# What about external data
**URL:** https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808
**Category:** Ask for Help
**Tags:** actions
**Created:** [January 6, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808 "2021-01-06T16:48:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@alexh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/alexh)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808/1 "2021-01-06T16:48:58Z")
A lot of people are asking can I connect glideapp with external data, can I use external api,…
most of the time people say no because It is not a a built in component.
I used different solutions depending on what you want to do (zapier, google sheets api,…)
what are you best practices concerning this type of connections ?
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### Author:  [@Drearystate](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Drearystate)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808/2 "2021-01-06T17:35:12Z")
Google sheets currently allows for api calls via scripts. I use that as well as scripts to automatically convert data and impoort data into my google sheets. Glide will soon support api calls directly which will be great. I will be making a tuorial (or @Robert_Petitto will ) that shows how to create an api with your excel folders to acces them directly when the API feature is up and running (@Robert_Petitto makes a million tutorials).
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### Author:  [@alexh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/alexh)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808/3 "2021-01-06T17:47:09Z")
do you know the roadmap for this ?
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### Author:  [@Drearystate](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Drearystate)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808/4 "2021-01-06T17:56:08Z")
It’s in testing now. They haven’t given a specific date but as fast as they work I imagine before March for sure maybe even next week.
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### Author:  [@david](https://community.glideapps.com/u/david)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2021, 6:56pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808/5 "2021-01-06T18:56:23Z")
What is the external data source you’d like to use?
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### Author:  [@Rogelio](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Rogelio)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2021, 10:57pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808/6 "2021-01-06T22:57:33Z")
Firebase would be an awesome start, but ideally any REST API data source.
For reference:
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### Author:  [@alexh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/alexh)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2021, 9:53am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/what-about-external-data/20808/7 "2021-01-07T09:53:02Z")
rest API in general
I manage to connect my firebase project using scripts but clearly if you want to go to full no code it would be great to connect external data.
I think in more general aspect that allowing to build custom components is a good way.
My clients are telling me that they would like have more customization and ofter they want to go to other products because of this.