Exact Globe API: how to get an API for Exact (SDK vs Entity Services vs REST)
Short answer: Exact Globe doesn't have a public REST API. Exact Online does. To connect Exact Globe to other software you have three options: build on the Globe SDK, use Exact Entity Services, or add a ready-made REST API layer such as Clickker, which gives you JSON endpoints and webhooks and is usually live in about two weeks.
Key facts
- Exact Globe runs on your own Windows server with a SQL Server database, so there's no Exact-hosted API to sign up for.
- The SDK and Entity Services both come from Exact, but you need a developer to build on either.
- A REST layer like Clickker can run on your own server or be hosted in the Netherlands, and any tool that can call an API can use it.
When I first went looking for an Exact Globe API, I ended up on Exact Online's developer pages, an integration platform saying Globe "isn't supported yet", and a forum thread that was years old. None of it answered the question. So this is the page I wish I'd found.
Does Exact Globe have an API?
Not in the way most people mean: Exact Globe has no public, cloud-hosted REST API you can sign up for and call. It's on-premise software. It runs on your own server and keeps its data in your own SQL Server database, so there's no Exact endpoint on the internet to connect to.
Exact does give developers two ways in: the Globe SDK and Entity Services. Both work, but both need someone to build the connection, secure it and keep it running. That's why most companies that want to connect Exact Globe to a web shop or warehouse end up adding a layer on top.
| Exact Online | Exact Globe / Globe Next | Exact Globe+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Exact's cloud | Your own server, or a hosting partner's | Your own server, or Exact's cloud hosting |
| Public REST API | Yes, documented, with OAuth 2.0 | No | No |
| Developer routes | REST API and webhooks | SDK, Entity Services, XML import/export | SDK and Entity Services |
How is Exact Online's API different from Exact Globe?
Exact Online is cloud software with a documented REST API; Exact Globe isn't hosted by Exact, so something has to sit next to your installation to expose its data. With Exact Online, developers register an app in Exact's App Center and connect straight away. With Exact Globe, the data lives inside your network, and reaching it from Shopify or a cloud CRM means installing something that can talk to Globe on one side and the internet on the other, safely.
Check which one you run before you buy a connector. A lot of tools advertised as "Exact integrations", including most of the Exact apps in the Shopify App Store, only work with Exact Online.
What are the three ways to get an API on Exact Globe?
You can build on the Globe SDK, build on Exact Entity Services, or install a ready-made REST API layer such as Clickker. The first two come from Exact and need development work. The third is a product you configure rather than code.
| Globe SDK | Entity Services | REST API layer (e.g. Clickker) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Exact's .NET development kit | Exact's own web service (OData), installed with the Globe client | A ready-made REST/JSON API installed alongside Globe |
| Who builds on it | .NET developers | Developers | Anyone with a tool that calls an API: n8n, Make, custom code |
| Real-time updates | You build them | Depends on your build | Included |
| Time to first connection | Weeks to months | Weeks | About two weeks |
| Cost model | Developer hours | Developer hours, plus a secure way to expose it | One-off setup plus a monthly subscription |
| Who maintains it | You | You | The vendor |
Exact Globe SDK vs API: which should you use?
Use the SDK if you have .NET developers building a custom application; use an API if you want existing software to talk to Exact Globe without writing integration code. The SDK gives deep access to Globe's business logic, and it has a good record for stability. Onventis, a procurement platform, says its Globe connection holds up through Globe updates precisely because it's built on the SDK.
The catch is that someone has to write and maintain that code. A rough rule:
- You have in-house .NET developers and a bespoke app to build: the SDK.
- You want a web shop, WMS or CRM to sync with Exact Globe: a REST API layer.
- You only need a nightly export for reporting: a file export may be enough, and you might not need an API at all.
What are Exact Entity Services, and are they enough?
Entity Services is Exact's web service layer for Globe and Synergy; it's enough for reading data and simple updates, but you have to build security, error handling and monitoring around it yourself. It exposes Globe's business objects (accounts, items, orders and so on) through a REST/OData endpoint.
Entity Services runs as a Windows service that comes with the Exact Globe client installation, and by default it only answers on the server itself. To reach it from a cloud system, you need a reverse proxy or similar to publish it securely over HTTPS, plus the right Windows users, SQL access and firewall rules. Everything beyond that (error handling, retries, alerts when something fails) is yours to build. For a developer with time, that's workable. For a finance or operations team that just wants orders flowing, it's a project.
Worth knowing: Clickker isn't a replacement for Exact's own technology. Its makers describe it as combining the best of Entity Services and the SDK into one platform.
How does a REST API layer like Clickker work?
Clickker sits between Exact Globe and your other systems, turning Globe data into JSON endpoints and webhooks that any modern tool can use. It's made by Sense Cloud, part of Sense-IT in Emmen, an Exact Silver and Development partner.
In practice:
- Clickker is installed next to Exact Globe, or hosted by Sense Cloud in the Netherlands.
- Your other systems call Clickker's endpoints to read or write customers, items, stock, sales orders, invoices and so on.
- When something changes in Globe, Clickker can push a webhook to the system that needs to know.
- A companion tool, Watcher, logs and monitors every integration, so you can see when something fails.
There are more than 25 standard integrations, including Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Lightspeed, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Akeneo, Pimcore and Zoho CRM, and a C# client on NuGet for developers who'd rather write code. Clickker also works with Exact Online and Exact Financials, which helps if you run more than one, and Sense Cloud describes it as ready for Exact Globe+.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
A Clickker setup usually takes about two weeks from start to go-live. It follows six steps:
- Assessment and preparation
- Installing Clickker
- Field mapping and integrations
- Building and configuring the workflow
- Testing and sign-off
- Go-live and aftercare
How the costs compare:
| Approach | Up-front | Ongoing |
|---|---|---|
| SDK build | Developer time, often several weeks | Maintenance whenever Globe or the other system changes |
| Entity Services build | Developer time | Hosting, security and fixes |
| Clickker | One-off installation fee | Monthly subscription; new integrations are configured, not coded |
One licence point to check first: to create or update data in Exact Globe through an API layer like Clickker, your Exact licence needs the Connectivity Client module. Your Exact reseller can tell you whether you already have it.
Clickker pricing (2026): from €285 per month, plus a one-off installation fee of €1,000. Prices exclude VAT.
What can you connect once Exact Globe has an API?
Once Exact Globe has an API you can sync web shops, warehouses, shipping, CRM and dashboards, or let an AI assistant answer questions from live ERP data. The common ones we see:
- Web shops: orders into Globe, stock and prices back out. See our guide to connecting Exact Globe to Shopify.
- Warehouse systems: picking lists out, shipments and stock movements back.
- Shipping: labels and tracking codes written back to the order. Sendcloud already lists a Sense Cloud integration for Exact Globe.
- CRM: customers and quotes kept in step with Globe.
- AI assistants: asking questions like "which customers are over their credit limit?" against live data. There's already an open-source project connecting AI tools to Exact Entity Services, which says a lot about where this is heading.
Are there other ways to connect Exact Globe?
Yes: file import and export suits nightly batches, integration platforms suit teams that want a visual builder, and some Exact partners offer their own automation add-ons. Platforms such as Alumio, APIcenter and Codeless Platforms offer Exact Globe connectors, and AB Software's Entiteiten Interface is a well-established option for manufacturers automating processes inside Exact. Which suits you depends on what you're connecting and who'll maintain it. We compare all seven methods in our guide to getting data out of Exact Globe.
Frequently asked questions
Does Exact Globe have a REST API?
Not out of the box. Exact Globe offers the SDK and Entity Services for developers. To get a ready-made REST API with JSON endpoints and webhooks, you add a layer such as Clickker.
Do I need to move to Exact Online to get an API?
No. Moving ERP is a big project. Adding an API layer to Exact Globe usually takes around two weeks and leaves your processes as they are.
Can I use n8n or Zapier with Exact Globe?
Not directly, because there's no public Globe API for them to connect to. Once you add a REST layer, n8n's HTTP Request node or a Zapier webhook can call it like any other API. We build most of our Exact automations this way in n8n.
Will my integration break when Exact Globe is upgraded?
Integrations built on the SDK or a maintained API layer usually survive upgrades well, because the vendor handles compatibility. Integrations that read or write Globe's database directly are the most likely to break. Sense Cloud describes Clickker as independent of your Exact version, which is one of the reasons we use it.
Is Entity Services included with Exact Globe?
Entity Services is a Windows service that comes with the Exact Globe client installation, so there's normally nothing extra to install from Exact. To write data into Globe through an API, though, your licence needs Exact's Connectivity Client module. Check with your Exact reseller.
About the author. Joshua Morris is the founder of AFOD (All For One Digital), an automation consultancy working with Exact Globe users in the Netherlands and the UK, and the first UK partner for Clickker.
Disclosure. AFOD is a Clickker reseller. We've tried to describe every option fairly, including the ones we don't sell.