Configure automated API polling — pull data from external systems on a schedule without waiting for a webhook push.
The Polling page lets you set up scheduled API polling inside Lighthouse Flows. Instead of waiting for an external system to push data, a polling configuration calls an external API at regular intervals and pulls data automatically.
Polling Configurations — summary counters and configuration list
Use polling when your source system does not support outbound webhooks. If it can push data to Lighthouse in real time, use a webhook trigger instead — it’s more efficient.
Set how often Lighthouse should call the external API.
Schedule Configuration — Quick Setup with preset intervals
Two modes are available:
Quick Setup
Choose from preset intervals — Every 5 min, Every 15 min, Every 30 min, Every hour, Every 6 hours, or Daily. The current schedule expression is shown at the bottom of the panel.
Advanced
Enter a custom expression directly — supports rate() and cron() syntax for precise scheduling.
Schedule Configuration — Advanced mode with custom expression input
Extract specific data from the API response using a JSON Path — e.g. data.items. Add Custom Logic (JavaScript) to transform the response before it’s passed downstream
Retry Logic
Optional
Automatically retry failed poll attempts. Toggle on to configure retry behaviour
Pagination
Optional
Handle multi-page API responses — toggle on when the API returns paginated results
Incremental Polling Filter
Optional
Only process records that are new or updated since the last poll — prevents reprocessing the same data
Click Create Configuration to save, or Cancel to discard.
Contact Cloudify before creating a polling configuration. Getting the endpoint URL, authentication, schedule, and response parser correct requires knowledge of your source API. Cloudify will typically configure these as part of your integration delivery.
Use polling when your source system cannot push data to Lighthouse when something changes. If it supports webhooks, use a webhook trigger instead — it’s real-time and more efficient.
A polling configuration shows Disabled — will it still run?
No. A disabled configuration will not execute until it is re-enabled. Contact Cloudify if a configuration is unexpectedly disabled.
What is the difference between Quick Setup and Advanced scheduling?
Quick Setup gives you six preset intervals in one click. Advanced lets you write a custom rate() or cron() expression for precise timing — for example, running only on weekdays at a specific time.
What is the Incremental Polling Filter for?
It ensures only new or updated records are processed on each poll — so if your API returns 1,000 records but only 5 are new, only those 5 are passed downstream. This prevents duplicate processing.
How do I check what events a polling configuration has generated?
Go to Flows Events and filter by Type → polling. This shows all events generated by polling triggers with their delivery status and attempt history.