---
id: post/aardvarklabs-blog/2953
type: post
title: How to Use External APIs in Business Central
summary: "This post explains how to consume external APIs from within Business Central by making HTTP requests using the HttpClient data type and parsing JSON responses. It includes two practical examples: retrieving Chuck Norris jokes and validating email addresses through public APIs, with complete AL code samples and guidance on security prompts."
tier: community
language: en
tags:
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  - external services
  - http client
  - json parsing
  - security
  - al code
system: integration
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    title: How to Use External APIs in Business Central
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  - kind: blog
    url: https://aardvarklabs.blog/2026/01/30/how-to-use-external-apis-in-business-central/
    title: How to Use External APIs in Business Central
    date: "2026-01-30"
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    quote: An interface that we can use to allow our application to access some service through programming.
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post_id: "2953"
source_id: aardvarklabs-blog
source_name: Aardvark Labs
url: https://aardvarklabs.blog/2026/01/30/how-to-use-external-apis-in-business-central/
published_at: "2026-01-30T13:00:00.000Z"
author: Marcel Chabot
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words: 1377
quotes:
  - text: An interface that we can use to allow our application to access some service through programming.
    why_it_matters: This is the fundamental definition of an API that guides developers in understanding how Business Central can interact with external systems.
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  - codeunit ARDGetChuckNorrisJoke
  - codeunit ARDValidateEmail
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---

# How to Use External APIs in Business Central

[Read the post](https://aardvarklabs.blog/2026/01/30/how-to-use-external-apis-in-business-central/) · Aardvark Labs (Marcel Chabot) · 2026-01-30 · 1377 words · tier community · reviewed (checked by Opus)

> This post explains how to consume external APIs from within Business Central by making HTTP requests using the HttpClient data type and parsing JSON responses. It includes two practical examples: retrieving Chuck Norris jokes and validating email addresses through public APIs, with complete AL code samples and guidance on security prompts.

## Key points

- APIs provide an interface to access services and data from outside Business Central using HTTP requests with GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, or PATCH methods
- The HttpClient data type is used to send HTTP requests, set headers, and handle responses containing JSON data
- JSON responses must be parsed using JsonObject to extract specific fields needed for your business logic
- Public APIs can be found through search engines or in service documentation, with resources like GitHub's public-apis list available
- Business Central shows a security prompt when extensions attempt to access external services to prevent unauthorized data exfiltration

## Quotes

- "An interface that we can use to allow our application to access some service through programming." (This is the fundamental definition of an API that guides developers in understanding how Business Central can interact with external systems.)

## AL objects mentioned

As named in the post. A name that matches one object page by exact type and name links to it; the others stay as named.

- codeunit "ARDGetChuckNorrisJoke"
- codeunit "ARDValidateEmail"

Not found in BC28-30: codeunit "ARDGetChuckNorrisJoke", codeunit "ARDValidateEmail".

## Context

- Features: HttpClient data type, HTTP requests, JSON parsing, External service integration, Email validation

Source: Aardvark Labs, community blog. Summary, key points and quotes are derived (CONTENT-NOTICE.md); read the original for the full text.