> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.embeddables.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Best Practices: Deciding how best to send/receive data

> Data Pipelines? API requests? Something else?

## Use-cases

Some common use-cases that we often see:

1. I want to send data to an external SaaS app (e.g. a CRM, Airtable).
2. I want to trigger an email to be sent to me, or to the end-user.
3. I want to send data to my own backend/API.
4. I want to fetch content to display in my Embeddable, similar to a CMS.
5. ...many other combinations of the above...

## Questions to ask yourself

If you're sending data somewhere:

* Am I sending to an external SaaS app, or to my own backend/database/API?
* Am I sending the data somewhere to access later, or will I need to access it instantly to avoid blocking the end-user?
* Am I sending data to a domain that might be blocked by browsers or ad blockers?
* Will I need to include some kind of private API key or token in the request?

If you're fetching data from somewhere:

* Do I need the content to load instantly on page load, or later (e.g. on a subsequent page, or after a button click)?
* Does the data need to be secure, or is it public data that it's OK for people to access?
* Am I fetching data from a domain that might be blocked by browsers or ad blockers?

## Which solution to choose - Sending data

### DataPipes - Integrations

This is usually the best solution if:

* ✅ You want to send data to one of these SaaS apps: HubSpot, Airtable, Sendgrid, Google Sheets.
* ✅ You don't need to access it instantly (can take up to a minute to process).

### DataPipes - Webhooks

This is usually the best solution if:

* ✅ You want to send data to Zapier or your own backend/database/API.
* ✅ You don't need to access it instantly (can take up to a minute to process).

### Frontend API request, using the Embeddables Secure Proxy

This is usually the best solution if:

* ✅ You want to send data to an external SaaS app, Zapier or your own backend/database/API.
* ✅ You need to access it instantly (sooner than within 1 minute), or it will block the end-user from progressing.
* ✅ You need to include some kind of private API key or token in the request - OR - you'll be sending to a domain that might be blocked by browsers or ad blockers.

### Frontend API request, direct

This is usually the best solution if:

* ✅ You want to send data to an external SaaS app, Zapier or your own backend/database/API.
* ✅ You need to access it instantly (sooner than within 1 minute), or it will block the end-user from progressing.
* ✅ You don't need to include any kind of private API key or token in the request.
* ✅ You won't need to send to a domain that risks being blocked by browsers or ad blockers.

## Which solution to choose - Fetching data

### Embeddables CMS feature - currently in `BETA`

This is usually the best solution if:

* ✅ You want to fetch data from an Airtable.
* ✅ You need the content to load instantly on page load.

### Frontend API request, using the Embeddables Secure Proxy

This is usually the best solution if:

* ✅ You want to fetch data from an external SaaS app, Zapier or your own backend/database/API.
* ✅ The content doesn't need to load instantly on page load (it can be e.g. on a subsequent page, or after a button click).
* ✅ You need to include some kind of private API key or token in the request - OR - you're fetching from a domain that might be blocked by browsers or ad blockers.

### Frontend API request, direct

This is usually the best solution if:

* ✅ You want to fetch data from an external SaaS app, Zapier or your own backend/database/API.
* ✅ The content doesn't need to load instantly on page load (it can be e.g. on a subsequent page, or after a button click).
* ✅ You don't need to include any kind of private API key or token in the request.
* ✅ You won't need to send to a domain that risks being blocked by browsers or ad blockers.