Custom Actions vs. External Collections

Think of Custom Actions as performing a task with an external API, while External Collections are used to bring data into your app.

Custom Actions give your app more flexibility than External Collections because they run instantly in response to a user action and allow you to use the information in subsequent actions within your Adalo app.

---

Custom Actions

• Used when you want your app to do something with an external service through a REST API.

• Send or receive data instantly when a user interacts with your app, such as pressing a button.

• Great for performing actions like:

  • Sending form data to another system or database

  • Triggering a webhook in Make or Zapier

  • Getting real-time information from an external API (for example, sports scores, current weather, or stock prices)

  • Creating or updating data in another platform

  • Generating a shortened URL from a link shortener API

• Best for getting a single piece of information for instant use.

External Collections

• Used when you want your app to get a list of something from an external service.

• Retrieve and display lists or querying for individual records from an external database or API.

• Commonly use filters or query parameters that reference Logged-In User properties so each user only sees their own data.

• Best for reading and displaying information inside Adalo components, such as lists or detail screens.

In short, use a Custom Action when you need to send or update data, and use an External Collection when you need to show or query data.