
## Convert WordPress Site to Android Application

### WHAT IS WORDPRESS REST API AND WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF REST? {#what-is-wordpress-rest-api} {#what-are-the-advantages-of-rest}

WordPress REST API is a set of instructions used to access your WordPress website from outside of the WordPress installation which you can use to convert WordPress website to android application or any other platform application. WordPress REST API allows you to access the WordPress site resources like pages, posts, etc from your mobile application.


APIs act as a mediator between Resources (database) and user (UI). API fetches data from the database and shows it to the user.


REST stands for Representational State Transfer. REST is a architectural style for an API and an application is RESTful only if it stands on these 5 principles:

**1) Uniform interface** : Application must have a uniform interface between components so that there is a standard form for the transfer  of information.

**2) Client-server** : There has to be client-server and resourcer involved and the requests should be sent over HTTP.

**3) Stateless** : This means that no user (client) data is stored on the server between 2 GET requests and every request is independent of each other.

**4) Cacheable** : The data should be cacheable so that client-server interactions are streamlined.

**5) Layered system** : This is to ensure the entire system is secure, load, balanced and that the entire system is not visible to the client.



WordPress REST API lets you to interact with WordPress from outside of WordPress, be it a mobile application or desktop application.In brief, we can say that a third-party website or a mobile app can access your WordPress database and perform operations such as fetching data from it and adding data to wp database. WordPress REST api changed WordPress from CMS to an application platform. 

![rest-api-flow](/blog/assets/2023/rest-api-flow.webp)

Suppose you have a website (like WooCommerce, LearnDash, etc) on WordPress and you want to have a mobile application that will use the same resources/ database used by your WordPress site, so you need something that can facilitate this without hurting the integrity of your WordPress site. For this purpose our WordPress REST API can be used which will allow you to integrate your WordPress website and android / iOS mobile application. REST API will allow you to convert WordPress site to mobile app by utilizing the WordPress site resources and exchange data in the form of JSON (JavaScript Object Notation).  You can also use WordPress REST API to Login and get user data on your mobile application.WordPress REST API will convert your woocommerce site into an android application.



REST API provides functions that will allow you to fetch data from WordPress sites onto your mobile application.
![rest-functions](/blog/assets/2023/rest-functions.webp)

### CONVERT WORDPRESS WEBSITE TO ANDROID APP {#convert-wordpress-website-to-android-app}

**1) Related Topic** – Build a mobile app with WordPress REST APIs, How to make more out of WordPress Rest API by doing less

![rest-api-authentication-plugin](/blog/assets/2023/rest-api-authentication-plugin.webp)

If you have a WordPress website for your company and now you want to have a mobile (android/iOS) app so that  your customers would be able to choose between your website or mobile application so that your users will be able to have a seamless experience. Research shows that 51% of users search for products online, so if you create a mobile application for your website, you will definitely get an edge over your competitors.

 **2) WordPress data fetch for displaying on mobile application**: With WordPress REST API you can fetch posts, pages from your wp website to display on your mobile (android/iOS) application with various authentication options present in our plugin. If you want to login into WordPress site on your mobile app, you can use the WordPress username/password and access the wp database easily by rest api login which will authenticate the credentials before giving access to the database.

**3) User Register sync**: If a user registers on the mobile application of your WordPress site, he will be eligible to login on your WordPress website also and vice versa. The data generated on your WordPress site or mobile app will remain synchronized. So the integrity and consistency of your site’s data is maintained without any compromise on security.

**4) Syncing and Securing data flow from third party plugins on your website**: If your website is using third party plugins like Woocommerce, Learndash, Buddypress, Gravity forms etc, that data can also be synced between your mobile and WordPress application with our secure and protected authentication methods making sure nothing is compromised.

**5) Login into mobile app using WordPress credentials**: With the help of our Rest API Authentication plugin’s WordPress login API, you can authenticate/validate your user login into mobile application. Suppose you have a WordPress site and you have now created a mobile app (android/iOS) which has a user login for where user puts in his username/password, REST API will allow you to authenticate the user by checking the credentials on WordPress database and send a successful message on validation and show an error if the credentials are invalid.

**6) Woocommerce site into mobile app**: If you have a WooCommerce site and now you want to create an android app for the same store so that same products list, user details are accessed and maintained, so Rest API will allow you to authenticate Woocommerce API on mobile application and synchronize your inventory between mobile and WordPress installation. It can also keep track of user carts across devices. Let’s say you have a woocommerce site built on WordPress where you have all your products listed and you want to create a mobile (android/iOS) application from where your users can login and order products as listed on your woocommerce site, REST api will allow you to synchronize and share data between your WordPress site and mobile app. You will be able to access your woocommerce rest api in your mobile application and you also will be able to login into it with WordPress credentials.

**7) LearnDash** : Learndash is a blessing if you have to impart e-learning in universities, small to midsize companies, startups, etc. REST API allows you to secure / protect your access to Learndash user profiles, courses, groups & many more APIs across WordPress installation and android application. If you have a learndash site on WordPress and you want your courses to be accessible on your mobile (android/iOS) application, you can use REST API to fetch and synchronize data with your WordPress database.

**8) Webview access on mobile**: If you have a website on WordPress and you want to create an application for mobile device which will access the same resources as your WordPress site, you can use WordPress api to access the wp site on mobile phone with webview. It means you will have a mobile app for your WordPress site using WordPress rest API.

**9) Custom API Endpoints in the WordPress REST API**: Suppose you want to access custom data on your WordPress site on your mobile application, so we have a plugin [“Custom API for WordPress”](https://plugins.miniorange.com/custom-api-for-wordpress) which can allow you to define your custom endpoints /REST api routes and also it has easy-to-use graphical interface where you can put custom SQL queries as well.


### IS REST API SECURE? {#is-rest-api-secure?}

![rest-api-secure](/blog/assets/2023/rest-api-secure.webp)
By default WordPress endpoints are insecure. Hackers can easily send requests to your WordPress API and get access to your Posts, Post, Revisions, Categories, Tags etc, and can perform CRUD operations easily on your website. The default REST api connection is not encrypted and can be easily viewed in JSON format. REST api is a door to a lot of opportunities but if left unattended and insecure, then this door of opportunities will turn into a disaster for your website and user data. So by adding our [WordPress REST API AUTHENTICATION](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-rest-api-authentication) to your WordPress/ woocommerce website your endpoints won’t be unprotected. Our plugin will let you set various API authentication methods according to your needs and requirements.

Letting a client application (android mobile application) to manipulate data on your data resource by allowing access through API is secure with our [WordPress REST API AUTHENTICATION](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-rest-api-authentication) plugin allows you to make calls to your WordPress site from android mobile application without compromising the security of your website. Our plugin will make sure that only authenticated users are allowed to access your site data and will protect your WordPress database throughout. We have various authentication methods in our plugin to  make sure that your WordPress website is protected and secure. 


### REST API AUTHENTICATION BEST PRACTICES. {#rest-api-authentication-best-practices}

 - [Basic Authentication](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-rest-api-basic-authentication-method)

    This is basic authentication method to protect your WordPress endpoints by following methods:
    * Username:Password : This method for Basic Authentication authenticates the REST APIs by using username and passwords in the authorization header with the form of base64 encoded or with highly secure HMAC encryption.
    * Client-ID:Client-Secret : This method for Basic Authentication authenticates/protects the REST APIs by using client credentials provided by the plugin in the authorization header with the form of base64 encoded or highly secure HMAC encryption.

    
![basic-authentication](/blog/assets/2023/basic-authentication.webp)
    
   - [API Key Authentication](https://plugins.miniorange.com/rest-api-key-authentication-method#step_a)

    It allows you to secure WordPress endpoints without exposing user credentials as the plugin generates an API key for accessing any resource which can also be regenerated in the plugin UI.
   - [JWT Authentication](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-rest-api-jwt-authentication-method#step_a1)

    WordPress REST API Authentication itself issues the JWT token and works as an API Authenticator to protect your REST APIs. The plugin itself provides the REST API endpoint through which you can generate the JWT token very easily by passing the valid WordPress user credentials.
   - [OAuth 2.0 Authentication](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-rest-api-oauth-2-0-authentication-method#step_a)

    If you don’t have a third-party identity provider, then in this case WordPress REST API Authentication works as both OAuth Server(Provider) and API Authenticator to protect your REST APIs. It is the most secure method to authenticate the WordPress REST API endpoints.
    * Password Grant : If you want to fetch user specific content from the database then this method is useful.
    * Client Credentials Grant: This method uses the OAuth 2.0 protocol with Client Credentials grant to authenticate the WP REST API endpoints to use services which call APIs without users.
   - [Third Party Provider Authentication](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-rest-api-authentication-using-third-party-provider#step_a)

    if you are already using an external OAuth/OpenID Connect (Identity provider) which provides you with an access token/id token or a JWT token, then that token can be used to authenticate the WordPress REST APIs and the plugin will validate the token directly from these token providers and only on successful validation, API endpoints are allowed to access.


Convert WordPress Site to Android Application


### How to use Single Sign-On for your ASP.NET MVC application? {#how to use single-sign-on for ASP.NET MVC application}

There may come a time when you need to implement Single Sign-On onto your ASP.NET MVC application. It allows you to integrate your app with other systems and helps them work together as if they are one unified application.

Some of the benefits of doing this are an improved user experience, increased security, and reduction in costs. Users will be able to seamlessly access pages on any of these applications or systems after signing in only once.

Or, if you want to migrate your application, rather than having to rewrite it entirely, you can migrate it one service at a time. Implementing SSO between the two applications helps you effectively link them together as if they were one, after which you can migrate your app with ease. There are even more advantages discussed later in this article.

To understand how you can implement ASP.NET MVC Single Sign On, let us first understand what its components mean.

### What is ASP.NET MVC? {#what is ASP.NET MVC}

ASP.NET MVC is composed of two parts: ASP.NET and MVC. The first is an open-source web application framework that can be used to produce dynamic web pages, applications, and services. The second is MVC, which stands for Model View Controller. It is an architectural pattern that is meant to achieve separation of concerns. 

Together, they form a web application framework that eliminates the drawbacks of web forms like slow response times, issues in unit testing, and HTML customization.

Designing your application using the ASP.NET MVC framework allows you to benefit from both its components’ advantages. However, you still need to make it easier for users to sign in to your application and avail of its services in a hassle-free manner. Let’s see how we can do that.

 ### What is SSO? {#what is SSO}

 When a user wants to access secured services on your application, they have to enter their username and password once to authenticate themselves. In a situation where they want to access similar services over multiple applications connected or related to each other, they would be required to enter either the same or different usernames and passwords multiple times.

 ![what-is-single-sign-on-and-how-sso-works-4](/blog/assets/2023/what-is-single-sign-on-and-how-sso-works-4.webp)

 Single Sign-On (SSO) makes this process easier by using the same authentication ID and authorizing the user across multiple services. Because of SSO, as the name suggests, the user is required to sign in only once in a certain time window before the authentication token expires.

 ### What are the types of SSO protocols? {#what are the types of SSO protocols}

 For SSO to work, Service Providers (SP) and Identity Providers (IDP) must decide on an open standard protocol for how they will choose to exchange identity and authentication information with one another over the relevant applications.

 Here are a few examples of these protocols: 

 **OAuth**: This is an open standard for token-based authentication and authorization, which is used to provide Single Sign-On (SSO). It allows an end user’s account information to be used by third-party services without exposing the user’s password. It serves as an intermediary on behalf of the end-user, providing the service with an access token that authorizes specific account information to be shared.

 **OpenID**: This is one of the most popular authentication protocols, used by the likes of Google and Facebook. It is open standard and decentralized. Third-party Identity Providers (IdP) are used to authenticate users to Relying Parties (RP). It serves as an identity layer on top of OAuth, thereby functioning as an extension to it.

 **SAML**: SAML uses session cookies in a browser that allows a user to access certain pages. It gives more control to enterprises to keep their SSO logins more secure. You can find a detailed explanation of SAML below.


### Let’s take an in-depth look at SAML {#in-depth look at SAML}

SAML stands for Security Assertion Markup Language. Its main purpose in online security is to enable you to access multiple web applications using one set of credentials. It works by passing authenticated credentials between two parties: an Identity Provider (IDP) and a Service Provider (SP). Doing so makes the user experience simpler while also providing better security.

 ![saml-diagram-2](/blog/assets/2023/saml-diagram-2.webp)

 ### Where can we use SAML SSO? {#where can we use SAML SSO}

The primary attribute of SAML is that it is used for authentication, not authorization. This means that a variety of applications, websites, and services that could be used to access and edit data from the service provider need to form a trusted relationship with the SSO website.


Now, when a user tries to access data from the service provider’s app, they’ll need to be authenticated at least once by entering a username and password before they can read or write onto this data. If, however, they have already done this once, then they will be granted access more directly. A SAML request will be generated by the application, asking to authenticate the user, to which the identity provider will respond with a SAML response.


This is particularly useful in situations where the service provider is offering their services across a wide range of applications. It inadvertently also increases the scope of the product by allowing a variety of third-party applications to offer their unique services using the same data.

For example:
- Data-driven statistics websites and applications for online multiplayer games.
- Social media applications and bulletin boards designed around the same topic.
- Online video streaming services with features for viewer engagement.
- Online software marketplaces like Steam that offer user analytics and metadata.

### What are the benefits of using ASP.NET MVC Single Sign On? {#benefits of using ASP.NET MVC Single Sign On}

**Shorter development time**: Using ASP.NET MVC Single Sign-On reduces development time by providing developers with a common authentication framework. It takes even more load off of them if the mechanism is independent.

**Reduction in costs**: Besides the fact that development time is reduced, support requests for forgotten passwords and IT help desk calls also go down, thereby lowering the overall costs.

**Increased security**: An important benefit of SSO is that it reduces the chance of users falling prey to phishing attacks. This is because the user is not trained to mindlessly enter their username and password everywhere. Furthermore, SSO systems usually force users to use secure communication channels. This means that only one place of authentication receives their credentials. The applications, however, don’t receive any specific information besides whether they should let the user in or not. This happens only once, resulting in a minimum transfer of sensitive information, which is naturally favorable.

**Streamlined administration**: The burden on the administrative system to manage user accounts is massively reduced with the implementation of SSO. Keep note, however, that SSO only takes care of authentication. The authorization of users based on their access privileges still needs to be set up separately.

**Improved user experience**: With ASP.NET MVC Single Sign On enabled, users don’t have to enter their usernames and passwords multiple times to access the same service across multiple applications and browsers.

### Additional Sources: {#Additional sources}
- [What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?](https://www.miniorange.com/products/single-sign-on-sso)
- [What is ASP.NET SAML Single Sign-On (SSO)?](https://plugins.miniorange.com/asp-net-saml-single-sign-on-sso)
- [Steps to Configure the ASP.NET SAML 2.0 Module](https://plugins.miniorange.com/asp-dot-net-saml-2-0-single-sign-sso-connector#steps)



How to use Single Sign-On for your ASP.NET MVC application?


### What is External API in WordPress? {#what-is-external-api-in-wordpress}


External APIs are designed in such a way that they can be used within an organization or by any person outside the organization who wants the interface access. These External APIs are accessible to External, Third-Party Partners. If a person wants to access these APIs they will require API Keys and security Tokens. When it comes to using External APIs in WordPress the most basic functionality is in which we need to fetch data from an external, third-party API provider and use this data to display on the WordPress website and process it further. This can be easily done by using our [Custom API for WordPress](https://plugins.miniorange.com/custom-api-for-wordpress) plugin in which hooks are provided, using which calls to External APIs can be made whenever required. these hooks can be integrated easily with the third-party plugins in WordPress like – Woocommerce, Wpforms, Gravity forms, Fluent forms, Elementor, Payment gateways, etc.


![external-api-integration](/blog/assets/2023/external-api-integration.webp)

### Multiple ways by which you can Integrate External APIs into your WordPress Website. {#integrate-external-apis-into-your-wordpress-website}

**1. Directly Fetch data from a REST API endpoint provided by a third-party/external provider**

![external-provider](/blog/assets/2023/external-provider.webp)

To Directly fetch the data from an external API provider, you need to have a REST API Endpoint which will be provided by the third-party provider. Here a direct API call is made to the external API endpoint and if the request is validated then you get the required data in form of a response. Once this data is fetched, it can be used to display on your WordPress website. This is one of the easiest ways to fetch your data from a third-party application into WordPress using External APIs.


**2. Use External APIs to perform form submission events**
![submission-external-api](/blog/assets/2023/submission-external-api.webp)

Using External APIs in WordPress is useful when you want to perform certain operations like Register, SignIn, Delete users in WordPress and these changes must reflect in the third-party application/platform. These operations are possible by making an external API call to the third-party provider once an event is triggered or a form is submitted in WordPress. Events can be triggered when a form is submitted in WPforms, Gravity Forms, Elementor, Contact-form7 or any other forms.


**3. Integrate External REST APIs on Payment gateways**
![payment-gateway-apis](/blog/assets/2023/payment-gateway-apis.webp)

External APIs in WordPress can also be used to trigger API calls when a payment is captured by Third-Party payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Woocommerce etc. By using these API calls it is possible to update the user status, user’s membership level etc on the WordPress or third-party API provider based on the payment status and amount.


**4. Directly fetch and update product data in WooCommerce from a third-party inventory store in real-time**
![inventory-store-apis](/blog/assets/2023/inventory-store-apis.webp)

Using External APIs in your WordPress website you can easily fetch real-time data from an external, third-party API provider into Woocommerce to display data or products, External APIs can be called in the backend using the developer hooks to sync the real-time data with Woocommerce products/items feeds and can be displayed on your site.


### Benefits of using External APIs with payment gateways in WordPress: {#benefits-of-using-external-apis-with-payment-in-wordpress}

- It becomes possible for your customers to Directly pay and make transactions on your WordPress website itself. This means that your payment is just an API call away.

- It becomes possible for you to accept payments from multiple payment gateways like PayPal or Stripe. This is important because most customers prefer their personal choice of payment method and will appreciate it if they see one. So, once you have the payment status as completed, then you can update user’s data on the WordPress/third-party side like user membership levels, permission levels etc.


- API which these payment gateways provide flexibility to handle all types of transactions while still providing the security and resilience that your CFO business needs.


In miniOrange’s WP Custom REST API Plugin hook is provided for this external REST API endpoints integration and this hook can be embedded directly into the gateways and run only based on the transaction status.


### Try Out Our miniOrange Custom API Plugin for WordPress? {#miniorange-custom-api-plugin-for-wordpress}
![miniorange-custom-api](/blog/assets/2023/miniorange-custom-api.webp)

The best way to see how External APIs work with your WP website is to try it out yourself.

## Key Plugin Features:

## Unlimited External API Connections

Unlimited external APIs(endpoints) connections can be created using easy to use User Interface and then with the use of developer hooks, these connections can be connected to the backend to execute the corresponding external API.

## Support for HTTP Methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)

The plugin supports all the external APIs which supports GET, POST, PUT, DELETE and accepts data in application/JSON or x-www-form-urlencoded.

## Compatibility with third-party plugins in WordPress.

The plugin provides a developer hook to execute external API from WordPress backend and this developer hook is compatible with the third-party plugin as well like Woocommerce, WPforms, gravity forms, payment gateway plugins, membership plugins etc. and hence can be integrated with any events of these plugins.


You can simply download our [Custom API for WordPress](https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-api-for-wp/) plugin in WordPress, after activation of our plugin you can follow Our [Step-By-Step Guide to Configure Custom REST API.](https://plugins.miniorange.com/keycloak-single-sign-on-wordpress-sso-saml)


Contact us at oauthsupport@xecurify.com and we’ll help you set up the Custom API plugin in no time.


## Conclusion

Using External API’s in WordPress makes fetching data into your WordPress website from a Third-party API provider a very easy task. Using hooks provided in the Custom API for WordPress Plugin you can make calls to External APIs whenever required. These hooks can be integrated easily with the third-party plugins in WordPress like – Woocommerce, Wpforms, Gravity forms, Fluent forms, Elementor, Payment gateways etc.

## Further Reading

- [Integrate External REST API into WordPress | Custom Rest API](https://plugins.miniorange.com/integrate-external-third-party-rest-api-endpoints-into-wordpress)
- [Custom REST API for WordPress | WordPress Custom REST API](https://plugins.miniorange.com/custom-api-for-wordpress)
- [Custom API For WP – WordPress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-api-for-wp/)
- [WordPress REST API Authentication | WordPress Plugin](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-rest-api-authentication)

What is External API for WordPress And How To Get Started Using It?