Connector Development and Configuration

This section covers connector development essentials, such as working with connector-development project files, how to test your connectors locally, and how to analyze the performance of your connector code.

See our Fivetran Connector SDK GitHub repository for connector development patterns and community connectors that we recommend you consider and try out. Follow the Connector SDK setup guide to start using the SDK.

Connector development essentials

• Project structure recommendation - Learn what's the recommended connector development project structure.
• Managing project dependencies - Learn how to manage Python dependencies for your connector using a requirements.txt file, including PyPI and Git sources.
• Configuration - Learn how to securely pass and manage configuration values — such as API keys and credentials — to your connector using a configuration.json file. Also covers some useful data type conversion patterns for configuration values.
• State management - Learn how to use the state object to enable incremental syncs, manage cursors locally and in production, and debug state-related issues.
• Working with environment variables - Learn how to use environment variables to speed up local development and connector deployment. Also, learn how to reference Fivetran-provided runtime environment variables in your connector code.
• Testing connectors - Learn how to inspect and validate your connector's local debug output using warehouse.db, DuckDB CLI, DuckDB UI, Harlequin, and DBeaver.
• Connection options - Learn how to use supported network connection options for your connector.
• Connector performance analysis - Learn how to analyze and improve the performance of your connector code.

Connector SDK logs

You can access your Connector SDK connections' log events by:

• Navigating to the Connector SDK logs tab of your connection details page in the Fivetran dashboard.
• Using the Fivetran Platform Connector. Your connections' logs are available in the CONNECTOR_SDK_LOG table within the associated Fivetran destination.
• Using external log services, previously configured for your destination.

Connector SDK logs provide in-depth event data, including timestamps, log levels, and messages. We prefix all Fivetran process logs with the platform identifier, and logs from the fivetran-connector-sdk library are prefixed with the sdk identifier.

For more details, refer to Technical details - logging.

Connector SDK code download

You can download the connector code for your Fivetran Connector SDK connections directly from your Fivetran dashboard.

To download your connector code:

1. Go to your Connector SDK connection in the Fivetran dashboard.
2. Select the Setup tab.
3. Click Download Code. This downloads a ZIP file containing all of your connector code files.