
- Handle customer authentication and account features
- Build quote request (RFQ) flows
- Create order history and reorder functionality
- Build search and filtering interfaces
Why GraphQL for frontends? GraphQL lets you request exactly the data you need in a single query, which is ideal for frontend performance. You avoid over-fetching (getting fields you don't display) and under-fetching (needing multiple round-trips). A single query can retrieve nested, related data that would otherwise require multiple sequential REST calls.
The Storefront SDK provides a Next.js boilerplate with pre-built UI components that use the GraphQL API. It is the recommended starting point for new frontend projects.
REST API (for integrations)
The REST API is designed for connecting business systems: ERP, PIM, CRM, warehouse management and other backend applications that need to exchange data with Propeller.
Use REST when you need to:
- Import or sync products, categories and attributes from an external system
- Sync pricing from an ERP
- Export orders for fulfillment
- Sync customer and company data with a CRM
- Update inventory levels from a warehouse system
- Perform bulk data operations
Why REST for integrations? REST provides predictable, resource-oriented endpoints optimized for bulk operations and system-to-system communication. Each resource (products, orders, companies, etc.) has standard CRUD operations with consistent patterns.
When to use which
| Scenario | API | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Display product catalog in a webshop | GraphQL | Flexible queries for UI rendering |
| Import 10,000 products from PIM | REST | Bulk endpoints designed for batch operations |
| Add item to shopping cart | GraphQL | Frontend interaction, needs low latency |
| Sync order status to ERP | REST | System-to-system data exchange |
| Show customer-specific pricing | GraphQL | Frontend needs to display prices per user |
| Update inventory from warehouse | REST | Backend system pushing data to Propeller |
| Build a search/filter interface | GraphQL | Complex queries with nested data |
| Create companies and contacts from CRM | REST | Bulk entity management |
Both APIs read from and write to the same Propeller platform. A product created via REST is immediately queryable via GraphQL. An order placed via GraphQL is immediately available via REST. There is no sync delay between the two surfaces.
MCP Server (for AI-assisted development)
Propeller provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects to the GraphQL API. MCP is an open standard that lets AI assistants and LLMs interact with external tools and data sources.
The Propeller MCP server allows an AI assistant to introspect the GraphQL schema, discover available queries and mutations, and execute them dynamically. This makes it useful for exploring what the API offers, validating queries against the live schema and prototyping integrations through natural language.
You can connect the MCP server to any MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor or your own application. Reach out to your Propeller account manager for access.
Next: Environments and Access
Get your API credentials and make your first connection.