Integration Guide

This is the page to open with your developer when you’re connecting to Roster or checking what information passes between the two systems.

Your credentials

API base URL is the address your software uses to contact Roster. The documentation website and the link a donor uses to give have separate addresses.

Your API key gives your software permission to use Roster. When an owner issues a new key, copy it into your team’s secure storage before leaving. Use Show, Hide or Copy while the new key is available. Later, the portal can only show a masked version. If you need a replacement, ask an owner to open API keys.

MCP servers — for AI

If your developer uses an AI coding tool, MCP gives compatible tools a way to read the documentation or make API calls.

Docs server gives the tool access to technical documentation without an API key.
API server lets it make calls using your key. Those calls can perform actions, just as your software can.
Connect a coding agent has the setup instructions.

OpenAPI (JSON) is a file that describes the API for software tools. Docs for LLMs provides documentation in a format AI tools can read. API playground opens the interactive reference, where your developer can explore the API.

Your path and Recommended API checks

In sandbox, Your path shows your progress through setup, testing and production release. Once Roster releases production, you can open it from here when the link is available. The path disappears in the production view.

Expand Recommended API checks for four scenarios: activation, a broken payroll connection, an amount change and cancellation. Each row links to instructions. Your developer runs some steps through API simulations; others require signing into the sandbox donor flow.

Passed means Roster found that event in its feed, the record of updates your software can read. Your developer still needs to check what happened in your system. These four checks cover part of the testing; financial scenarios and production release need separate attention.

API traffic

Sent (your calls) means requests from your software to Roster. Received (webhooks) means notices sent from Roster to your software. These directions are from your perspective.

Choose a period, then expand the data-type counts to see which fields appear in that activity. These counts describe fields, not people or payments. For the full list of supported fields, use the Glossary below.

Glossary

Open a Glossary group to see what your software can send or receive in that request, response or event. Each row explains one field and when it appears.

One message can contain both a donor name and a donation amount. Those are two fields inside the message. The same field can also appear in several kinds of message, so you may see it in more than one group.

Required means the field must be included, even if its value may be unknown. Null means no value was supplied. Some requirements apply only in the situation named in the row. [] means each item in a list.

The portal includes the glossary from its software release. Full glossary and Event catalog open the technical references in the docs. The portal does not fetch those pages live.