> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.planeconnection.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Integrations Architecture > How PlaneConnection integrates with third-party services, data flow patterns, sync mechanisms, and the integration framework design. This article explains how PlaneConnection connects with external services, the data flow patterns used, and the architectural decisions behind the integration framework. ## Integration philosophy PlaneConnection integrates with industry-standard aviation software across flight planning, accounting, maintenance, fuel management, communications, and CRM. The integration architecture follows three principles: 1. **Bidirectional where possible.** Data flows in both directions to avoid manual re-entry. Trips created in PlaneConnection appear in ForeFlight; payments recorded in QuickBooks sync back. 2. **Operator-controlled.** Admins choose which integrations to enable, which data types to sync, and how frequently. No integration activates without explicit configuration. 3. **Resilient to failures.** Sync failures are logged and retried. Temporary outages in a third-party service do not block operations in PlaneConnection. ## Integration categories | Category | Examples | Primary Data Flow | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | Flight Planning | ForeFlight Dispatch, Garmin FLT Plan, APG | Bidirectional trip and route data | | Accounting | QuickBooks Online | Invoices out, payments in | | Maintenance | TaxxAll, Veryon, CMP, CAMP Systems | Flight times out, due items in | | Fuel | FuelerLinx | Trip data out, fuel orders in | | Payments | Stripe Connect | Payment processing | | Communications | SatCom Direct, Honeywell, Slack, Email | Notifications and messages out | | CRM | Salesforce | Customer and trip data bidirectional | | Charter | Avinode | Marketplace listings bidirectional | | Safety | ASAP Gateway, Webhooks | Safety events out | ## Data flow patterns ### OAuth-based integrations QuickBooks and Stripe use OAuth 2.0 for authorization. The flow: 1. Admin clicks **Connect** in PlaneConnection. 2. PlaneConnection redirects to the provider's authorization page. 3. The provider authenticates the user and grants access. 4. PlaneConnection receives an access token and refresh token. 5. Tokens are stored encrypted and refreshed automatically before expiry. OAuth tokens are scoped to the minimum required permissions. Token refresh happens transparently without admin intervention. ### API key integrations ForeFlight, TaxxAll, and most maintenance integrations use API keys. The admin provides the key during setup, and PlaneConnection uses it for all subsequent API calls. ### Webhook integrations Webhooks provide real-time event delivery. PlaneConnection supports both: * **Outbound webhooks** -- PlaneConnection pushes events to external systems (configurable per event type). * **Inbound webhooks** -- external systems push data to PlaneConnection (e.g., Avinode marketplace events). Outbound webhook payloads are signed with HMAC-SHA256 using a shared secret configured during setup. ## Sync architecture ### Scheduled sync Most integrations use scheduled sync with configurable frequency: | Frequency | Use case | | ------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | Real-time | Webhook-based integrations (Avinode, ASAP Gateway). | | Hourly | Accounting sync (QuickBooks payments). | | Every 6 hours | Maintenance data refresh. | | Daily | Full reconciliation and audit sync. | | Manual | On-demand sync triggered by the admin. | ### Conflict resolution When bidirectional sync creates conflicting records: 1. **Last-write wins** for most data types. The most recently updated record takes precedence. 2. **Manual resolution** for financial data. Conflicting invoice or payment records are flagged for admin review. 3. **Append-only** for safety data. Safety reports and events are never overwritten by external sync. ### Error handling Sync errors are handled with retry logic: | Error type | Retry strategy | | ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | Network timeout | Exponential backoff (1s, 2s, 4s, 8s) up to 3 retries. | | Authentication | Refresh token and retry once. Alert admin if refresh fails. | | Rate limit (429) | Respect `Retry-After` header. Queue for later sync. | | Server error (5xx) | Retry with exponential backoff. Alert after 3 failures. | | Client error (4xx) | Log and alert admin. Do not retry (data issue). | ## Integration settings locations Integrations are configured in two locations depending on the module: | Location | Integrations configured | | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Ops > Settings > Integrations** | Flight planning, accounting, maintenance, fuel, communications, CRM | | **Safety > Settings > Integrations** | ASAP Gateway, webhooks, safety-specific connections | | **Settings > Billing > Stripe Connect** | Stripe payment processing | This separation reflects the different permission requirements: ops integrations require the Admin role, safety integrations require the Safety Manager role, and billing requires the Owner or Admin role. ## Data privacy and integrations Integration data handling follows PlaneConnection's data privacy framework: * **Minimum data transfer.** Only the data types enabled by the admin are synced. * **No PII in webhooks.** Outbound webhook payloads use internal IDs, not personally identifiable information. * **Encrypted at rest.** API keys, OAuth tokens, and webhook secrets are encrypted in the database. * **Audit trail.** All sync operations are logged with timestamps, record counts, and error details. For the complete privacy framework, see [Data Privacy](/en/explanation/data-privacy). ## Related Complete list of all supported integrations with setup locations and capabilities. Step-by-step integration setup guide. Detailed QuickBooks Online setup and configuration. How PlaneConnection handles data privacy across all integrations.