Pre-Built Tooling
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Authentication | Bearer Token (OAuth 2.0) |
| Two-Way Sync | Yes |
| Events Supported | Yes (Webhooks) |
| Realtime | Yes |
| Supports Rate Limiting | Yes |
| Authentication Scopes Supported | N/A (OAuth token provides access based on user permissions) |
Objects Supported
Alloy Automation supports syncing the following objects from FreshBooks:- Account Info
- Accounts
- Balance Sheet
- Cash Flow Rate
- Clients
- Estimates
- Expenses
- Invoices
- Items
- Payments
- Projects
- Tasks
- Time Entries
- Taxes
Set Up Guide
Trial Access
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Offers free trial? | Yes. FreshBooks offers a 30-day free trial with full access to features. Sign up at https://www.freshbooks.com to get started. |
| Requires requires paid sandbox | No paid sandbox required. You can use the trial account for testing. |
| Requires partnership to obtain authentication? | No. OAuth credentials can be obtained directly from the FreshBooks Developer Portal. |
Authentication (OAuth 2.0)
For customers who want to completely whitelabel their OAuth experience, you can provide your own developer keys instead of using Alloy Automation’s.- Go to FreshBooks Developer Portal at https://www.freshbooks.com/developers.
- Sign in with your FreshBooks account and navigate to My Apps.
- Click Create App and fill in the required information:
- App name
- Description
- Website URL
- Add the redirect URI: https://api.runalloy.com/api/strategy/connector/freshbooks/callback
- Copy your Client ID and Client Secret.
- Enter your Client ID and Client Secret into Alloy Automation.
OAuth Scopes
FreshBooks OAuth provides access based on user permissions. The authenticated user’s access level determines what data and operations are available through the API.API Documentation
For detailed API documentation, visit: https://www.freshbooks.com/api/startImportant Notes
- FreshBooks uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication
- Access tokens expire and must be refreshed using refresh tokens
- The API provides access to accounting data, invoicing, expense tracking, and time tracking
- Multi-business accounts may require additional configuration
Use Cases
1) Invoice automation
Automatically create and send FreshBooks invoices when orders are completed in your ecommerce platform or project milestones are reached in your project management system.2) Expense tracking
Sync expenses from corporate credit cards, receipt scanning apps, or travel booking systems into FreshBooks for automated expense categorization and reimbursement.3) Time tracking integration
Push time entries from project management tools or time tracking apps into FreshBooks for accurate client billing and project profitability tracking.4) Payment reconciliation
Automatically record payments in FreshBooks when they’re received through payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal, keeping financial records in sync.5) Financial reporting
Pull accounting data from FreshBooks into business intelligence platforms to create custom financial reports and dashboards combining data from multiple sources.API Gotchas
- Account ID requirement: Most FreshBooks API calls require an account ID parameter. You’ll need to fetch the account ID after authentication before making other API calls.
- OAuth token refresh: Access tokens expire regularly. Implement token refresh logic to maintain continuous access without requiring re-authentication.
- Rate limiting: FreshBooks enforces rate limits on API requests. Monitor response headers and implement exponential backoff when rate limits are hit.
- Webhook retries: FreshBooks webhooks will retry failed deliveries. Ensure your webhook endpoint is idempotent to handle duplicate deliveries gracefully.
- Multi-currency support: FreshBooks supports multiple currencies. Always check and handle currency codes properly when working with invoices and payments.
For questions or troubleshooting, contact support@runalloy.com.