HTTP Client - Synthreo Builder

Overview

The HTTP Client node enables your workflow to make web requests to external APIs, websites, and web services. This node can retrieve data, send information, download files, and integrate with virtually any web-based system that accepts HTTP requests.

Use this node whenever your workflow needs to call a REST API, submit data to a webhook, download a file from an external URL, or interact with any HTTP-based service that is not covered by a dedicated integration node.

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What This Node Does

The HTTP Client node acts as a bridge between your Builder workflow and external web services. It can:

• Fetch Data - Retrieve information from APIs, databases, or web services.
• Send Information - Submit forms, update records, or trigger actions on external systems.
• Download Files - Save documents, images, or other files from web sources.
• Integrate Systems - Connect your workflow with CRMs, payment processors, social media platforms, and more.

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Parameters

Request Method

Field Name	Type	Default	Description
method	Dropdown	None	The HTTP method to use for the request.

Method	When to Use
GET	Retrieve data from a server. Most common for reading records or fetching lists.
POST	Send data to create new records, submit forms, or trigger actions.
PUT	Update an existing record by replacing it entirely.
PATCH	Update specific fields in an existing record without replacing the whole record.
DELETE	Remove a record or resource from the server.
HEAD	Retrieve response headers without the response body. Useful for checking if a resource exists.
OPTIONS	Query the server to find out which HTTP methods are supported by the endpoint.

Request URL

Field Name	Type	Default	Description
requestUrl	Smart text	Empty	The full URL of the API endpoint or web service to call. Supports dynamic variables from upstream nodes.

Use dynamic variables to build URLs that change per workflow record - for example: https://api.example.com/customers/{{customerId}}.

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Headers Configuration

Headers provide additional context with each request, such as authentication tokens, content type declarations, and custom parameters required by the target API.

Show Auto-Generated Headers

Field Name	Type	Default	Description
filterStatus	Toggle	Off	When On, displays all headers including those automatically added by the system. Useful for debugging.

Custom Headers

Add custom headers as key-value pairs in the headers data grid:

Column	Description
Key	The header name (for example, Authorization, Content-Type, X-API-Key).
Value	The header value. Supports dynamic variables.
Description	Optional notes about what the header does.

Common header examples:

Key	Example Value	Purpose
Authorization	Bearer {{apiToken}}	Bearer token authentication
Content-Type	application/json	Declare JSON request body
Accept	application/json	Request JSON response format
X-API-Key	{{yourApiKey}}	API key authentication

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Request Body

Field Name	Type	Default	Description
body	Multi-line smart text	Empty	The data to send with the request. Typically used with POST, PUT, and PATCH methods. Supports dynamic variables.

Example body for creating a customer record:

{
  "name": "{{customerName}}",
  "email": "{{customerEmail}}",
  "phone": "{{customerPhone}}"
}

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Advanced Settings

Parameter	Field Name	Type	Default	Description
Enable SSL Certificate Verification	sslEnabled	Toggle	Off	When On, verifies the target server’s SSL certificate. Recommended for all external API calls in production.
Automatically Follow Redirects	autoFollowRedirects	Toggle	Off	When On, automatically follows HTTP redirect responses to the final destination URL.
Follow Original HTTP Method	followOgHttpMethod	Toggle	Off	When On, preserves the original HTTP method (POST, PUT, etc.) when following redirects instead of defaulting to GET.
Remove Referer Header on Redirect	removeRefererHeader	Toggle	Off	When On, strips the Referer header when following redirects. May be required by privacy-sensitive APIs.
Encode URL Automatically	autoEncodeUrl	Toggle	Off	When On, automatically encodes special characters in the URL (spaces, symbols, international characters).
Disable Cookie Jar	disableCookieJar	Toggle	Off	When On, disables cookie storage between requests. Useful for stateless API interactions.
Use Server Cipher Suite During Handshake	useServerCipher	Toggle	Off	When On, allows the server to dictate the encryption method during SSL handshake. Required by some legacy systems.

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Response Configuration

Response Type

Field Name	Type	Default	Description
responseType	Dropdown	JSON	How to handle the data returned by the API.

Option	Description
JSON	Parse the response as structured JSON data for use in downstream nodes.
File Download	Save the response as a file to a specified folder.
Text	Treat the response as plain text content.

File Download Settings

These settings appear when Response Type is set to File Download.

Parameter	Field Name	Type	Default	Description
File Output Folder	responseFileOutFolder	Smart text	Empty	The directory path where downloaded files will be saved.
Unzip if Response is ZIP	responseUnzipIfZip	Toggle	Off	When On, automatically extracts ZIP archives after downloading.
Keep ZIP File	responseZipKeepFile	Toggle	Off	When On, preserves the original ZIP archive after extraction. Only applies when unzipping is enabled.
Convert Images to Base64	responseZipImgToBase64	Toggle	Off	When On, converts image files found in extracted ZIPs to base64 text format. Only applies when unzipping is enabled.

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Output Configuration

Parameter	Field Name	Type	Default	Description
Output Transformation	outTransformId	Dropdown	Original with appended result column	How the HTTP response is combined with existing workflow data.
Result Property Name	outColumnName	Text	http_response	The property name that will hold the HTTP response data in the output.

Output Option	Description
Original with appended result column	Keeps all input data and adds the HTTP response as a new property. Use when downstream nodes need both the original data and the API response.
Return result column only	Returns only the HTTP response, discarding upstream data. Use when only the API result is needed.
Spread by attachments	Creates separate output rows for each downloaded file. Only available when Response Type is File Download.

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Real-World Use Cases

Customer Data Synchronization

A retail company needs to sync customer information from their e-commerce platform to their CRM every hour.

Configuration:

• Method: GET
• Request URL: https://api.ecommerce.com/customers/updated
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer {{apiToken}}
• Response Type: JSON
• Output Format: Original with appended result column
• Result Property Name: customer_updates

Outcome: The node fetches the latest customer data and passes it to a downstream CRM update node.

Automated Invoice Creation

An accounting firm sends client billing data to a billing system API to create invoices.

Configuration:

• Method: POST
• Request URL: https://billing.example.com/api/invoices
• Headers: Content-Type: application/json, Authorization: Bearer {{billingToken}}
• Body: {"client_id": "{{clientId}}", "amount": "{{invoiceAmount}}", "due_date": "{{dueDate}}"}
• Response Type: JSON
• Enable SSL Certificate Verification: On

Outcome: The node sends client data to the billing system and receives the generated invoice ID for storage in a downstream database node.

Document Download Automation

A legal firm downloads contracts from a client portal using dynamic case numbers.

Configuration:

• Method: GET
• Request URL: https://clientportal.com/documents/{{caseNumber}}
• Headers: authentication headers for the portal
• Response Type: File Download
• File Output Folder: /cases/{{caseNumber}}/
• Unzip if Response is ZIP: On
• Output Transformation: Spread by attachments

Outcome: The node downloads all documents for each case, extracts any ZIP archives, and creates separate workflow rows for each document for individual processing.

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Step-by-Step Configuration

Basic API Request

1. Drag the HTTP Client node onto your workflow canvas and connect it to the previous node.
2. Click the node to open settings.
3. Select the desired Method (GET to read data, POST to send data).
4. Enter the API endpoint URL in Request URL. Use {{variableName}} syntax for dynamic values.
5. Expand the Headers section and add any required authentication or content-type headers.
6. For POST, PUT, or PATCH: expand the Body section and enter your JSON payload with dynamic variables as needed.
7. Expand the Response section and select the appropriate Response Type.
8. Set the Result Property Name to a descriptive name.
9. Click Test Configuration to validate the request, then save.

File Download Setup

1. Follow the basic request steps above.
2. In the Response section, select File Download as the Response Type.
3. Enter the target directory in File Output Folder.
4. If the API returns ZIP files, enable Unzip if Response is ZIP.
5. Optionally enable Keep ZIP File to retain the archive alongside extracted contents.
6. Enable Convert Images to Base64 if downstream nodes need to embed images as text.

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Likely Cause	Resolution
401 Unauthorized	Missing or expired authentication token	Check the Authorization header value and confirm the token is current.
403 Forbidden	Insufficient permissions for the API endpoint	Verify the API account has the required access level for the requested operation.
SSL certificate error	SSL verification is on but the target uses a self-signed certificate	For internal or test systems only: disable SSL verification. For production APIs, contact the API provider about their certificate.
Request times out	Target API is slow or unreachable	Check network connectivity and the API’s status page. Consider increasing the workflow timeout setting.
Response body is empty	Wrong Response Type selected	If the API returns JSON but Response Type is set to Text, the data will not be parsed correctly. Match the Response Type to the actual content.
File not saved after download	File Output Folder path does not exist or is missing	Verify the folder path and ensure the workflow has write access to that directory.
Dynamic variables not replaced	Variable name in URL or body does not match the upstream property name	Check the exact property name in the upstream node’s output and update the variable reference to match.

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Best Practices

• Enable SSL Certificate Verification for all external API calls in production environments.
• Use descriptive Result Property Names (for example, crm_response or invoice_data) to make downstream node configuration easier to read.
• Store API tokens as dynamic variables passed from a secure upstream source rather than hardcoding them in header values.
• Use GET for all read operations. Only use POST, PUT, PATCH, or DELETE when your intent is specifically to modify remote data.
• Test requests with the Test Configuration button before deploying to production to avoid unintended API side effects during development.
• Enable Automatically Follow Redirects when working with APIs that use URL shorteners or that redirect based on authentication state.

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Related Nodes

• CRUD Integration - for connecting to Monday.com, ClickUp, Airtable, or Slack without building raw HTTP requests.
• URL Scraper - for extracting content from web pages rather than calling structured REST APIs.
• Custom Script - for transforming request data before sending or parsing complex response structures.