Connector Directory

A source is a Coveo Cloud virtual container holding all items related to a repository such as your company website, Twitter account, SharePoint system etc. This content is searchable through a search interface.

To retrieve your content and create a source, Coveo Cloud uses a connector, a module that establishes a connection with a specific type of repository. A connector extracts the desired data as well as the corresponding permissions, and stores it in your index.

Moreover, some connectors can use different content retrieval methods, depending on where the data is located and how you want Coveo to extract it. Once the content is retrieved, however, the indexing process is the same regardless of the connector or method used.

Connector Types

Coveo offers a variety of native and generic connectors to allow you to index virtually any content repository. You can also use the connectors created by Coveo’s partners or, if none of the existing connectors meets your needs, build your own connector. See the Connector Directory for a complete list of the available connectors.

Native Connectors

Native connectors have been made by Coveo to index content from a specific repository. They’re the easiest to use, as Coveo has already determined what the source should index and designed a user interface for this connector. When creating such a source, all you typically have to do is provide connection information and check some boxes to fine-tune what will be indexed.

For instance, you can use Coveo’s native connectors to index Confluence, Jira Software, Salesforce, and SharePoint content.

Native connectors support the latest cloud version of cloud repositories and some specific versions of on-premises repositories. Typically, you can choose from up to three content security options to determine who can access the indexed content through a search interface.

Generic Connectors

Generic connectors have been made by Coveo to index content from a certain type of repository, e.g., a database, a web application, a website, etc. They allow you to index any repository that doesn’t already have its own native connector, or even your own custom repository, as long as it meets certain requirements. Depending on the connector, you might need to provide Coveo with a configuration specifying the data and metadata that you want to index.

Content sources using a generic connector can also be created through a user interface. However, the process requires more skills than with sources using a native connector. The interface of a generic source typically contains a box in which you enter a code configuration indicating how Coveo should retrieve and index the desired content.

The most popular generic connectors are the Web, Sitemap, Generic REST API, and Database connectors. The Generic REST API connector is especially versatile, as it allows you to index virtually any content exposed through a REST API.

Custom-Built Connectors

If none of the connector options above fit your needs, you can build your own connector, i.e., write a crawling program that retrieves your content and provides it to Coveo for indexing. To do so, use Coveo’s C# SDK and Push API.

To get started with your connector project, see the C# SDK, Push API, and Connector Building Best Practices documentation.

Connector Directory

Coveo Cloud can index the content of a variety of repositories. If the repository you want to index does not appear in the tables below, you should use a generic connector or a custom-built connector to index it.

• Native and generic connectors

• Other indexable repositories

Native and Generic Connectors

Other Indexable Repositories

The following table lists some repositories that are indexed by Coveo customers. However, this list isn’t exhaustive. If you want to index a repository that doesn’t appear below, you can probably do so thanks to a generic connector. The Coveo Open-Source Connectivity Library contains JSON configuration examples to help you get started.

Support for Older System Versions

Coveo connectors only support system versions that are actively maintained by their vendor. When a vendor announces that a version is at end-of-life, Coveo stops support for this version. This means Coveo no longer actively maintains and tests the connector with this version.

However, a connector can generally still be used with a system version for which support has been dropped. You therefore don’t have to upgrade to a newer version to continue to index your content.