# Best Practices

Essential guidance for managing API Connections effectively.

## Using Vendor Specifications

Most API vendors provide OpenAPI or Swagger specifications. Download the specification file directly from the vendor’s documentation or developer portal.

### If Specification Exceeds Limits

All tiers have a 5MB file size limit. Free Tier has a 25 operations per catalog limit (operations are API endpoints like `GET /users`, `POST /orders`, etc.).

If a vendor’s specification exceeds these limits, you can edit it to include only the operations you need. To use more than 25 operations per catalog, upgrade to Vendia Pro or Enterprise.

## Security

### Credentials

- Use least-privilege credentials (read-only if possible)
- Use short-lived tokens (OAuth, JWT) rather than permanent API keys
- Rotate credentials regularly
- Never commit credentials to version control

### Vendia Account

- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Use strong passwords
- Monitor account activity

## Naming Connections

Use descriptive names that identify the service and environment:

- ✓ “Slack Workspace API”
- ✓ “GitHub API - Production”
- ✗ “API 1” or “Test”

Include the API version in the catalog name or use the version override field in settings (numeric semantic versioning format: `1.0.0`, `2.1.3`, etc.).

## Environment Configuration

Use the **Base URL Override** field to point to the correct API environment (staging, production, etc.) if different from the specification’s default.

## Testing

Before relying on a catalog in production:

1. Test with an AI application (Claude, Mistral AI: Le Chat, ChatGPT, etc.)
2. Verify API calls succeed and return expected data
3. Check for authentication errors

## Maintenance

- Rotate credentials regularly (set calendar reminders)
- Update specifications when the vendor releases new versions

## Next Steps

- **[Creating API Connections](https://docs.vendia.com/platform/vendia-mcp-server/api-connections/creating-api-connections)** - Step-by-step creation guide
- **[Authentication and Headers](https://docs.vendia.com/platform/vendia-mcp-server/api-connections/authentication)** - Configure secure access
- **[Use Cases](https://docs.vendia.com/platform/vendia-mcp-server/api-connections/use-cases)** - See real-world examples
- **[Troubleshooting](https://docs.vendia.com/platform/vendia-mcp-server/api-connections/troubleshooting)** - Resolve common issues