Developer Center Overview

Welcome! Here are the steps you’ll follow to build an integration on Dev Center 2.0, launch your destination to Private Beta so customers can test it, and then launch it as Public in the Segment catalog.

Build on Segment

Over 19,000 companies use Segment as their central hub for collecting and synthesizing first-party customer data. Customers use Segment sources to collect data across all their properties (for example, web, mobile, CRMs, or email) and send this data into destinations (SaaS tools, internal databases or queues, or a data warehouse) to perform analytics, run marketing campaigns and much more.

Integration types

Segment provides two different integration types to support bringing your data into Segment, and sending your data downstream to other third-party tools.

Sources

Sources bring users’ first-party data into Segment. While there are several types of sources (for example, web or server libraries, mobile integrations, and Cloud), the Developer Center enables you to build your own Cloud Event sources. These sources enable users to import data directly from your application into Segment.

Destinations

Destinations send data to other tools for processing or analysis. For example, a Segment user may want to send their data to your advertising platform or analytics tool. To accomplish this, they’ll connect your Segment destination to their workspace.

All new Segment Destinations are built on the Actions framework, which enables a simplified build experience for you and a more straightforward configuration experience for your users.

Development process

To develop your integration in the Developer Center, complete the following steps:

1. Become a Segment Partner
2. Understand Segment’s conceptual model and Spec
3. Follow Segment’s security guidance
4. Request access to the Segment Developer Center
5. Create your integration
6. Write your integration’s documentation

Become a Segment Partner

Sign up for the Segment Select Partner Program. During the sign-up process, you’ll agree to the Segment Partner Program Agreement and Privacy Policy.

Understand Segment’s conceptual model and Spec

Segment’s Conceptual Model is a high-level overview of how Segment works and explains how your integration fits into the Segment catalog.

The Segment Spec provides best practices for the specific data you should capture and the best way to format that data based on your use case. The Spec outlines the semantic definition of the customer data that Segment captures across all its libraries and APIs, and will be a main building block for your integration.

Follow Segment’s security guidance

Security for both customers and partners is a priority at Segment. Before you start building on the Developer Center, review the Acceptable Use Policy and ensure you’re following these guidelines:

• Follow a secure software-development lifecycle, which enables you to create code that is safe for Segment customers and their end users, and that enables you to maintain and raise the security of that code over time
• If you or your code comes into contact with Segment customer- or end-user data for any reason, protect it with commercially reasonable methods throughout its data lifecycle, including creation, handling, transporting, storing and destruction.
• If you suspect a security event, incident or breach while working on this project or afterward, contact Segment Security for assistance with your investigation and communications
• Practice modern and common-sense security for any scenario that is not explicitly stated.

Request access to the Segment Developer Center

Segment provides access to the Developer Portal on request. Open the Developer Portal page and click Sign up to request access. A Segment account is required for this step.

Segment receives a large volume of requests so please include a valid company website and email address, answer all questions with details about integration’s use case as well as highlighting specific customer requests to expedite the approval process.

Create your integration

Follow the steps to build your source or destination.

Write your integration’s documentation

Documentation is integral to enabling Segment’s users to self-serve and onboard with your integration. Segment’s documentation team will work with you during this part of the process to ensure your documentation matches the Segment style and is as instructive as possible.

• Source Documentation Instructions
• Destination Documentation Instructions

Submit your integration for review

Before users can go hands on with your integration, a review by Segment engineers is required to ensure the integration meets security and usability standards.

Destinations

To submit your destination for review, follow the destination-specific instructions in the Submit a pull request docs.

Sources

To submit your source for review, complete the steps described in the Developer Portal and click Submit for review.