Salesforce Docs Portal

Download API WSDL and Client Certificates

To integrate your applications with Salesforce using the API, download a Web Services Description Language (WSDL) document.

Required Editions

Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience
Available in: Professional, Enterprise, Developer, and Database.com Editions
User Permissions Needed
To download a WSDL: Customize Application
  • Enterprise WSDL: Use this WSDL document to build an integration for a single org. The enterprise WSDL is strongly typed, which means that it contains objects and fields with specific data types, such as int and string.You must download and re-consume the enterprise WSDL document when changes are made to the custom objects or fields in an org or when you want to use a different version of the API.
  • Partner WSDL: Use this WSDL to build an integration that works across multiple Salesforce orgs, regardless of their custom objects or fields. Typically, partners and ISVs use this WSDL. It’s loosely typed, which means that you work with name-value pairs of field names and values instead of specific data types.The partner WSDL document needs to be downloaded and consumed only once per version of the API.
  • Apex WSDL: Use this WSDL to run or compile Apex in another environment.
  • Metadata WSDL: Use this WSDL to migrate configuration changes between orgs or work with the customizations in your org as XML metadata files.
  1. To download a WSDL document, navigate to Setup, enter API in the Quick Find box, then select API.
  2. Download the appropriate WSDL:
    If you’re downloading an enterprise WSDL and you have managed packages installed in your org, click Generate Enterprise WSDL. Select the version of each installed package to include in the generated WSDL. By default, it is set to the latest installed versions of the packages. Otherwise, right-click the link for the appropriate WSDL document to save it to a local directory. In the menu, Internet Explorer users can choose Save Target As, while Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox users can choose Save Link As.
  3. On your computer, import the local copy of the WSDL document into your development environment. You can also select the default package versions without downloading a WSDL in the Package Version Settings section.
  4. Optionally, you can download a certificate to authenticate Salesforce orgs. To download a certificate, navigate to Setup, enter API in the Quick Find box, then select API.
    Use this certificate for workflow outbound messaging. This certificate identifies that the request comes from Salesforce, not a specific user. If you want to use certificates to ensure secure connections using other Salesforce features, such as Apex callouts, use Salesforce certificates and key pairs.
  5. In Client Certificate section, click Manage API Client Certificate.
  6. In the API Client Certificate section, click the API Client Certificate.
  7. Click Download Certificate. The .crt file is saved in the download location specified in your browser.
    You can then import the downloaded certificate into your application server and configure your application server to request the client certificate.

See Also