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Connector versus connection
This page describes the difference between the termsconnectorandconnection. Before using Integration Connectors, it is important for you
to understand this difference.
Aconnectorprovides connectivity to a specific type of data source. And
each data source has a different connector. For example, the Salesforce connector provides
connectivity to a Salesforce instance and a BigQuery connector provides connectivity to a BigQuery
instance. However, a connector in itself doesn't connect to any data source. To access the data source instance,
you need to create a connection using the correct type of connector.
You can think of aconnectionas an instance of a connector type that actually accesses
the data source. To access a data source, you must create a connection to the data source by
using the corresponding connector. For example, to access a Salesforce instance, you must create
a Salesforce connection. Based on your requirement, you can create multiple connections for
a connector type, and each connection is uniquely identified by its name. For example, you can
havesalesforce_connection_01,salesforce_connection_02, andsalesforce_connection_03connections, where each connection accesses a different
Salesforce instance or uses different credentials in the same instance.
Therefore, at a fundamental level, if you are managing your connectors, it means you are in
effect managing the connections.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-04 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eA connector offers the ability to connect to a specific data source type, like Salesforce or BigQuery, but it does not directly connect to an instance.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eA connection is an active instance of a connector that enables access to a specific data source, such as a Salesforce instance.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eMultiple connections can be created for a single connector type, with each connection uniquely named and potentially accessing different data sources or using different credentials.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eManaging connectors, in effect, is the same as managing connections.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Connector versus connection\n===========================\n\nThis page describes the difference between the terms `connector` and\n`connection`. Before using Integration Connectors, it is important for you\nto understand this difference.\n\nA **connector** provides connectivity to a specific type of data source. And\neach data source has a different connector. For example, the Salesforce connector provides\nconnectivity to a Salesforce instance and a BigQuery connector provides connectivity to a BigQuery\ninstance. However, a connector in itself doesn't connect to any data source. To access the data source instance,\nyou need to create a connection using the correct type of connector.\n\nYou can think of a **connection** as an instance of a connector type that actually accesses\nthe data source. To access a data source, you must create a connection to the data source by\nusing the corresponding connector. For example, to access a Salesforce instance, you must create\na Salesforce connection. Based on your requirement, you can create multiple connections for\na connector type, and each connection is uniquely identified by its name. For example, you can\nhave `salesforce_connection_01`, `salesforce_connection_02`, and\n`salesforce_connection_03` connections, where each connection accesses a different\nSalesforce instance or uses different credentials in the same instance.\n\nTherefore, at a fundamental level, if you are managing your connectors, it means you are in\neffect managing the connections."]]
