Signicat Mint API Integration: Production-Ready Guide

Overview

Signicat Mint API enables programmatic management of identity verification workflows created in their visual editor. Enterprise-grade API with OAuth authentication, rate limiting, and complex permission requirements.

Primary Use Cases:

• KYC workflow automation
• Customer onboarding processes
• Compliance automation
• Document verification workflows

Critical Configuration Requirements

OAuth Authentication Setup

Required Components:

• Both Flow Editor AND Flow Viewer roles (missing either causes cryptic 403 errors)
• Client credentials from Signicat dashboard under "API Clients"
• Separate API clients for sandbox and production environments

Token Management:

• Default expiration: 600 seconds (10 minutes)
• No clear documentation of expiration timeframe
• Implement refresh logic for long-running processes
• Tokens expire silently causing 401 errors in production

Working OAuth Request:

curl -X POST "https://api.signicat.com/auth/open/connect/token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials&scope=signicat-api&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&client_secret=YOUR_SECRET"

Permission Requirements

Essential Roles:

• Flow Editor: Required for workflow execution
• Flow Viewer: Required for status checking
• Flow Instance Download: Required for file downloads

Common Failure Mode: Copying sandbox permissions to production without manual verification of each role.

Rate Limiting and Quotas

Documented Limits

• Approximately 100 requests per minute per API client
• File downloads count as ~5 requests each
• Monthly quota system with $0.50 per workflow execution
• Burst limits exist but are undocumented

Cost Implications

• 10,000 customer workflows = $5,000/month
• File downloads count against both API quota AND billing quota
• Rate limit breaches during peak traffic (Black Friday incident: 200 failed onboarding flows)

Optimization Strategies

• Minimum 30-second polling intervals (not every 2 seconds)
• Implement exponential backoff
• Use webhooks instead of polling
• Cache workflow definitions and frequently accessed data

API Endpoint Performance Analysis

Endpoint	Performance	Common Failures	Resource Impact
GET /api/flows	< 1 second	Missing Flow Viewer role	Low
GET /api/flows/{id}/instances	10+ seconds with many instances	DefinitionId ≠ FlowId confusion	High
POST /api/flows/{id}/instances	Usually fast	Rate limiting	Medium
GET /api/instances/{id}	< 1 second	Instance expired (30-day limit)	Low
GET /api/instances/{id}/result-file	Variable (MB to GB)	File not ready, streaming required	Very High
GET /api/instances/{id}/activities	Medium speed	Still-running workflows	Medium

Production Failure Scenarios

Workflow State Confusion

Problem: "Running" status doesn't distinguish between active processing and waiting for user input
Impact: Monitoring systems falsely report failures
Solution: Check activities endpoint to determine actual step

File Management Issues

Critical Warnings:

• Result files deleted after 30 days (no clear documentation)
• ZIP files can reach 2GB+ (single workflow = 500MB+ common)
• File downloads can crash services if not streamed
• No resumable download capability

Implementation Requirements:

• Immediate download and archival upon completion
• Streaming downloads for large files
• Background processing queues
• Separate storage for long-term retention

Environment Configuration Failures

Common Scenario: Production deployment failures due to role mismatches

• Sandbox vs production require identical but separately configured roles
• Missing single permission causes silent failures
• Error messages provide no indication of permission issues

Webhook Implementation (Recommended Alternative)

Setup Process

1. Add HTTP Request step to Mint workflow end
2. Configure callback to: https://yourapp.com/webhooks/mint
3. Include instance ID in payload
4. Handle webhook for download triggering

Benefits

• 90% reduction in API quota usage
• Eliminates polling overhead
• Real-time workflow completion detection

app.post('/webhooks/mint', async (req, res) => {
  const { instanceId, status } = req.body;
  
  if (status === 'Finished') {
    await downloadQueue.add('mint-result', { instanceId });
  }
  
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

Error Handling and Debugging

Common Error Patterns

"Workflow execution failed":

• No specific error details provided
• Could indicate: network timeout, configuration error, or system failure
• Requires detailed logging implementation

403 Forbidden Errors:

• Usually missing Flow Editor or Flow Viewer role
• Can occur with correct sandbox setup but incorrect production roles
• Not clearly indicated in error responses

Rate Limiting (429):

• No advance warning before hitting limits
• Can occur during file downloads unexpectedly
• Requires exponential backoff implementation

Debugging Strategies

1. Enable verbose HTTP client logging
2. Verify all required roles in production environment
3. Check activities endpoint for detailed workflow status
4. Implement comprehensive monitoring for quotas and performance
5. Use separate test workflows with minimal steps

Resource Requirements and Costs

Time Investment

• Initial OAuth setup: 2+ hours for proper role configuration
• Integration development: Plan for enterprise API complexity
• Error handling: Significant time due to poor error messages

Expertise Requirements

• OAuth 2.0 client credentials flow
• Enterprise API integration patterns
• Large file handling and streaming
• Queue-based background processing
• Monitoring and alerting systems

Infrastructure Needs

• Caching layer (Redis recommended)
• Background job processing
• File streaming capabilities
• Long-term storage solution
• Monitoring and alerting systems

Alternatives and Comparisons

When Mint API is Worth It

• Need for visual workflow builder
• EU data residency requirements
• Complex multi-step verification processes
• Integration with existing Signicat ecosystem

Alternative Solutions

• Auth0: More developer-friendly, less EU-focused
• Jumio: Identity verification without no-code complexity
• Onfido: Better API documentation, similar functionality
• Veriff: European alternative with improved developer experience

Decision Criteria

• Choose Mint API if: Visual workflow builder essential, EU compliance required
• Avoid if: Simple API integration preferred, limited development resources
• Consider alternatives if: Documentation quality and developer experience priorities

Implementation Checklist

Pre-Production Requirements

• Configure separate API clients for each environment
• Verify all required roles in production
• Implement token refresh logic
• Set up comprehensive monitoring
• Create test workflows with minimal quota impact
• Implement streaming downloads for large files
• Configure webhook endpoints
• Set up background job processing
• Implement rate limiting and exponential backoff
• Create file archival strategy

Monitoring Requirements

• API quota usage tracking
• Token expiration alerts
• Workflow execution failure detection
• File download performance monitoring
• Rate limiting breach alerts
• Monthly cost tracking

This guide provides operational intelligence for successful Mint API integration while avoiding common production failures.