Solving API Timeouts with Connectors + Application Triggers
We've published a new workflow tutorial that shows how to handle a common integration challenge: what happens when your external system takes longer to process than Front's API timeout allows?
The scenario: You trigger an API call from Front (creating an order, generating a document, processing a complex workflow), the record is created successfully in your external system, but Front times out before receiving the response. Your downstream automations never fire because Front never got the critical data back, such as the new order’s unique identifier.
The solution uses a callback pattern combining:
- App requests (Connectors) to initiate the process via macros
- App objects (Connectors) to mark conversations waiting for data
- Webhooks from your external system when processing completes
- Application triggers to receive that data back into Front
- Rules to execute your downstream automations
We walk through a complete end-to-end example using a transportation management system, but this pattern works for any industry where external processing times are unpredictable: complex CRM workflows, document generation, approval chains, compliance systems—anywhere you need bulletproof automation regardless of processing time.
Have questions about implementing this in your workflow? Drop them in the comments. This is a powerful pattern with several moving parts, and we're here to help you adapt it to your specific use case.