There is no denying how hard Covid-19 has hit every industry. The arrival of the pandemic has put works on hold and travel impossible. First, second, and now third wave, every time we tend to go to our normal lifestyle, there is another version of this virus, and we have to go back to our work from home routine. Thankfully, the technology is so advanced that we are able to finish our work just using a laptop, and thanks to Zoom, that has made it possible to conduct important meetings so easy and accessible through the screen. Zoom has become an essential part of day-to-day work life. This is why Zoom API integration to websites, apps, and software has become the hot topic today.

Zoom API has been there for a while now and is used as a shortcut for the Zoom meeting. But, last year, in March, Zoom introduced a new SDK (software development kit) for developers such that they could now integrate Zoom into their software and websites. The SDK was developed in a way that developers can now develop their version of video-based applications and websites, incorporating the Zoom features. This way, without downloading Zoom separately, companies can run those Zoom meetings or have customer engagement through the integrated video conferencing option on their software/website.

So if you just want to access the Zoom service, you will go for the Zoom API, but if you are looking forward to having a personalized video conferencing interface on your software, you will go for the Zoom SDK.

Why it is a Good Idea to Have Zoom API/SDK integrated

Integrating the Zoom API or the SDK completely depends on your needs. If you are a frequent user of Zoom and conduct multiple important meetings or have frequent important chats, you must go for the integration either way. Or, if meetings or client interaction through video conferencing is not your daily task, you can skip it. It all is based on your priorities. Now, if the former is the case for you, you can get the API or the SDK for the following reasons:

1. Security: Since the SDK and the API makes the communication between two parties, rather than including a third one, there is more secure conversations and document sharing.
2. Better Management: The integration of the SDK to a particular app or website makes it easy to manage the team within the said platforms, resulting in better team and user management.
3. Independent of a Third Party: There is no need to ask for codes and permissions from a third-party vendor, and hence the communication is more independent and faster.

How does it Work?

We have already discussed that the Zoom API and Zoom SDK are two ways to integrate Zoom into one’s platform, with the difference that SDK is a more advanced version of the integration, whereas the API can be considered as a shortcut for skipping logging into Zoom app separately.

Now, we will see how we can get done with the integration both ways.

Zoom API: Integrating API into your app means you are integrating the Zoom features to the latter. There is a list of apps that allow Zoom integration. This list is available on the Zoom marketplace under the Develop>Build App option.

There are two authentication methods that help you integrate Zoom features into your app using the API:

1. Auth 2.0: Requests for specific data (scope) of the Zoom users.
2. JSON Web Tokens (JWT): Requests server-to-server authentication with Zoom.

Other than these two, you will find the Chatbot, SDK, and Webhook options there. Now you will choose one of the OAuth and JWT options for integrating the API based on the requirements. The choosing of one of the two will lead you two a few next pages that would ask you about the credentials, like the client ID, client secret, redirect URL, Whitelist URL, Basic Information related to the app, Developer’s information like the name and the email address, etc. The next step is to add scopes, i.e., the information you want to request from Zoom. The next step is testing the app, and you are good to go for the activation. You can definitely check the Zoom API page for detailed information.

Zoom SDK: Zoom SDK is a full-fledged development kit that allows the integration of Zoom video-conferencing features into one’s app or the website. The company has introduced the SDK for different platforms, i.e., Zoom Android SDK, Zoom iOS SDK, Zoom Windows SDK, Zoom Mac SDK, Zoom Web SDK, Zoom Electron SDK, Zoom Ionic SDK.

There is a simple procedure to integrate the SDK into your app that follows as:

1. First, you need to create an SDK by clicking on the SDK option on the Zoom App Marketplace page under the Build App option.
2. Moving on to the next step, you need to fill up the credentials for the SDK as you did for the OAuth. Add the app name and click on create.
3. After that, you will be redirected to the page, where you have to choose the App Type. Here the options include Legacy SDK app USer-managed OAuth app. The other option to select is the Select an OAuth flow with options Server-to server and PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange).
4. Next, you will see a radio button asking, ‘Would you like to publish this app on Zoom App Marketplace’ that you need to opt for. Now click on Enable.
5. This last step will lead you to the forms that would require you to fill in the App information, Developer’s contact information, Links, etc., and then, you need to click on Continue to move forward.
6. The next step is to download the SDKs for the OSes. Now SDK credentials will be generated for you to access the Zoom SDK and OAuth, that you will use during the development (development credentials) and production (production credentials).
7. The last step is to select the scopes and test the app. As soon you insert the test URL, you can activate the app. You also get the Deactivate and Reactivate option for the app, which would only require the SDK Key and SDK Secret.

Now, like the API, you need to work on the app, and you are good to go.
This was a brief but step-by-step procedure to integrate the API or the SDK into your platform. To know more about Zoom API integration or have the Zoom API or the SDK integrated into your website or app, feel free to contact the qualified team of developers at Xornor Technologies, having years of experience in software and website development as well as API integration.