API and Services to Integrate with Slack (With Usage Tips)

Slack is a nice utility that combines many functions of communication and doing business. Most businessmen and entrepreneurs are familiar with this real-time messenger and are happy with their work. Slack is a freemium cloud service. Slack provides an API for users to create applications and automate works such as sending automatic real-time notifications and alerts on specified conditions. SLACK stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge. Sometimes necessary to integrate several services. It helps to facilitate corporate activities and opens up a great field of new opportunities to the user. In this regard, the Slack app collaborates with a number of top-notch apps (such as Skype and Trello). In this article, you will find out the API reference and ready to use programs which can integrate with Slack making the collaboration fruitful.

Slack versus WhatsApp is an old comparison. WhatsApp is easy like Text Message – anyone can use and really “micro, Mobile, personal version of Slack”. Slack although have all the features WhatsApp provides, it is a freemium business collaboration application optimized for integrations and not just easy to all. It is not easy to “connect” WhatsApp with Slack.

Microsoft Teams is another application which is often compared with Slack. It takes hardly 10 minutes to deploy Slack whereas starting to Microsoft Teams takes about 30 minutes. There are more tools which are like Slack but, for definite reasons Slack is most popular among all of these.

Official Slack API and Apps

Ordinary users, however, do not need to know the API. Use case of Slack can be a specific group creation for a certain project, adding team members, and integration of various services. In that way, upon performing various tasks the system will send automatic notifications. It is also possible to use Slack for IoT – Arduino and ESP32 can be integrated with Slack. IBM Cloud supports Slack integration which may give the readers the idea to upgrade our IoT projects based on IBM Watson IoT, such as where we have controlled LED from IBM IoT, in such project we can code to send status notification on a Slack channel. Slack channels are critical by having open communication channels. Slack integrates with many other common tools, including GitHub, New Relic, Sauce Labs, and Delivery Pipeline. The notifications are valuable to support continuous integration, continuous delivery through a delivery pipeline, and automated monitoring for high availability. How to perform the integration? Let us consider several points:

1. Open the program and go to the Slack integration configuration tab.
2. Click on the Incoming Webhooks section.
3. In the drop-down menu, select a service.
4. Determine the channel to which the information will be received.
5. Confirm execution. Done!

So, we can add an app or integration to Slack through the Slack App Directory. Alternatively, we can add Apps by clicking on an individual app’s “Add to Slack” button. There is enough good documentation of Slack API on their official website. It is possible to integrate various services of IBM Watson with Slack. Slack has own web directory of apps.

Tips to Optimize Usage of Slack

Before starting the list of tips, it is practical to advice around data security of using Slack. Data security is a serious matter to Slack. They have dedicated webpages elaborating passing several compliance for data security. However, anything based on Cloud connected over public internet may have known common risks of data leakage.

• Try to use the Slack mobile app
• Tag that person in a message with @ to draw attention
• Create a strategy for security – we can force only over VPN, and only with two-factor authorization to force confidentiality.
• Use separate channels for discussion topics
• Integrate only the required application with a Slack channel
• Mark important messages by pinning them
• Configure notifications to alert

Some of the Apps to Integrate with Slack

It is difficult to say which apps will be great for your need. There are too many to list starting from DropBox, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Video Conferencing to integrating Discord server. Yet, here are some of the Apps which probably help you.

Standuply

Standuply is a full-fledged tool for Slack, able to perform as Scrum Master and independently. It develops team communication via running video conferences, meetings, and polls, replacing the traditional apps like Skype or Monkey Survey. Moreover, it is increasingly helpful as a digital Scrum Master, running sprint retrospective or backlog grooming. Standuply is heavily used by many of the larger software development companies.

Skype

Developers of well-known service for making video calls and conferences have announced that it will be integrated with Slack. Thanks to this collaboration, Skype users at Slack are able to perform video and audio calls from the program. All messages and calls are redirected to the utility channel.

Telegram

The developers of Slack gradually find new partners and conclude very favourable agreements. The creator of Telegram, Pavel Durov, continues to develop his program line by combining slack telegram. What are the benefits of synchronization of two popular brands? All is simple: all messages and alerts will be synchronized to these two apps. That will significantly reduce the loss of time at work, which is important in business.

GitHub, Trello, Jira and Asana

All these programs are interesting Slack analogies, applied mainly in development and business circles. If you combine the Asana, Slack and Trello organizer, you will be able to simultaneously monitor projects without having to run multiple utilities. After integrating Slack, you get the opportunity to manage the functions of all this software at a time. Such a revolutionary feature puts Slack in the first position among other corporate messengers.

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Conclusion

Many large companies prefer to use Slack services. Most reviews characterize the program as an innovative method of commercial correspondence, which significantly simplifies life and accelerates the processes of mastering business. Obviously, Slack app is capable to monitor the many systems and services you are interested in. The high functionality of Slack makes it the undisputed leader in this direction. Do you want to integrate your Slack with other services and still have any questions? Please, reach us via email and social networks.