Checkstack Documentation

Integration Providers

This guide explains how to create custom integration providers that deliver platform events to external systems.

Overview

An integration provider is a plugin that handles event delivery to a specific external system. Examples include:

• Webhook: Generic HTTP POST to any endpoint
• Slack: Posts messages to Slack channels
• Jira: Creates or updates Jira issues
• PagerDuty: Triggers alerts in PagerDuty

Provider Interface

interface IntegrationProvider<TConfig, TConnection = undefined> {
  /** Local identifier, namespaced on registration */
  id: string;
  
  /** Display name for UI */
  displayName: string;
  
  /** Description of what this provider does */
  description?: string;
  
  /** Lucide icon name for UI */
  icon?: string;
  
  /** Per-subscription configuration schema */
  config: Versioned<TConfig>;
  
  /** Optional site-wide connection schema (for shared credentials) */
  connectionSchema?: Versioned<TConnection>;
  
  /** Events this provider can handle (undefined = all) */
  supportedEvents?: string[];
  
  /** Optional documentation for users */
  documentation?: ProviderDocumentation;
  
  /** Deliver an event to the external system */
  deliver(context: IntegrationDeliveryContext<TConfig>): Promise<IntegrationDeliveryResult>;
  
  /** Optional: Test the provider configuration */
  testConnection?(config: TConfig): Promise<TestConnectionResult>;
  
  /** Optional: Fetch dynamic options for cascading dropdowns */
  getConnectionOptions?(params: GetConnectionOptionsParams): Promise<ConnectionOption[]>;
}

Creating a Provider Plugin

1. Create the Plugin Package

mkdir -p plugins/integration-myservice-backend/src

package.json:

{
  "name": "@checkstack/integration-myservice-backend",
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "type": "module",
  "main": "src/index.ts",
  "dependencies": {
    "@checkstack/backend-api": "workspace:*",
    "@checkstack/integration-backend": "workspace:*",
    "@checkstack/integration-common": "workspace:*",
    "@checkstack/common": "workspace:*",
    "zod": "^4.2.1"
  }
}

2. Define the Configuration Schema

Use Zod to define the provider’s configuration. Use configString({ "x-secret": true }) for sensitive fields:

// src/provider.ts
import { z } from "zod";
import { Versioned, configString, configNumber } from "@checkstack/backend-api";

export const myServiceConfigSchemaV1 = z.object({
  // Required fields
  apiEndpoint: configString({}).url().describe("Service API endpoint"),
  
  // Secret fields (encrypted at rest)
  apiKey: configString({ "x-secret": true }).describe("API Key for authentication"),
  
  // Optional fields with defaults
  timeout: configNumber({})
    .min(1_000)
    .max(60_000)
    .default(10_000)
    .describe("Request timeout in milliseconds"),
  
  // Enum fields
  priority: z.enum(["low", "medium", "high"])
    .default("medium")
    .describe("Alert priority level"),
});

export type MyServiceConfig = z.infer<typeof myServiceConfigSchemaV1>;

3. Implement the Provider

// src/provider.ts (continued)
import type {
  IntegrationProvider,
  IntegrationDeliveryContext,
  IntegrationDeliveryResult,
  TestConnectionResult,
} from "@checkstack/integration-backend";

export const myServiceProvider: IntegrationProvider<MyServiceConfig> = {
  id: "myservice",
  displayName: "My Service",
  description: "Deliver events to My Service",
  icon: "Bell", // Lucide icon name

  config: new Versioned({
    version: 1,
    schema: myServiceConfigSchemaV1,
  }),

  // Optional: Limit which events this provider accepts
  // supportedEvents: ["incident.created", "incident.resolved"],

  async deliver(
    context: IntegrationDeliveryContext<MyServiceConfig>
  ): Promise<IntegrationDeliveryResult> {
    const { event, subscription, providerConfig, logger } = context;

    try {
      logger.debug(`Delivering to My Service: ${event.eventId}`);

      // Make the API call
      const response = await fetch(providerConfig.apiEndpoint, {
        method: "POST",
        headers: {
          "Content-Type": "application/json",
          "Authorization": `Bearer ${providerConfig.apiKey}`,
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({
          event_type: event.eventId,
          timestamp: event.timestamp,
          delivery_id: event.deliveryId,
          subscription_name: subscription.name,
          data: event.payload,
        }),
        signal: AbortSignal.timeout(providerConfig.timeout),
      });

      if (!response.ok) {
        const errorText = await response.text();
        return {
          success: false,
          error: `HTTP ${response.status}: ${errorText.slice(0, 200)}`,
          // Optionally request retry after delay
          retryAfterMs: response.status === 429 ? 60_000 : undefined,
        };
      }

      // Parse response to get external ID if available
      const json = await response.json();
      
      return {
        success: true,
        externalId: json.id, // ID from external system
      };
    } catch (error) {
      const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
      logger.error(`Delivery failed: ${message}`);

      // Network errors should trigger retry
      if (message.includes("timeout") || message.includes("ECONNREFUSED")) {
        return {
          success: false,
          error: message,
          retryAfterMs: 30_000,
        };
      }

      return {
        success: false,
        error: message,
      };
    }
  },

  // Optional: Test connection functionality
  async testConnection(config: MyServiceConfig): Promise<TestConnectionResult> {
    try {
      const response = await fetch(`${config.apiEndpoint}/health`, {
        method: "GET",
        headers: {
          "Authorization": `Bearer ${config.apiKey}`,
        },
        signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5_000),
      });

      if (response.ok) {
        return { success: true, message: "Connection successful" };
      }

      return {
        success: false,
        message: `Server returned ${response.status}`,
      };
    } catch (error) {
      return {
        success: false,
        message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Connection failed",
      };
    }
  },
};

4. Register the Provider

// src/index.ts
import { createBackendPlugin, coreServices } from "@checkstack/backend-api";
import { integrationProviderExtensionPoint } from "@checkstack/integration-backend";
import { definePluginMetadata } from "@checkstack/common";
import { myServiceProvider } from "./provider";

const pluginMetadata = definePluginMetadata({
  pluginId: "integration-myservice",
});

export default createBackendPlugin({
  metadata: pluginMetadata,

  register(env) {
    env.registerInit({
      deps: {
        logger: coreServices.logger,
      },
      init: async ({ logger }) => {
        logger.debug("Registering My Service Integration Provider...");

        // Get the integration provider extension point
        const extensionPoint = env.getExtensionPoint(
          integrationProviderExtensionPoint
        );

        // Register the provider
        extensionPoint.addProvider(myServiceProvider, pluginMetadata);

        logger.debug("My Service Integration Provider registered.");
      },
    });
  },
});

Delivery Context

The deliver() method receives a context object with:

interface IntegrationDeliveryContext<TConfig> {
  event: {
    eventId: string;      // Fully qualified: "incident.incident.created"
    payload: Record<string, unknown>;  // Event data
    timestamp: string;    // ISO timestamp
    deliveryId: string;   // Unique delivery attempt ID
  };
  subscription: {
    id: string;           // Subscription ID
    name: string;         // User-defined name
  };
  providerConfig: TConfig;  // Configuration for this subscription
  logger: IntegrationLogger;  // Scoped logger for tracing
}

Delivery Result

Return a result indicating success or failure:

interface IntegrationDeliveryResult {
  success: boolean;
  
  /** External ID from target system (e.g., Jira issue key) */
  externalId?: string;
  
  /** Error message if failed */
  error?: string;
  
  /** Request retry after this delay (triggers re-queue) */
  retryAfterMs?: number;
}

Retry Behavior

• Return retryAfterMs to request a retry after the specified delay
• The delivery coordinator uses exponential backoff: 1min, 5min, 15min
• Maximum 3 retry attempts before marking as permanently failed
• Network errors (timeout, connection refused) automatically trigger retry

Best Practices

1. Use configString({ "x-secret": true }) for sensitive config: API keys, tokens, passwords
2. Set reasonable timeouts: Default 10 seconds, allow user configuration
3. Parse error responses: Include meaningful error messages for debugging
4. Implement testConnection: Helps users validate their configuration
5. Log at appropriate levels: Use debug for success, error for failures
6. Handle rate limiting: Check for 429 responses and respect Retry-After headers
7. Return external IDs: Helps users correlate platform events with external records

Example: Slack Provider

export const slackProvider: IntegrationProvider<SlackConfig> = {
  id: "slack",
  displayName: "Slack",
  description: "Post messages to Slack channels",
  icon: "MessageSquare",

  config: new Versioned({
    version: 1,
    schema: z.object({
      webhookUrl: configString({ "x-secret": true }).describe("Slack Incoming Webhook URL"),
      channel: configString({}).optional().describe("Override channel (optional)"),
      username: configString({}).default("Checkstack").describe("Bot username"),
      iconEmoji: configString({}).default(":robot_face:").describe("Bot icon emoji"),
    }),
  }),

  async deliver(context) {
    const { event, providerConfig } = context;
    
    const response = await fetch(providerConfig.webhookUrl, {
      method: "POST",
      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        channel: providerConfig.channel,
        username: providerConfig.username,
        icon_emoji: providerConfig.iconEmoji,
        text: `*${event.eventId}*\n${JSON.stringify(event.payload, null, 2)}`,
      }),
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      return { success: false, error: await response.text() };
    }

    return { success: true };
  },
};

Testing Providers

Use Bun’s test framework with mocked fetch:

import { describe, it, expect, spyOn } from "bun:test";
import { myServiceProvider } from "./provider";

describe("MyServiceProvider", () => {
  it("delivers events successfully", async () => {
    const mockFetch = spyOn(globalThis, "fetch").mockImplementation(
      async () => new Response(JSON.stringify({ id: "ext-123" }), { status: 200 })
    );

    try {
      const result = await myServiceProvider.deliver({
        event: {
          eventId: "test.event",
          payload: { key: "value" },
          timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
          deliveryId: "del-1",
        },
        subscription: { id: "sub-1", name: "Test" },
        providerConfig: {
          apiEndpoint: "https://api.example.com",
          apiKey: "secret",
          timeout: 10_000,
          priority: "medium",
        },
        logger: { debug: () => {}, error: () => {} },
      });

      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
      expect(result.externalId).toBe("ext-123");
    } finally {
      mockFetch.mockRestore();
    }
  });
});

Connection-Based Providers with Dynamic Options

Some integrations (like Jira, Slack, GitHub) require pre-configured connections with credentials, and configuration fields that need to dynamically fetch options from the external API.

Connection Schema

Define a connection schema for storing API credentials:

import { z } from "zod";
import { configString } from "@checkstack/backend-api";

export const MyServiceConnectionConfigSchema = z.object({
  baseUrl: configString({}).url().describe("Service API URL"),
  email: configString({}).email().describe("User email"),
  apiToken: configString({ "x-secret": true }).describe("API token"),
});

export type MyServiceConnectionConfig = z.infer<typeof MyServiceConnectionConfigSchema>;

Provider Config with Dynamic Options

Use configString() with metadata for fields that need to fetch options from the external API:

// Define resolver names as constants
export const RESOLVERS = {
  PROJECT_OPTIONS: "projectOptions",
  ISSUE_TYPE_OPTIONS: "issueTypeOptions",
  FIELD_OPTIONS: "fieldOptions",
} as const;

export const MyServiceProviderConfigSchema = z.object({
  // Hidden field for connection reference
  connectionId: configString({ "x-hidden": true }).describe("Connection ID"),
  
  // Static options from backend
  projectKey: configString({
    "x-options-resolver": RESOLVERS.PROJECT_OPTIONS,
  }).describe("Project"),
  
  // Dependent options (refetch when projectKey changes)
  issueTypeId: configString({
    "x-options-resolver": RESOLVERS.ISSUE_TYPE_OPTIONS,
    "x-depends-on": ["projectKey"],
  }).describe("Issue type"),
  
  // Searchable dropdown for many options
  fieldKey: configString({
    "x-options-resolver": RESOLVERS.FIELD_OPTIONS,
    "x-depends-on": ["projectKey", "issueTypeId"],
    "x-searchable": true,
  }).describe("Field"),
});

Implementing getConnectionOptions

The provider must implement getConnectionOptions() to handle option resolver calls:

import type {
  IntegrationProvider,
  ConnectionOption,
  GetConnectionOptionsParams,
} from "@checkstack/integration-backend";

export const myServiceProvider: IntegrationProvider<MyServiceConfig> = {
  id: "myservice",
  displayName: "My Service",
  
  // Connection schema for storing credentials
  connectionSchema: new Versioned({
    version: 1,
    schema: MyServiceConnectionConfigSchema,
  }),
  
  // Provider config uses dynamic options
  config: new Versioned({
    version: 1,
    schema: MyServiceProviderConfigSchema,
  }),

  /**
   * Fetch dynamic options for resolver fields.
   * Called by the frontend when a field with optionsResolver needs options.
   */
  async getConnectionOptions(
    params: GetConnectionOptionsParams
  ): Promise<ConnectionOption[]> {
    const {
      connectionId,
      resolverName,
      context, // Current form values
      getConnectionWithCredentials,
      logger,
    } = params;

    // Get the connection with credentials
    const connection = await getConnectionWithCredentials(connectionId);
    if (!connection) {
      return [];
    }

    const config = connection.config as MyServiceConnectionConfig;
    const client = createApiClient(config, logger);

    try {
      switch (resolverName) {
        case RESOLVERS.PROJECT_OPTIONS: {
          const projects = await client.getProjects();
          return projects.map((p) => ({
            value: p.key,
            label: `${p.name} (${p.key})`,
          }));
        }

        case RESOLVERS.ISSUE_TYPE_OPTIONS: {
          // Access dependent field from context
          const projectKey = context?.projectKey as string | undefined;
          if (!projectKey) {
            return [];
          }
          const issueTypes = await client.getIssueTypes(projectKey);
          return issueTypes.map((t) => ({
            value: t.id,
            label: t.name,
          }));
        }

        case RESOLVERS.FIELD_OPTIONS: {
          const projectKey = context?.projectKey as string | undefined;
          const issueTypeId = context?.issueTypeId as string | undefined;
          if (!projectKey || !issueTypeId) {
            return [];
          }
          const fields = await client.getFields(projectKey, issueTypeId);
          return fields.map((f) => ({
            value: f.key,
            label: `${f.name}${f.required ? " *" : ""}`,
          }));
        }

        default:
          logger.error(`Unknown resolver: ${resolverName}`);
          return [];
      }
    } catch (error) {
      logger.error("Failed to get options", error);
      return [];
    }
  },

  // ... deliver() implementation
};

How Dynamic Options Flow Works

1. Frontend renders form with optionsResolver fields
2. DynamicForm detects x-options-resolver metadata in JSON Schema
3. Frontend calls getConnectionOptions RPC with resolver name and current form values
4. Backend routes the call to the provider’s getConnectionOptions method
5. Provider fetches options from external API using connection credentials
6. Options returned to frontend and rendered in dropdown

Dependency Tracking

The dependsOn option enables smart refetching:

issueTypeId: configString({
  "x-options-resolver": "issueTypeOptions",
  "x-depends-on": ["projectKey"], // Only refetch when projectKey changes
})

• Options are only refetched when a dependent field value changes
• Other form changes do not trigger unnecessary API calls
• This is implemented using React refs to avoid adding formValues to useEffect dependencies

Searchable Dropdowns

For fields with many options, enable searchable:

fieldKey: configString({
  "x-options-resolver": "fieldOptions",
  "x-searchable": true, // Enables search inside dropdown
})

This renders a dropdown with a search input inside the dropdown panel, allowing users to filter options by typing.

Reference Implementation

See the Jira integration provider for a complete example:

• integration-jira-backend/src/provider.ts - Full provider with getConnectionOptions
• integration-jira-backend/src/jira-client.ts - API client for fetching options

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