# Systems, connectors and apps in an integration solution

*MuleSoft Integration Foundations Study Guide · Recognize common integration problems, use cases, and technical solutions · Last updated November 2, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/mulesoft-integration-foundations/integration-problems-use-cases-and-technical-solutions/systems-connectors-and-apps-in-an-integration-solution*

How to break an integration solution into its constituents: the systems and the APIs they expose, the connectors (endpoint-based or operation-based) that reach them, the integration application that routes and transforms data between them, and the API-led layer each API belongs to.

- Certification: Salesforce MuleSoft Integration Foundations
- Exam section: Recognize common integration problems, use cases, and technical solutions
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/mulesoft-integration-foundations

**Official exam objective:**

> Deconstruct an integration solution into its integration system constituents.

## What the exam expects

- Deconstruct a described solution into systems, the APIs they expose, connectors and the integration application.
- Explain why the integration application lives outside the systems it connects.
- Distinguish endpoint-based from operation-based connectors and state what a connector saves the developer.
- Describe what a specific connector, such as Salesforce Connector, handles and does not handle.
- Label each API in a solution as a System, Process or Experience API.

Key terms:
- **API**: a way to access information from a system using its exposed functionality rather than the UI.
- **Connector**: a pre-built software package that helps a Mule app interact with an external application or data source.
- **Integration application**: the flow that lets independently designed applications work together.
- **Message processor**: logic inside the integration application that routes, modifies and maps data.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where the integration app lives | Outside both connected systems | [APIs, connectors and apps](https://www.mulesoft.com/api/management/difference-between-apis-connectors-integration-applications) |
| Integration app parts | Inbound connectors, message processors, outbound connectors | [APIs, connectors and apps](https://www.mulesoft.com/api/management/difference-between-apis-connectors-integration-applications) |
| Connectors from MuleSoft | 250+ | [APIs, connectors and apps](https://www.mulesoft.com/api/management/difference-between-apis-connectors-integration-applications) |
| Connector advantage | Connect without knowing every detail of programming to the target | [Connectors Overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/connectors/introduction/introduction-to-anypoint-connectors) |
| Connector metadata | Infers target metadata to ease DataWeave transformation | [Connectors Overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/connectors/introduction/introduction-to-anypoint-connectors) |
| Salesforce Connector limits | Not every operation; no Chatter API or Tooling API | [Salesforce Connector](https://docs.mulesoft.com/salesforce-connector/latest/) |
| System API role | Connects to core systems and shields systems of record | [API-led connectivity](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/application-networks-and-api-led-connectivity-in-mulesoft/explore-api-led-connectivity) |

## Check yourself

- Which lifecycle stages does MuleSoft say an API has?
- Why is a pre-packaged two-system integration rare in the integration space?
- When a connector infers a target system's metadata, what gets easier?
- Which authentication types does Salesforce Connector support?

## Sources

- [Difference Between APIs, Connectors and Integration Applications](https://www.mulesoft.com/api/management/difference-between-apis-connectors-integration-applications)
- [Anypoint Connectors Overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/connectors/introduction/introduction-to-anypoint-connectors)
- [Salesforce Connector](https://docs.mulesoft.com/salesforce-connector/latest/)
- [Understanding API-Led Connectivity Essentials (Trailhead unit)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/application-networks-and-api-led-connectivity-in-mulesoft/explore-api-led-connectivity)
- [What is an application network?](https://www.mulesoft.com/api/what-is-an-application-network)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 4 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the MuleSoft Integration Foundations pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams