`http_call`

Makes an HTTP request through an HTTP connector, with retry and circuit-breaker support. The connector supplies the base URL and auth.

Synopsis

{
  "name": "http_call",
  "input": {
    "connector": "partner-api",
    "method": "POST",
    "path": {
      "cat": [
        "/orders/",
        {
          "var": "data.order_id"
        }
      ]
    },
    "headers": {},
    "body": {
      "var": "data.order"
    },
    "body_format": "json",
    "output": "data.result",
    "response_format": "json",
    "timeout_ms": 30000
  }
}

http_call is a connector function. It names a connector for its credentials and endpoint. Orion validates its input when the workflow is saved, and the call runs through the connector’s circuit breaker.

Retry safety: depends_on method. See Retry safety for what the answer costs.

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
`connector`	string \| JSONLogic	yes	—	Name of the HTTP connector. A computed name is not yet supported
`method`	string	no	`"GET"`	`GET` \| `POST` \| `PUT` \| `PATCH` \| `DELETE`. The one field here that is not JSONLogic
`path`	string \| JSONLogic	no	—	Path appended to the connector’s base URL. Accepts the pre-1.0 name `path_logic`
`headers`	object	no	`{}`	Extra request headers. Each value is JSONLogic
`body`	any \| JSONLogic	no	—	Request body. Accepts the pre-1.0 name `body_logic`
`body_format`	string \| JSONLogic	no	`"json"`	How the body becomes request bytes: `json`, `form`, or `text`; see Body formats
`output`	string \| JSONLogic	no	—	Dotted path where the response body is written; omit to discard it. Accepts the pre-1.0 name `response_path`
`response_format`	string \| JSONLogic	no	`"json"`	How the response is captured at `output`: `json` (parsed) or `text` (a plain string)
`timeout_ms`	number \| JSONLogic	no	`30000`	Per-request timeout in milliseconds

Every field above except method is JSONLogic. It may be written as a plain literal, which is what it evaluates to, or as an expression over the message. A literal is folded once when the engine is built and costs nothing per request; only a field that reads the message pays. headers is the one that changes what is expressible. A value can be computed, so a bearer token or a correlation id no longer has to be injected by the service layer.

Body formats

json (the default) serializes the body as JSON. form URL-encodes an object’s entries as application/x-www-form-urlencoded pairs, which is what OAuth 2.0 token endpoints and form-style APIs require. Scalars encode directly, and arrays of scalars become repeated keys (to=a&to=b). null entries are skipped, so one body shape with conditionally null entries expresses optional parameters. Nested values are rejected; a bracket path like "metadata[order_id]" is an ordinary key. text sends a string body verbatim, which with an explicit content-type header covers XML, CSV, or any other textual payload. Each format stamps its own content-type (application/json, application/x-www-form-urlencoded, text/plain; charset=utf-8). A content-type set in headers or on the connector replaces the stamp: it changes the label, never the bytes.

Response formats

json (the default) parses the response and fails if it is not valid JSON. text captures the body as a plain string, for gateways that answer text/plain, leaving the size cap and the non-2xx error path unchanged. Unknown values on either axis are rejected when the workflow is created, when both are written as literals. A literal body is shape-checked against a literal body_format at the same time. A computed body or format gets the same check per request instead.

Examples

{
  "name": "http_call",
  "input": {
    "connector": "partner-api",
    "method": "POST",
    "path": { "cat": ["/orders/", { "var": "data.order_id" }] },
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": { "cat": ["Bearer ", { "secret": "partner_token" }] },
      "X-Correlation-Id": { "var": "metadata.request_id" }
    },
    "body": { "var": "data.order" },
    "output": "data.result"
  }
}

{
  "name": "http_call",
  "input": {
    "connector": "payment-api",
    "method": "POST",
    "path": "/charge",
    "body": { "var": "data.payment" },
    "output": "data.charge_result",
    "timeout_ms": 5000
  }
}

{
  "name": "http_call",
  "input": {
    "connector": "webex-oauth",
    "method": "POST",
    "path": "/v1/access_token",
    "body_format": "form",
    "body_logic": {
      "grant_type": "refresh_token",
      "refresh_token": { "var": "temp_data.refresh_token" }
    },
    "output": "temp_data.token_response"
  }
}

Connectors: why credentials and endpoints live on a connector.
Connect a database or API: creating the connector this function names.
Task functions: the whole catalogue, and each function’s retry safety.
Connector types: the connector fields, retries and circuit breakers behind the call.

Last verified 14 September 2026

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