A connection lets Structurell work with another service on your behalf, such as reading a mailbox, publishing to a social account, auditing a code repository, reading a server's health or sending alerts to a chat channel. You set up connections once on **Account → Connections**, and other parts of Structurell can then use them. Depending on the provider, you either sign in on the provider's own website and approve access (OAuth), or enter a token or other credentials that you create with the provider. ## Before you start - Only subscription administrators can create and manage connections. Other users see "Subscription admin access required". - Have an account with the provider that's allowed to approve access, or the token or credentials you want to use. - Allow pop-up windows for Structurell in your browser. Provider sign-in opens in a new window. The **Provider** list shows the providers available to your subscription. Examples include Gmail, Microsoft 365, Shopify, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Custom Git Repository, SSH, Adobe Commerce Cloud, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Slack Webhook and Microsoft Teams Webhook. ## Connect by signing in with the provider Use this for providers that show a sign-in button, such as Gmail or Microsoft 365. 1. Go to **Account → Connections** and select **New connection**. 2. Choose the **Provider**. Structurell fills in the **Name** with the provider's name. Change it if you'll have more than one connection to the same provider, for example "Sales mailbox". 3. Check the **Status** is **Enabled** and choose a **Direction** if more than one is offered. **Outgoing** sends from Structurell to the provider, **Incoming** brings data into Structurell, and **Bidirectional** does both. 4. In **Authorisation**, fill in any **Account details** the provider needs. For Shopify, for example, this is your store domain. 5. If **Authorisation access** is shown, tick the access you want to approve. Ask only for what you need. 6. Select **Sign in with** followed by the provider's name. 7. In the new window, sign in to the provider, choose the account and approve access. Structurell shows **Waiting for provider authorisation...** until you finish. Use **Switch to authorisation tab** if you lose the window. 8. When you see **Authorisation complete**, the connection is saved and shows **Connected**. If your browser blocks the pop-up, Structurell asks whether to continue in the same tab. Select **Continue in this tab**. You'll come back to the connection after approving access. ### Use your own app (advanced) Some providers let you use an application you've registered with the provider yourself instead of Structurell's. Open **Use your own app**, tick **Use custom app credentials for this connection**, and enter the **Application or client ID** and **Application or client secret** before you sign in. Only do this if your organisation's policy requires it. ## Connect with a token or credentials Use this for providers that ask for a token, key, webhook URL, server login or other details, or when a provider offers a choice and you'd rather use a token. 1. Go to **Account → Connections** and select **New connection**. 2. Choose the **Provider**, and check the **Name**, **Status** and **Direction**. 3. If the provider offers a choice of sign-in method, choose one, such as a personal access token. 4. Under **Provider resources**, use links such as **Create a personal access token** or **View provider documentation** to create the credential on the provider's website. They open in a new tab. 5. In **Credentials**, enter the values the provider needs, such as a token or **Webhook URL**. 6. Select **Save**. Credentials are stored securely and aren't shown again after you save. When you edit the connection later, leave credential fields blank to keep the stored values, or enter new values to replace them. To connect a server for [server health](/assure-and-diagnose/assurance-health), choose **SSH** and enter the server's host, a user name (not `root`), a password or private key, and its host key fingerprint. ## Check the connection works Once a connection is saved, you may see a **Test connection** button at the bottom of the form. Select it to check Structurell can reach the provider with the stored details. You'll see "Connection test successful." or a message explaining what went wrong. ## Manage your connections **Account → Connections** shows a card for each connection with its name, provider and direction, and a status. Select **Manage** to open a connection. On the connection you can: - see which access was approved under **Granted access** - review **Permissions** (see below) - select **Reconnect** followed by the provider's name to sign in again, for example to change accounts or renew access - use the provider links, such as **Review or revoke access**, to manage the approval on the provider's website - check **Versions** to see earlier changes - select **Disconnect** to remove the provider's saved access Disconnecting doesn't cancel the approval on the provider's side, so use **Review or revoke access** on the provider's website if you want to withdraw it there too. To delete a connection, select the delete icon on its card and confirm. If other parts of Structurell use the connection, you'll see **Delete connection and linked data?** with the data that will be removed. Select **Remove linked data and delete** only if you're sure. ## Permissions A connection only lets Structurell use the provider features you've allowed. When a provider adds new features, the connection's card shows how many **new permissions to review**, and the **Permissions** section on the connection lists them under **New permissions requested**. Each one says whether it reads data from the provider or makes changes there. 1. Open the connection with **Manage** and go to **Permissions**. 2. Select **Allow** or **Block** for each request. You can also block something already under **Allowed**, or allow something under **Blocked**. 3. Select **Save**. If a request says the key also needs extra access, update the token or key on the provider's website first. ## Adding a connection from another feature When a feature needs a connection, such as a repository for audits or a channel for [Notification routes](/connections/notification-routes), you'll usually see an **Add connection** button. It opens the new connection form in a new window, and the connection is selected for you once you've created it. ## Related articles - [Troubleshooting connections](/connections/troubleshooting-connections) - [Notification routes](/connections/notification-routes)