--- schema_version: "1" id: 84e5e520b5686b4365662709b4e386267e7ca6cb72d404bd0e52b214d9229b1c title: ExternalCredential collection: legacydeveloper version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/legacydeveloper/current/en-us/api_meta/meta_externalcredential.md canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_externalcredential.htm source_site: developer.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 399c9faa3122de6b41b7de8ef09d21bc9c3d646759cc7c613f5cbe0d392127e7 description: Represents the details of how Salesforce authenticates to the external system. --- # ExternalCredential Represents the details of how Salesforce authenticates to the external system. ![Note](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/images/icon_note.png) #### Note All credentials stored within this entity are encrypted under a framework that is consistent with other encryption frameworks on the platform. Salesforce encrypts your credentials by auto-creating org-specific keys. Credentials encrypted using the previous encryption scheme have been migrated to the new framework. ## Parent Type This type extends the [Metadata](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.264.0.api_meta.meta/api_meta/metadata.htm) metadata type and inherits its fullName field. ## File Suffix and Directory Location ExternalCredential components have the suffix .externalCredential and are stored in the externalCredentials folder. ## Version ExternalCredential components are available in API version 56.0 and later. ## Special Access Rules There are no additional access requirements that are specific to this type. ## Fields | Field Name | Description | | --- | --- | | authenticationProtocol | Field Type AuthenticationProtocol (enumeration of type string) Description Required. The authentication protocol that’s required to access the external system. Valid values are: - AwsSv4 - Basic - Custom — User-created authentication. Specify the permission set, sequence number, and authentication parameters. Each authentication parameter requires a name and value. - Jwt — Reserved for future use - JwtExchange — Reserved for future use - NoAuthentication —Reserved for future use - Oauth - Password — Reserved for future use For connections to Amazon Web Services using Signature Version 4, use AwsSv4. For connections using a direct token system, select Jwt. For Simple URL data sources, select Custom with no parameters. For cloud-based Files Connect external systems, select Oauth. For on-premises systems, select Password. | | description | Field Type string Description A meaningful description of the external credential. | | externalCredentialParameters | Field Type [ExternalCredentialParameter\[\]](#subtype_ExternalCredentialParameter) Description One or more sets of parameters that further configure the external credential. | | label | Field Type string Description Required. Name of the external credential. | ## ExternalCredentialParameter Represents the parameters that configure an external credential. External credential parameters are used to configure external credential callouts through a combination of the type, name, and value and lookup fields. Available in API version 56.0 and later. These parameters are used internally to provide a flexible architecture and are exposed here for packaging reasons. | Field Name | Description | | --- | --- | | authProvider | Field Type string Description Reference to an authentication provider that the AuthProvider component represents, which defines the service that provides the login process and approves access to the external system. | | certificate | Type string Description If the value of parameterType is SigningCertificate, then this field references the certificate. | | description | Field Type string Description A human-readable description of this external credential parameter. | | externalAuthIdentityProvider | Field Type string Description Reference to an external authentication identity provider that the externalAuthIdentityProvider component represents. The externalAuthIdentityProvider defines the service that provides the login process and approves access to the external system. To simplify the configuration process for the authentication providers used by your named credentials, use an externalAuthIdentityProvider instead of an authProvider. Link the external auth identity provider to an external credential. | | parameterGroup | Field Type string Description Groups a parameter along with its respective principal. For example, with dynamic scopes, the user can apply a scope AuthParameter only when authenticated against a specific principal with a matching parameterGroup value. If a value for parameterGroup isn’t provided, parameterGroup defaults to the parameterName value for PER\_USER and NAMED\_PRINCIPAL. For all other parameters parameterGroup defaults to DEFAULT\_GROUP. | | parameterName | Field Type string Description Required. The name of the external credential parameter. | | parameterType | Field Type ExternalCredentialParamType (enumeration of type string) Description Required. The type of external credential parameter. The value of this field drives the behavior of the parameter. Valid values are: - AdditionalRefreshStatusCode: Allows the user to specify 4xx, 6xx, 7xx, 8xx, and 9xx HTTP status codes that trigger Salesforce to refresh expired or invalid access tokens, in addition to the standard 401 HTTP status code response. - AuthHeader: Allows the user to specify custom authentication headers to be added to the callout at run time. When using AuthHeader, the parameterName field must be the header name as a string, and parameterValue must be a formula of a header value that is evaluated at run time. sequenceNumber determines the order in which headers are sent out in the callout. Headers with lower numbers are sent out first. - AuthParameter: Allows the user to add additional authentication settings. parameterName defines the parameter to set. For example, AwsRegion sets the AWS Region parameter to apply for an AWS Signature V4 authentication protocol and parameterValue is the value for the AWS Region. - AuthProtocolVariant: Used to specify a variant of an authentication protocol. For example, Aws Sts as a variant when the ParameterName is AwsSv4 and the ParameterValue is AwsSv4\_STS. - AuthProvider: Specifies that this parameter configures an authentication provider referenced by the authProvider field. - AuthProviderUrl: Specifies the authentication endpoint URL. For example, if the authentication type is OAuth with JWT Bearer Flow, then parameterValue is an authentication token endpoint. - AuthProviderUrlQueryParameter: Allows the user to specify custom query parameters to be added to the callout to the authentication provider at run time. Currently, supported only for AWS Signature V4 with STS. The allowed AuthProviderUrlQueryParameter values are AwsExternalId and AwsDuration, used with AWS STS. - AwsStsPrincipal: Configures AWS Signature V4 along with STS. parameterName is AwsStsPrincipal and parameterValue isn’t specified. - CreatedByNamespace: Reserved for internal use. - CustomPrincipal: Reserved for internal use. - ExternalAuthIdentityProvider: Specifies that this parameter configures an authentication provider referenced by the externalAuthIdentityProvider field. - GlobalNamedPrincipal: Reserved for internal use. - JwtBodyClaim: Specifies a JWT (JSON Web Token) body claim, where parameterName is the key and parameterValue is the value. For example, the parameter name for a JWT audience is aud. - JwtHeaderClaim: Specifies a JWT header claim, where parameterName is the key and parameterValue is the value. For example, the parameter name for a JWT key identifier is kid. - ManagedByComponent: Reserved for internal use. - ManagedByFeature: Reserved for internal use. - NamedPrincipal: Specifies that the parameter uses the same set of user credentials for all users who access the external system. - PerUserPrincipal: Provides access control at the individual user level. - PrincipalIdentityAlias: Reserved for internal use. - SfHttpRequestExtensionName: Reserved for internal use. - SigningCertificate: Specifies the certificate used for an authentication signature. Use the certificate field to specify the certificate name. Used for OAuth with JWT Bearer Flow and AwsSv4 STS with RolesAnywhere authentication. - SystemUserPrincipal: Reserved for internal use. | | parameterValue | Field Type string Description If the parameterType field describes a literal value then the literal value is stored in this field. | | principal | Field Type string Description If the value of the parameterType field is either NamedPrincipal or PerUserPrincipal, this field points to a permission set. That value then determines the set of users that are allowed to use credentials provided by the credential provider. The value of the parameterName field specifies the name of this principal. **First available in API version 56.0, this field is removed in API version 58.0 and later.** | | sequenceNumber | Field Type int Description Specifies the order of principals to apply when a user participates in more than one principal. For example, a user could be part of multiple permission sets that are applicable for a credential provider. Priority is from lower to higher numbers. You can set this field only when parameterType is NamedPrincipal. | ## Declarative Metadata Sample Definition The following is an example of an ExternalCredential component. SampleExternalCredential AwsSv4 Principal NamedPrincipal 1 AwsService iam AuthParameter AwsRegion us-east-1 AuthParameter The following is an example package.xml that references the previous definition. \* ExternalCredential 56.0 ## Wildcard Support in the Manifest File This metadata type supports the wildcard character \* (asterisk) in the package.xml manifest file. For information about using the manifest file, see [Deploying and Retrieving Metadata with the Zip File](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.264.0.api_meta.meta/api_meta/file_based_zip_file.htm). #### See Also - [NamedCredential](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_namedcredential.htm "Represents a named credential, which specifies the URL of a callout endpoint and its required authentication parameters in one definition. A named credential can be specified as an endpoint to simplify the setup of authenticated callouts.") - [_Salesforce Help_: Named Credentials](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.named_credentials_about.htm&type=5&language=en_US "Salesforce Help: Named Credentials - HTML (New Window)") - [_Named Credentials Developer Guide_: Get Started with Named Credentials](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/named-credentials/guide/get-started.html "Named Credentials Developer Guide: Get Started with Named Credentials - HTML (New Window)") - [_Named Credentials Developer Guide_: Named Credential API Links](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/named-credentials/references/named-credentials-reference/nc-api-links.html "Named Credentials Developer Guide: Named Credential API Links - HTML (New Window)") - [_Apex Developer Guide_: Invoking Callouts Using Apex](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.264.0.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_callouts.htm " Apex Developer Guide: Invoking Callouts Using Apex - html (New Window)") - [_Apex Developer Guide_: Named Credentials as Callout Endpoints](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.264.0.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_callouts_named_credentials.htm " Apex Developer Guide: Named Credentials as Callout Endpoints - HTML (New Window)")