Point-to-point or p2p integration is an integration model that ensures data travels from one point to another. It uses a script to extract data from the application, transforms the data to the format of the receiving application and sends it through.
How is point-to-point used?
P2p integration is a very simple and direct way of building integrations. It is a fine solution if there aren’t too many applications involved. However, when you add multiple applications it soon becomes a bit messy. It can also take some time for the data to travel between the applications in a point-to-point integration, which might not suit today’s real (near) time requirements.
Advantages of point-to-point integration
- A small scale point-to-point integration can often easily be build by an IT team
Disadvantages of a p2p integration
- It is hardly scalable, because every time you add an application there is more traffic going back and forth between the applications.
- Managing a large amount of p2p integrations is not an easy task as it is hard to keep a clear overview of what is happening
Star or spaghetti integration
A star integration or spaghetti integration is a multitude of point-to-point integrations. Look at the graph above, you can imagine if you add a lot more applications and integrations soon all these lines will start to look like spaghetti.
Where is p2p integration used?
In businesses that rely on just a couple of applications to run their processes. It is also applicable in business aiming to connect to SaaS solutions.
Point-to-point and Dovetail
Where point-to-point integration is a very simplistic integration method, Dovetail is an iPaaS, suited for very complex integration patterns. Want to know more about Dovetail and how it can support you in your integration challenges, continue reading here.
