The Hootsuite Platform

Hootsuite is a social media management system that simplifies how companies leverage social media through advanced engagement tools and deep analytics. Our platform enables you to build apps that integrate with and extend these capabilities, assisting in the scheduling, management, and analysis of the entire social lifecycle.

Our APIs enable Hootsuite users to access their Hootsuite account, publish posts, manage customer service DMs, and automate Hootsuite Amplify. Access to these features is managed via OAuth2, ensuring secure interaction with member and organization data.

Embedded Apps

Embedded apps reside directly within the Hootsuite Dashboard UI. These applications primarily leverage the Hootsuite SDK and utilize the member_app grant type to interact with Hootsuite systems on behalf of the member who installed the app.

App Type	Primary Use Case	Documentation
Content Source	A versatile app type that allows a full iFrame for developers to build on. Used in conjunction with our iFrame SDK to work within the Hootsuite environment.	View Docs
Media Library	Integrate third party Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems directly into the Hootsuite Composer.	View Docs
Plan	Connect your CRM systems with Hootsuite's Planner system that allows you to tag or categorize messages for approved posts.	View Docs

External Apps

External apps are standalone applications that communicate with Hootsuite's backend via REST APIs. These apps utilize Hootsuite's OAuth2 grant types, including member_app and organization_app, depending on the level of social account control required.

API	Primary Use Case	Documentation
Publishing API	Provides all you need for automated publishing and scheduling to social networks.	View Docs
Inbox API	(CRM API) Used for customer service logging, tracking, and response management.	View Docs
Amplify API	Connect a user's CMS to Hootsuite Amplify to automate employee advocacy content.	View Docs
Analytics API	Access detailed analytics and performance metrics for social media content and campaigns.	View Docs

Authentication & OAuth2 Grant Types

Hootsuite uses OAuth2 to authorize third-party applications. We support the following grant types:

Grant Types

Grant Type	Definition
authorization_code	Used for applications running on a web server that can securely store a client secret. See our docs on how to set up an Oauth 2.0 app.
refresh_token	Used alongside authorization_code by apps to obtain new access tokens once the original expires, without requiring the user to re-authenticate.
member_app	Used to access APIs on behalf of a specific member who has installed the app. See our docs on how to set up a member app.
organization_app	Used to access APIs on behalf of an entire organization. This provides full programmatic control of an organization's social media accounts. See our docs on how to set up an organization app.

For detailed implementation information, refer to the OAuth2 Token endpoint.

💗
Developer Support
API and SDK support for both Hootsuite and Talkwalker is available through our community portal here.
If you need to schedule a technical meeting, please contact your assigned Customer Success Manager (CSM). We cannot set up technical calls through the support ticket channel; if you do not have a CSM, you can contact us to be connected with one.