Sprout Developer Portal

Overview

Sprout offers a suite of APIs that enable developers to build integrations across various HR and Payroll services. These APIs help streamline operations, reduce manual tasks, and synchronize data across platforms. Whether you’re syncing employee records, integrating attendance logs from biometric systems, or pulling payroll data into your accounting software, this portal is for you.

By using Sprout’s API services, developers can:

• Automate HR & Payroll processes – Minimize manual input and human error.

• Ensure data consistency – Keep records synchronized across systems.

• Enhance user experience – Deliver real-time updates and enable employee self-service.

• Enable system interoperability – Connect Sprout to third-party tools like ERPs, accounting software, or HCMs.

What Developers Should Know Before Integrating

Before diving into integration, keep the following in mind:

1. Data Structure & Format

• Understand Sprout’s expected data schema.

• Validate data before sending.

• Confirm mapping between Sprout fields and your system’s fields.

2. Integration Points

• Identify where API calls are needed (e.g., real-time vs. batch syncs).

• Consider retry logic and graceful error handling.

• Use appropriate endpoints for optimal efficiency.

3. Security & Access

• Use secure authentication credentials.

• Store tokens securely.

• Follow data privacy best practices when handling employee and payroll information.

4.  Performance & Scalability

• Avoid excessive API polling.

• Use batch endpoints where possible.

• Be mindful of rate limits (especially for high-frequency actions like clock-ins).

How to Integrate with Sprout: A Step-by-Step Guide

Sprout offers a suite of APIs that allow you to connect your internal systems with the Sprout platform. Whether you’re integrating for employee syncing, leave automation, or payroll data retrieval, this guide walks you through each step of the integration process from planning to going live.

Step 1: Define Your Integration Goal

Clearly outline what you aim to achieve with your integration. This helps ensure your request is well-scoped and actionable.

Questions to guide you:

• What business problem do you plan to solve? 

• Do you really need an integration?

• What are the types of data or transactions you want to interact with within Sprout? (employee profiles, clocking in and out, 'My Requests" transactions, etc. ).

Step 2: Coordinate with Your Customer Success Manager (CSM)

Reach out to your assigned CSM to begin the onboarding process.

Prepare the following:

• A concise description of your integration goal

• Whether you need access to the sandbox or production environment

• The email of the developer responsible for the integration

• Any system dependencies or constraints to consider

Your CSM will log your request and initiate internal coordination for API provisioning.

Step 3: API Account Activation

Sprout will activate your API account in the environment you requested:

• Sandbox: For testing and development purposes.

• Production: For live transactions with actual employee or payroll data.

⚠️ Production access may require legal and technical verification prior to release of credentials.

Step 4: API Credentials & Access Details

Once your request is approved, Sprout will send the following via email:

• client_id and client_secret tied to your environment (sandbox or production)

• Access credentials for the Sprout HR UI (if applicable)

There are a wide variety of references for Bearer Authentication on the internet.

A Bearer Token expires after some time and you’ll have to implement refresh token functionality in your app accordingly.

You can call the Services directly within the developer portal or any other API testing tool eg. Postman.

Step 5: Building and Testing with Sprout APIs

For sample API calls, you may also have a look at the API Documentation

This is based on the Production endpoint, but it’s similar to sandbox; only your host URL and keys will change. There are sample calls here to get bearer token, get employee data and post attendance logs.

To make this work, you’ll need to just replace the following as these are unique to your account:

• clientID & secret in the POST Get Token endpoint

• Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key in each request header (see Step 3)

• Bearer Authorization (in each endpoint request header), the value will be the bearer token returned by the POST GET Token sample endpoint

Refer to the following links to know more about our API Services:

• Authorization Service

• Time and Attendance

• Employee Service

• HR Service

Step 6: Go Live in Production (If Applicable)

Once testing is successful and you're ready to go live:

• Notify your CSM

• Additional validation steps or internal approvals may be required

• You’ll receive final production credentials upon approval

Summary

Step Description

1 Define your integration objective and expected behavior

2 Contact your CSM with integration scope and access request

3 Wait for API account activation (sandbox or production)

4 Receive credentials and request Bearer token

5 Begin authenticated development using Sprout’s APIs

6 Coordinate go-live with CSM and finalize production access

Need Help?

• Contact your CSM for onboarding, scope clarification, and escalation

• Integration Support is available for technical troubleshooting if needed