Authentication Methods for SyteLine REST APIs
SyteLine supports three primary authentication approaches for REST API consumers. 0 with client credentials or authorization code flows, issuing JWT bearer tokens scoped to specific ION suites. Direct IFS (Infor Filing System) and IDO REST endpoints accept Basic Authentication over TLS, where the credentials map to a SyteLine user with IDO security permissions.
For service-to-service integrations through Infor OS, you provision an ION API Client ID and Secret in the Infor ION API Admin portal, then exchange them for a time-limited access token via the /connect/token endpoint.
- ION API OAuth 2.0: register an API client in Infor ION API Admin under Authorized Apps > Backend Service
- Token endpoint: POST https://{tenant}.inforcloudsuite.com/{tenant}/as/token.oauth2 with grant_type=client_credentials
- Bearer token usage: include Authorization: Bearer {access_token} header on every REST request to the ION API Gateway
- Basic Auth for on-premise: encode SyteLine username:password as Base64 in the Authorization header over HTTPS only
- Token expiry: ION access tokens expire in 3600 seconds by default; implement token refresh logic before expiry
Configuring OAuth 2.0 for CloudSuite Industrial
For cloud-hosted CloudSuite Industrial environments, the ION API Gateway is the standard entry point. Start by creating an Authorized App in the ION API Admin console, selecting Backend Service for server-to-server integrations or Web for browser-based apps. ionapi credentials file, which contains the client ID, client secret, token URL, and ION API base URL.
Your integration application reads this file at startup and uses the credentials to request an access token. The token is then passed as a Bearer header on all subsequent API calls to CloudSuite Industrial REST endpoints exposed through ION.
- Create Authorized App: ION API Admin > Authorized Apps > Add (+) > select Backend Service type
- Download .ionapi file containing ci, cs, iu, pu, oa, and ot fields for your integration configuration
- Parse the .ionapi JSON: ci = client_id, cs = client_secret, pu + oa = token URL construction
- Request token: POST to {pu}{oa} with client_id, client_secret, and grant_type=client_credentials
- Scope permissions: assign the app to the ION API Suite linked to your CloudSuite Industrial tenant
Security Best Practices for API Authentication
API credentials are the keys to your ERP data, and their compromise can expose financial records, customer information, and manufacturing secrets. Store credentials in a secrets manager such as Azure Key Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or HashiCorp Vault rather than in application configuration files or environment variables. Rotate client secrets on a quarterly schedule and immediately after any suspected exposure.
Implement token caching to avoid requesting new tokens on every API call, but also handle token revocation gracefully by catching 401 responses and re-authenticating automatically.
- Never store client secrets in source code, config files, or environment variables accessible to developers
- Use a secrets manager: Azure Key Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or Infor OS Vault for cloud deployments
- Implement automatic token refresh: cache the token with its expiry timestamp and refresh 60 seconds before expiration
- Log authentication failures with source IP and timestamp for security audit trails without logging credential values
- Create dedicated API service accounts per integration with minimum necessary IDO security permissions
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