Connecting an online store to 1C removes double data entry: products, prices and stock live in one system and reach the site automatically. The exchange can be set up in two ways — via API or via a scheduled file export.
When the catalog is large and prices and stock change every day, keeping them by hand in both 1C and on the site is a source of errors and lost orders. Integration with 1C makes the accounting system the single source of data: you update a product once in 1C, and the changes flow to the online store. Below we look at the two exchange methods, their pros and cons, and exactly what can be transferred.
Two integration methods: API and file exchange
Method 1. Integration via API
With API integration, the online store and 1C exchange data directly: the system calls the API and sends or fetches data on demand. You can use the ECOM API — then 1C talks to the store — or the 1C API, if the accounting system is published as a web service.
Advantages of API exchange:
- near real-time exchange: prices and stock update on demand, not only on a schedule;
- two-way exchange — orders can only be transferred via the API;
- fewer manual operations and intermediate files.
Disadvantages:
- 1C must be reachable over the network or published as a web service — harder to set up;
- a stable connection between the store and 1C is required.
Method 2. File exchange (regular export)
With file exchange, 1C generates an export file (for example, the catalog with prices and stock), and the online store picks it up on a schedule. The schedule is configured to your needs: for example, the full catalog once a night, and prices and stock every two hours. The frequency can be anything — whatever suits the business.
Advantages:
- simpler and more reliable: no permanent network access to 1C is needed, the exchange runs via a file on a schedule;
- a good fit when 1C runs inside the company network and cannot be exposed externally;
- predictable load — the exchange happens on schedule.
Disadvantages:
- data does not update instantly, but on a schedule (once a night, once every two hours — as you configure it);
- file exchange transfers the catalog, prices and stock one way; orders cannot be transferred this way — they require the API.
Orders — via API only
The catalog, prices and stock can be transferred by any method, but orders — only via the API. There are two directions here: you can use the ECOM API — then 1C fetches new orders from the store itself; or you can use the 1C API — then ECOM sends orders to 1C as they arrive. The choice depends on where it is more convenient to keep the initiator of the exchange — on the 1C side or on the store side.
What can be transferred from 1C
Through integration with 1C, almost all catalog and accounting data can be transferred to the online store:
- the catalog, categories and products;
- prices (including different price types);
- availability and stock, including availability per individual store;
- product images;
- order statuses;
- custom tabs and additional product attributes;
- and much more — the scope of the exchange is configured to your catalog.
How to set up the exchange on ECOM
At ECOM we set up the 1C integration turnkey: we help choose the exchange method (API or file export), define the scope and schedule, and connect order transfer. You do not need to figure out exchange formats yourself — just tell us how your accounting in 1C is organized. You can discuss the integration in a demo.