Yodlee API v1.1

Access to Yodlee API Calls

The quickest way to get started with Yodlee API calls is by registering for a Sandbox Account on the Yodlee Developer Portal.

API Environment

Details

Notes

Sandbox – Developer Portal

Immediate limited access to API calls for aggregation and Yodlee FastLink tools.

Interactive API client to try individual RESTful API calls. Open to all. Account access is limited to a 45 days trial. Extensions are granted on request.

Stage

API environment catering to specific implementation cases. Please reach out to Yodlee to learn more about the stage environment.

Access is restricted

Production/Live

Access to the production environment is granted when a customer signs up with Yodlee.

Access to the live environment is restricted for the customer server IP address. Please reach out to Yodlee for more details on setting up the live environment

The environments are mutually exclusive and require separate access credentials and connection information (RESTful URLs) for each.


Integration Model

  1. Cobrand - Each Yodlee customer is referred to as a cobrand. During the sign-up process, cobrand credentials are provided (for the respective environment).
  2. User - For every user in your system, Yodlee requires the creation of the respective user in the Yodlee system. A one-to-one relationship between users is required.


Authentication

Customer and Yodlee API integration involves two layers of authentication:

  1. Cobrand Authentication – cobrand/login API service returns a cobSession token.
  2. User Authentication – user/login API service returns a userSession token.

cobSession and userSession tokens must be passed along with the other header parameters for invoking other API services.


Linking Accounts

Yodlee supports linking accounts from more than 15,000 global financial institutions. Yodlee supports linking accounts using  two ways:

1.     Yodlee FastLink

2.     Yodlee API calls

Yodlee highly recommends using Yodlee FastLink to link and aggregate user accounts for better conversion and success rates.

Linking Accounts Using Yodlee FastLink

Yodlee FastLink lets consumers aggregate accounts held at their different financial institutions.  Yodlee FastLink is a responsive application that takes care of complex user flows for linking accounts including intuitive searches for financial institutions, credentials management, implementing multifactor authentication and error handling. Yodlee FastLink is a responsive, white-label hosted application. Yodlee continuously monitors and improves Yodlee FastLink for factors like conversion rates, user retention, optimal UI flows, and data analytics.

By using Yodlee FastLink, developers avoid creating complex UI flows and integration with thousands of ever-changing financial institution login mechanisms. To know more, refer FastLink 3.0 product and FastLink 3.0 customization guides.

Linking Accounts Using API calls

Yodlee customers can opt to build their own application for link account user flows using Yodlee API calls. Developers need to ensure all critical aspects of the link account flow are covered. To know more on linking accounts and retrieving data refer the aggregation API flow and user flow.


PKI Encryption

Yodlee uses industry standard security practices at transport layer (HTTPS). In addition to that, Yodlee API calls have an optional feature in place to allow customers encrypt all sensitive information (account credentials and answers to security questions) prior to sending those over API call.
To use Yodlee PKI Feature along with Yodlee calls refer to integration document here


Webhooks

Yodlee supports the refresh and data updates event webhooks notifications. Customers have to subscribe for the notifications by providing the URLs to which the notifications have to be posted. Refer webhooks pages for more details.


Testing

To verify integration with Yodlee and see accounts and transactions data accessible to your application you can use real financial institution accounts. Use of real bank accounts is possible in the Sandbox, Stage, and live environments.

A Sandbox trial account also provides test financial institution accounts for testing during the registration process


Yodlee also offers a tool to set up test (dummy) financial institution sites and related accounts. Refer to the Yodlee Dummy Account Generator to create your own test credentials.


Sample Apps

Go through the getting started guide that describes the steps involved in building sample applications. This helps in building your application.