Connectors in Mule flows allow communication between Mule and external systems. There are two types of connectors: endpoint-based and operation-based. Endpoint-based connectors follow a request-response pattern and are configured as inbound or outbound endpoints. Operation-based connectors perform a specific operation like query or upsert. Some connectors require global configuration for connection information that can be shared across multiple uses of that connector type in a flow. Common connectors include HTTP, FTP, JMS, and Salesforce.

1. Mule Concepts
Elements in a Mule Flow :
Connectors

2. • Receive or send messages between Mule and one or
more external sources, such as files, databases, or
Web services.
• Can act as
– message sources by working as inbound endpoints.
– message processor that performs an operation in the
middle of a flow.
– can be at the end of a flow and act as the recipient of the
final payload data.
Elements in a Mule Flow :Connectors

3. • Connectors can be of two types :
– endpoint-based
• Endpoint-based connectors follow either a one-way or request-
response exchange pattern
• Are often (but not always) named and based around a standard
data communication protocol, such as FTP, JMS, and SMTP.
– operation-based
• Operation-based connectors follow an information exchange
pattern based on the operation that you select.
• Are often (but not always) named and based around one or more
specific third-party APIs.
Elements in a Mule Flow :Connectors

4. • Endpoint Based Connectors :
– Endpoint-based connectors are configured as :
• Inbound Endpoints :
– serve as a message source for a flow.
• Outbound Endpoints :
– Can occur mid-flow or at the end of flows, and send
information to external systems.
Example :
Elements in a Mule Flow :Connectors

5. • Operation Based Connectors :
– When you add an operation-based connector to your flow,
you immediately define a specific operation for that
connector to perform.
– The XML element of the connector differs according to the
operation selected.
– It takes the form : <connectorName>:<operation>
• E.g. sfdc:query or sfdc:upsert-bulk
– remaining configuration attributes or child elements are
determined by the operation selected.
Elements in a Mule Flow :Connectors

6. • Operation Based Connectors :
– Example :
Elements in a Mule Flow :Connectors

7. • Global Connector Configuration :
– Some connectors require that connection information such as
username, password, and security tokens be configured in a global
element rather than at the level of the message processor within the
flow.
– The Global Configuration can be referred by multiple connectors of the
same type in an application.
– For operation-based connectors, the global connector configuration is
mandatory.
– for most endpoint-based connectors it is optional.
– The global element that you configure in Anypoint Studio is called a
Connector Configuration.
– The corresponding XML tag for operation-based connectors
is <connectorName>:config
– The corresponding XML tag for endpoint-based connectors
is <connectorName>:connector
Elements in a Mule Flow :Connectors

8. • Example : - Http Connector
– operation-based
Elements in a Mule Flow :Connectors

9. • Example : - JMS Connector
– endpoint-based
Elements in a Mule Flow :Connectors