Hi all, am i correct in understanding that Polaris does NOT use Innovative’s PatronAPI? does everyone just use SIP to connect to libby and hoopla? If so, is there any roadmap either on innovative’s end to support PatronAPI or on Overdrive’s end to support the Polaris API?
Hey Alvin, Innovative’s “PatronAPI” is tied to Sierra? Polaris has its own API, known as Polaris API. Innovative Documentation Portal Polaris (iii.com)
We use Polaris API for Hoopla patron authentication, and a mix of protocols for Overdrive/Libby as we “integrate” with them.
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We use Polaris’ API, but we had to create our own “helper” application to interface between the Polaris API and Overdrive/Libby.
Our “helper” application removes the need for Overdrive to do the Polaris API key authentication and then it has its own “rules” logic to determine which patrons are allowed to use the service. It also allowed us to send the data securely over HTTPS and to limit the amount of patron data that we returned to Overdrive.
You can find more about custom authentication solutions on Overdrive’s site. That document mentions returning data via XML, but I’m pretty sure we return via JSON.
Thanks. Overdrive specifically mentioned “Innovative’s PatronAPI” in some documentation i saw so i thought it might be all over innovative. And it turns out it isn’t. Good to see other libraries are not using SIP. I’d like to transition from SIP if i can.
Yep, that document was likely created when Innovative = Millennium / Sierra. If you see PatronAPI, it is safe to assume they do not mean Polaris.
Of course, it is extra confusing that it is the PolarisAPI, which on the Polaris side is often abbreviated PAPI, which would match the abbreviation for PatronAPI too.