6 really cool things you can do with the Slack API
We know that “work is no longer a place you go” and that Slack positions itself as the workplace. But we also see real evidence that Slack enables true productivity through its automations, integrations, and open API.
Workflow integration and automation has been central to Slack’s vision from the start. Access to the Slack API takes them to the next level by allowing developers and IT administrators to create custom bots and workflows.
In this article, we’ll see how to access the Slack API and take a look at some pre-built functions that are already in use in the real world.
What is a Slack API?
API stands for application programming interface. This means a set of definitions and protocols integrating into the software. Slack’s API lets developers build custom apps, workflows, and share data back and forth.
Slack says its APIs are available for querying information and making changes in a Slack workspace.
Slack has several APIs to interact with:
- Slack Login API
- Calls API
- Bookmarks API
- Events API
- Web APIs
- Chat API
- Real-time messaging API
Depending on what you need to do with Slack, make sure you choose the right APIs to integrate.
Slack API technical documentation is available on the Slack API website to help you choose the most appropriate one.
Is the Slack API free?
Yes. There are no charges to create apps that use the Slack API, and there are no Slack charges to install apps that use the Slack API.
For example, you can use a free workspace to create apps and install up to 10 apps.
Note: This limit of 10 includes both custom and third-party apps.
There are also pre-made Slack workflow automations you can choose from. In some cases, other people may have already created what you are looking for.
How do I connect to the Slack API?
Go to https://api.slack.com/ and sign in to the workspace you want to connect to the Slack API.
Once connected, you can use Bolt, Workflow Builder, or Block Kit to start building apps and workflows.
You can create a new Slack app from scratch or using existing templates created by other developers.
You might also like: Slack Webhooks: A Deep Dive
6 things you can do with the Slack API
There are tons of Slack integrations you can download from the app directory. If those don’t do the job for you, check out some of the cool things people are using the Slack API for.
1 – Enable cross-platform messages to Microsoft Teams
When half your business uses Slack and the other half uses Teams, wouldn’t it be convenient if you could send messages to Slack and have them arrive in Teams?
Mio uses the Slack API to send and receive cross-platform DMs and channel messages.
Once you’ve synced users or teams, you can send a Slack message just like you would to any Slack user – and it’s sent to your colleague on Teams.
Using the Events API, Mio listens for messages in Slack channels and relays them to connected channels on Teams.
In addition to sending and receiving messages, all modern functionality of a “message” is also translated across multiple platforms:
- Basic Posts
- Thematic posts
- File downloads
- Editing messages
- Deleting posts
- Emojis
- GIF
As Microsoft begins to roll out Teams Connect, the focus on cross-enterprise collaboration has also become apparent.
When Slack revamped shared channels into Slack Connect in 2020, it was clear that Slack saw a huge use case for businesses chatting across domains or across organizations.
Also in 2020, Mio launched Universal Channels to extend Slack Connect functionality to Microsoft Teams users.
As in the example above for internal messaging colleagues, Slack and Teams users in different organizations can exchange messages by creating a “universal” channel between the two platforms.
2 – Be notified quickly of critical information
Adam Nathan, director of solutions engineering at CoEnterprise, a leading Tableau/Salesforce partner, says Salesforce’s acquisition of Slack has opened up some exciting new possibilities, and they’re using the Slack API to help them.
“We’re particularly interested in the ability to push dashboard visualizations into Slack, helping analysts and managers get critical insights right into their workflow, sending them back to a detailed dashboard, then take immediate action.”
“You have to create something from the Slack API to perform these actions, responding to information passed from Tableau.
An example:
- A database user on a manager’s team has just been granted elevated permissions in Snowflake.
- Tableau picks it up and passes the information to the user’s manager.
- The manager can see it then immediately close the user’s access in Snowflake with one click.
All of these actions take place in Slack. We call this solution “SnowTrail”.
Slack’s API makes this possible because we can retrieve critical information from the message and then interact with other APIs to take action.
The Slack user investigates and then takes action. The beauty is that it takes place in the handler’s workflow and is easy to capture the event. There is no need to check a dashboard at odd intervals. »
3 – Enable cross-platform messages for Zoom Chat
With Zoom’s growth over the past few years, it’s only natural that some Slack users have discovered the Slack-like chat feature in Zoom.
Zoom Chat supports many of the messaging features we associate with Slack – only it’s in the Zoom interface. This means that some remote workers who have become accustomed to using Zoom for video calls will also find it easier to stay in Zoom and only switch to Slack occasionally.
While this is ideal for Zoom users only, it creates a disconnect between Slack users and Zoom Chat users.
When left to fester, this situation creates silos in the workplace and a significant loss of productivity.
But the good news is that you’ll soon be able to connect Slack and Zoom for cross-platform chat.
Once you’ve synced users or teams, you can send a Slack message just like you would to any Slack user – and it’s forwarded to your colleague on Zoom Chat.
Using the Events API, Mio listens for messages from Slack channels and relays them to connected channels on Zoom.
In addition to sending and receiving messages, all modern functionality of a “message” is also translated across multiple platforms:
- Basic Posts
- Thematic posts
- File downloads
- Editing messages
- Deleting messages
- Emojis
- GIF
Join the waiting list to connect Slack and Zoom Chat here.
4 – Trigger alerts based on pop-up responses
Solitaire CEO Ryan Nieman connects to Web API and Events API to create an alert system in Slack that notifies him whenever a user submits a response to a particular section of a window A/B testing context.
“Every time a consumer completes our A/B testing challenge section, we receive an alert on Slack. Based on these alerts, our UI/UX designers built a more personalized website for a specific audience. This tool helped the marketing team assess customer conversion and engagement.”
5 – Automate routine processes
Nine Publishing is the publishing arm of Nine Entertainment. It uses custom tools and applications to streamline newsroom processes and monitor performance analysis.
He created custom apps and slash commands to speed up processes that once relied on humans to create and maintain
- @incident-monster: reports new incidents and helps the team manage them
- /transcribe: allows journalists to request transcriptions of audio files directly from Slack
- /dashboards: Displays a library of available dashboards so employees can access content performance data and insights
- /roster: Provides a list of on-call engineers and technical staff for a given service
The main advantage is that they reduced the processes from a day to 30 minutes 🤯
If that’s not a reason to start using the Slack API, I don’t know what is.
6 – Enable Cross-Platform Messages to Webex
When you’ve switched to Slack but still have a small portion of people using Webex, it’s hard to change their habits for a lifetime.
Instead of forcing them out of Webex (and likely creating ghost IT), you can use Mio to connect Slack and Webex
Your Webex users can continue using Webex, and your Slack users won’t notice anything different. In fact, the only the change they’ll see during daily messaging is a small Webex icon next to their co-workers’ names – handy so you know they won’t be joining Slack Huddles or any Slack-only features.
Messages are sent from Slack and Mio uses the Slack API to translate them into Webex language.
Once you’ve synced users or teams, you can send a Slack message just like you would to any Slack user – and it’s sent to your coworker on Webex (and vice versa).
Using the Events API, Mio listens for messages from Slack channels and relays them to connected channels on Webex.
In addition to sending and receiving messages, all modern functionality of a “message” is also translated across multiple platforms:
- Basic Posts
- Thematic posts
- File downloads
- Editing messages
- Deleting posts
- Emojis
- GIF
