There are four ways to connect your memberarea to other tools. They differ in direction, in how much you have to build yourself and in the plan they need.
The four ways at a glance
| Way | What it does | Direction | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| The MemberArea app in Zapier | Triggers, actions and searches, built in Zapier's editor | Both ways | Professional and above |
| Make | Receives what your automations here send to a Make custom webhook | Out of your memberarea | Every plan |
| A webhook | Sends signed events about orders, subscriptions and members to an address of your own | Out of your memberarea | Every plan with payments |
| The REST API | Your own program or script reads and writes with an API key | Both ways | Every paid plan |
The MemberArea app in Zapier
The most complete way and the one that needs no code. A Zap can start on almost anything that happens here, and its actions can create members, tag them, enrol them in courses or answer in the inbox. You build it in Zapier's editor or in the builder on the Zapier page of your memberarea.
Pick it when the other tool is one of the thousands Zapier knows and you would rather click than program. The article on connecting Zapier gets you started, and what your memberarea can do in a Zap lists every step.
Make
Make, formerly Integromat, can receive data from your memberarea. Add the Make (Integromat) entry under Settings, then Integrations, paste the address of a Make custom webhook as the Webhook URL, and use the action Send to Make in an automation here. Each run then posts the member to Make.
There is no MemberArea app in the Make directory yet. A Make scenario that calls the REST API itself may be recognised as an automation platform, and then it needs the Professional plan, like Zapier.
The same works for Zapier: the Zapier entry in the integrations takes a Zapier Catch Hook address, and Send to Zapier posts to it. That path needs no particular plan, because your memberarea sends and Zapier only listens.
A webhook
A webhook sends a message to an address of your own whenever something happens, for example when an order is paid or a subscription ends. You set it up under Payments, then Settings, then Webhooks, choose the events, and every delivery carries a signature your server can check. The log shows each delivery and lets you send it again.
Pick it when a developer runs the receiving side, or when you only need to pass events on. A Zapier Catch Hook address works here as well. The article on webhooks for payment events covers the setup.
The REST API
Everything the Zapier app does goes through the REST API, and your own software can use it directly. Create an API key under Settings, then API, decide what the key may do, and send requests to api.memberarea.io/api/v1. The API is part of every paid plan, so the WordPress plugin and your own scripts run on Starter as well.
Pick it when you want full control, for example to sync members with a system of your own. The article on API keys and developer access explains keys and permissions.
Which one to choose
- Something here should start work in another tool, and back again: the Zapier app.
- An automation here should hand a member over to Zapier or Make: Send to Zapier or Send to Make with a catch hook.
- Your own server should learn about payments as they happen: a webhook.
- A developer builds the connection: the REST API, with webhooks for the events.
- You are on Starter: webhooks, the catch hooks and the REST API work; the Zapier app and Make scenarios that call the API need the Professional plan.