REST API drivers & connectors
for data integration
Connect to REST Services through easy-to-use bi-directional data drivers. Easily integrate REST data with BI, reporting, analytics, ETL tools, and custom solutions.
Do more with REST API data
REST API data integration
Access REST API data in all of the systems you use every day, including BI & analytics tools, databases, data warehouses, and custom apps. Customers commonly use CData's REST API connectivity to:
- A much faster, easier, and more flexible way to integrate REST-based services into your ecosystem—without custom coding or deeply understanding the API's structure
- Use REST APIs as data sources in BI tools, ETL workflows, or even apps—without building connectors from scratch.
- Automatically creates a metadata model from your REST API: Tables = endpoints, Columns = JSON fields, Relationships = nested objects
- Transparently handles OAuth 2.0 / token refresh, Pagination (offset, cursor, page-based), Nested JSON parsing, Rate limiting/retries, and more.
Try CData REST Connectors
Powering Connectivity For Users Worldwide
Office Depot Leverages CData to 'Lift and Shift' Critical Data and Enable Analytics Integration
“CData allows us to take that Snowflake data and put it in a cube with that sub-two second response time our end-users are looking for.”
— Daniel Ligas
Office Depot IT Architect
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Belden Supports Growing Marketing Requests by Centralizing Data Access in the Cloud
“CData connects our Tableau to Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Salesforce. Now we’ve also got connectors set up for Pardot, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. And I have all these things all in one place with no upkeep on my end.”
— Paul Summitt
Belden D&A IT Supervisor
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Logi Analytics Brings Real-Time Data to Analytics Dashboards for SaaS
“As we expand into and serve new industries and markets, having broad-spectrum data connectivity within our products will improve our ability to support additional customers and data reporting scenarios”
— Jaimi Panini
VP of Product & Development for Logi Analytics
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The CData difference
Our standards-based approach to connectivity streamlines data access and insulates usrs from the complexities of integrating REST API data.
Unparalleled REST Connectivity
Get full access to your REST data wherever you need it. CData is the undisputed leader in REST connectivity providing the most comprehensive access to live REST data anywhere. Thousands of customers and hundreds of leading data ISVs rely on our connectivity to make the most of their data.
Fastest time to value
Reduce reducing development cycles and accelerating the overall time to market. Our pre-built, optimized connectors eliminate the need for complex custom development, allowing for fast, secure access to Workday data.
Unbeatable price-performance
By standardizing and streamlining how systems interact with REST our products reduce development costs and timelines, slash architectural complexity.
Blazing data access
Our REST connectivity is fast — really fast. In fact, over twice as fast as other solutions. Our engineers have optimized our drivers for maximum performance all the way down to the socket level, delivering truly exceptional data access.
Future-proof integration
We continuously test against changes in the REST APIs & protocols used to connect, preventing downtime in your data and analytics processes.
Enterprise-class technical support
CData is dedicated to helping you find success with REST. We work as an extension of your team to help solve your toughest data challenges. Thousands of customers and hundreds of ISVs rely on our services to make the most of their data.
REST data for AI agents and assistants
REST API MCP server connectivity for AI
Enable AI agents, assistants, and workflows to access REST data to improve output, tailoring responses to your actual business data and reducing hallucinations.
- Let executives, PMs, and analysts use natural language to query live Access data — without needing SQL, BI tools, or training.
- Secure data controls. Users authenticate with their own credentials using the source's most trusted form of authentication to connect to the AI client.
- With query pushdown, parallel execution, and bulk operations, the REST API MCP server delivers fast answers from even the largest orgs
REST connectivity for BI & analytics
Live REST API access for analytics
Access REST data in all of the systems you use every day, including BI & analytics tools, databases, data warehouses, and custom apps.
- Connect REST API (and any other data source) to your favorite analytics, automation, or data management app without moving data
- Bi-directional REST API connectivity through common data endpoints
- Enable REST API governability and data privacy with user-level permissioning at the source level.
REST ETL, replication, & data warehousing
Automate REST API data replication
CData Sync automatically replicates data from hundreds of on-premises and cloud data sources — like REST — to any modern database, data lake, or data warehouse.
- Create automated REST data flows in minutes with point-and-click data replication
- Facilitate reporting, business intelligence, and analytics for decision support
- Archive data for disaster recovery
Consolidate REST API data management
Data management integration enables organizations to better manage their human resources data, optimize decision-making, and ensure compliance with data governance policies. Technologies like ODBC, JDBC, and ADO easily connect with all kinds of popular data management applications.
Connect REST to data management systems to:
- Provide a single, accurate source of truth for employee and resource data.
- Ensure consistency, data quality, and integration across systems.
- Improve data discoverability, governance, and compliance, allowing for easy tracking, auditing, and efficient data use across the organization.
Connect to REST APIs with no-code
REST is often at the center of a wide range of repetitive tasks. With low-code/no-code tools, users can automate these tasks reducing manual effort and errors.
- Customize REST and integrate it with other systems (like CRM, HR, or accounting software) without writing complex code.
- Create custom dashboards, reports, or data visualizations by integrating REST data with other systems.
Build fully-integrated custom applications
From custom AI and analytics to performance managemement and learning platforms, developers are leveraging our drivers to power all kinds of real-time integrations with REST.
What is a REST driver?
A REST driver is a software library that enables applications to interact with REST as though it were a traditional database. These drivers simplify communication by abstracting API complexities, presenting Salesforce data in a structured, database-like format.
What is a REST connector?
A REST connector is a tailored integration designed to allow proprietary applications or unique systems to seamlessly interact with REST. Built on the same robust engine as our REST drivers, these connectors provide effortless real-time access to REST data for extended application functionality.
How is developing with a REST driver different?
Drivers streamline integration by abstracting REST APIs, allowing you to access its data through standard interfaces like SQL, making them perfect for data-focused applications.
- Pragmatic API Integration: from SDKs to Data Drivers
- Data APIs: Gateway to Data Driven Operation & Digital Transformation
Embedding CData Connectivity
Virtualize access to REST API data
Data virtualization tools helps organizations achieve better data access, more agile decision-making, and greater efficiency in managing data across diverse systems.
Integrating REST with data virtualization tools allows organizations to combine this data with other sources like ERP systems, CRM platforms, or financial databases without physically moving or duplicating data. This unified access enables faster, more efficient decision-making.
Connect to live REST API data in spreadsheets
Work with live REST API data seamlessly in Excel and Google Sheets.
- Always work with live REST data — no more downloading, copying, and pasting
- Filter and get just the attributes and data you actually need
- Refresh data with a click or set a schedule
- Update REST records right from your spreadsheet
Frequently asked REST API integration questions
Common questions about REST drivers & connectors for data and analytics integration
How does the REST Driver work?
The REST driver acts like a bridge that facilitates communication between various applications and REST, allowing the application to read, write, and update data as if it were a relational database. The REST driver abstracts the complexities of REST APIs, authentication methods, and data types, making it simple for any application to connect to REST data in real-time via standard SQL queries.
How is using the REST Driver different than connecting to the REST API?
Working with a REST Driver is different than connecting with REST through other means. REST API integrations require technical experience from a software developer or IT resources. Additionally, due to the constant evolution of APIs and services, once you build your integration you have to constantly maintain REST integration code moving forward.
By comparison, our REST Drivers offer codeless access to live REST data for both technical and non-technical users alike. Any user can install our drivers and begin working with live REST data from any client application. Because our drivers conform to standard data interfaces like ODBC, JDBC, ADO.NET etc. they offer a consistent, maintenance-free interface to REST data. We manage all of the complexities of REST integration within each driver and deploy updated drivers as systems evolve so your applications continue to run seamlessly.
How is a REST Driver different than a REST connector?
Many organizations draw attention to their library of connectors. After all, data connectivity is a core capability needed for applications to maximize their business value. However, it is essential to understand exactly what you are getting when evaluating connectivity. Some vendors are happy to offer connectors that implement basic proof-of-concept level connectivity. These connectors may highlight the possibilities of working with REST, but often only provide a fraction of capability. Finding real value from these connectors usually requires additional IT or development resources.
Unlike these POC-quality connectors, every CData REST driver offers full-featured REST data connectivity. The CData REST drivers support extensive REST integration, providing access to all of the REST data and meta-data needed by enterprise integration or analytics projects. Each driver contains a powerful embedded SQL engine that offers applications easy and high-performance access to all REST data. In addition, our drivers offer robust authentication and security capabilities, allowing users to connect securely across a wide range of enterprise configurations. Compare drivers and connectors to read more about some of the benefits of CData's driver connectivity.
Is REST SQL based?
With our drivers and connectors, every data source is essentially SQL-based. The CData REST driver contains a full SQL-92 compliant engine that translates standard SQL queries into REST API calls dynamically. Queries are parsed and optimized for each data source, pushing down as much of the request to REST as possible. Any logic that can not be pushed to REST is handled transparently client-side by the driver/connector engine. Ultimately, this means that REST looks and acts exactly like a database to any client application or tool. Users can integrate live REST connectivity with ANY software solution that can talk to a standard database.
What data can I access with the REST driver?
What does REST integrate with?
Using the CData REST drivers and connectors, REST can be easily integrated with almost any application. Any software or technology that can integrate with a database or connect with standards-based drivers like ODBC, JDBC, ADO.NET, etc., can use our drivers for live REST data connectivity. Explore some of the more popular REST data integrations online.
How can I enable REST Analytics?
REST Analytics is universally supported for BI and data science. In addition, CData provides native client connectors for popular analytics applications like Power BI, Tableau, and Excel that simplify REST data integration. Additionally, native Python connectors are widely available for data science and data engineering projects that integrate seamlessly with popular tools like Pandas, SQLAlchemy, Dash, and Petl.
How can I support REST Data Integration?
REST data integration is typically enabled with CData Sync, a robust any-to-any data pipeline solution that is easy to set up, runs everywhere, and offers comprehensive enterprise-class features for data engineering. CData Sync makes it easy to replicate REST data any database or data warehouse, and maintain parity between systems with automated incremental REST replication. In addition, our REST drivers and connectors can be easily embedded into a wide range of data integration tools to augment existing solutions.
Does REST Integrate with Excel?
Absolutely. CData offers native Excel Add-Ins for REST integration. These Add-Ins provide live access to REST data directly from Microsoft Excel.
Using the REST API drivers
- REST Integration Guides and Tutorials
- Choosing the Best Method to Connect REST to SQL Server: 5 Options Explained
- Use the CData Software JDBC Driver for REST in MicroStrategy
- Using the CData Software ODBC Driver for REST in PyCharm
- Getting Started with the CData Python Connector for REST
- Automated Continuous REST Replication to Azure SQL Database
- Excel Spreadsheet Automation on REST with the QUERY Formula
- Build Data Flows from REST to SQL Server using SSIS
- Visualize REST in TIBCO Spotfire through OData
Related Blog Articles
- How to Build a REST API: A Step-By-Step Guide
- API Server Overview: REST APIs for Your Data
- Announcing the CData Sync Q4 2023 Release
- Explore the 2024.3 Update for CData Drivers and Connectors
- CData Arc Q2 2025 Release: Enhanced Message Routing, Connectivity, and EDI Governance
- Connect Node-RED to API Server and Let Your Data Flow
- Introducing the CData Arc Q3 2024 Version Release
- Making Stripe Data AI-Ready: Comparing CData and Native MCP Servers
- The Best Way to Embed Elasticsearch
- Instantly Generate and Manage APIs from Any Data Source with CData API Server
