Connecting your systems

Three directions

A point-of-sale, ERP, booking or inventory system can be connected to NexG in three directions. Each has its own channel and its own security.

What moves, and which way

Connecting a system today

Your catalogue, from your system to NexG

Export your products from your POS or ERP as CSV and import the file in the NexG merchant console (Menu, then import). The import shows a preview with any problems row by row before anything is written. A row with an id updates that item; a row without one updates the item with exactly that name, or adds a new one, so re-importing the same file never duplicates products.

id,section,name,description,price_kes,available,age_restricted
,Popular,Nyama choma platter,"Half kilo of goat ribs, kachumbari, ugali",1450,true,false
,Popular,Grilled tilapia,"Whole fish, lemon and chilli, sukuma wiki",1200,true,false

The full template adds portion_size, ingredients, allergens, dietary_labels, prep_time_minutes, availability_notes, handling_notes and storage_guidance. Download it from the same page. Photos are uploaded in the console, not in the file. Prices are whole shillings.

Your orders, from NexG to your system

Issue a key with merchant_read for your merchant, then poll your orders once a minute and upsert them by order_id. Map NexG's stage to your own statuses once, in one place.

// Every minute: read new and changed orders, newest first, until one you
// already have at the same stage. Keyed by NexG's order_id.
const res = await fetch('https://api.nexgapp.com/v1/orders', {
  headers: { 'X-Api-Key': process.env.NEXG_API_KEY },
});
const body = await res.json();
if (!body.ok) throw new Error(body.error.code);

for (const order of body.data.items) {
  await pos.orders.upsert({
    externalId: order.order_id,     // NexG's id
    reference: order.reference,     // what staff read: NX-261110-0003
    status: STAGE_TO_POS[order.stage],
    totalCents: order.total_cents,  // integer cents, never a float
  });
}

Your NexG listing, on your own website

Read your merchant and catalogue as NexG publishes them, and show them in your own design. Link back to your storefront at https://nexgapp.com/explore/{merchant id} so guests can order.

curl "https://api.nexgapp.com/v1/catalog/merchants/9b2f6c1e-4a7d-4c3b-8e21-5f0a7d3c9e14" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $NEXG_API_KEY"

Your data on nexgapp.com

NexG shows your business in NexG's own format. What you send is data, never markup: names, descriptions, prices, sections and flags. NexG stores it in its own fields and sets it with its own design, so every storefront reads the same way and a guest always knows where to look.

{
  "name": "Nyama choma platter",
  "description": "Half kilo of goat ribs, kachumbari, ugali",
  "price_kes": 1450,
  "available": true,
  "age_restricted": false,
  "highlighted": true
}

• No HTML, scripts, styles, fonts or tracking from a partner ever reach a NexG page. Formatting characters in text are shown as text.
• Prices are whole shillings, and the totals guests pay (delivery, service fee) are worked out by NexG. A partner never sets a fee.
• Nothing is public until NexG has verified the merchant's documents. Age-restricted items appear only for a verified licence, labelled 18+ with ID checked at hand-over.
• Photos are uploaded in the merchant console and shown in NexG's frames.

Two-way sync

Every connection moves through the same steps, and cannot skip one:

1. Requested: someone allowed to manage connections adds your system for your business and the locations it serves.
2. Tested: NexG calls your system with your current credentials, and every operation the connection will use must pass.
3. Mapped: every field is mapped between your records and NexG's, and the mapping is versioned.
4. Previewed: the changes the mapping would make are shown before any are made.
5. Active: only after approval. A connection can be paused, sent back for new credentials, or disconnected once pending work is settled.

And once data flows:

• Each kind of data has one owner: NexG, your system, shared under written rules, or read only from yours. Your system can never write what NexG owns.
• Each event is applied once, by its id, and changes NexG made itself are not applied back.
• Events apply in your system's order, or are reconciled when order cannot be trusted.
• Nothing is deleted because it is missing from a snapshot. Deletion needs an explicit delete from your side.