Should I use self-hosted Baton connectors?

You might want to self-host and deploy Baton connectors in your own environment if one or more of the following is true:

• The technology does not expose its APIs (as in the case of a PostgreSQL database, for example)

• The technology or application does not have a line of sight to ConductorOne’s platform and it would be inappropriate to expose that app to the internet

• You can’t or don’t want to provide ConductorOne with the API keys or credentials for the technology

• You need to control the sync schedule or some other aspect of the connector

• You wish to extend the connector’s capabilities, such as by supporting additional resources in a SaaS

In any of these scenarios, the best option is to deploy a connector in your own environment. All of our pre-built connectors are available via our Baton project. These connectors are provided to allow for self-hosting and modification.

Data ingestion and the c1z file

Data from the application or technology needs to be ingested into the ConductorOne platform. Connectors sync and store data in a custom data format: the .c1z file format. This file contains all of the identity graph data for a system.

When using cloud connectors, the .c1z file is an implementation detail and is never seen or touched by the end user. When using Baton connectors, the .c1z file must be transported to the ConductorOne service to be ingested.

Connector modes

Connectors can be run in different modes depending on your goals and needs. All connectors can be run in read-only mode, which pulls identity, resource, and access rights data from the application. Some connectors can alternatively be run in read-write (provision) mode, which additionally allows ConductorOne to manage provisioning and deprovisioning for the connected technology.

All connectors support read-only mode, and certain connectors support read-write mode. Permissions needed to run the connector and connector-specific setup instructions are provided in the connector’s documentation.