I’m working on a project where I need to connect to LinkedIn’s API using Apache Camel together with the Spring framework. I’m pretty new to this kind of integration and I’m not really sure about the best approach to take.
What I’m trying to do is fetch user profile data and maybe some company information from LinkedIn. I’ve already set up my Spring application and I have Apache Camel configured, but I’m stuck on how to actually make the connection to LinkedIn’s endpoints.
Could someone walk me through the main steps I need to follow? I’m particularly confused about authentication and how to handle the API responses properly. Any code examples or configuration tips would be really helpful. I’ve been searching around but most examples I find are either too basic or use different frameworks entirely.
Any guidance on this integration would be much appreciated!
linkedin api integration kicked my ass too. make sure your redirect_uri matches exactly what you registered - if it’s off by even a character, auth fails with zero helpful feedback. their error messages are garbage, so wrap your camel routes in onException blocks or you’ll be debugging blind.
OAuth2 gets messy fast if you handle it manually in Camel routes. I had better luck using Spring Security’s OAuth2 client with Camel instead of managing tokens in processors. Set up your LinkedIn OAuth2 client in application.yml with your credentials, then inject OAuth2AuthorizedClientService into a custom Camel component. Spring handles token refresh automatically - you just grab valid tokens when you need them. For Camel, use camel-spring-boot-starter and let Spring handle dependency injection. One thing that bit me: LinkedIn’s member permissions. Even with valid tokens, you’ll get permission errors if your app doesn’t have the right scopes. Request r_liteprofile and r_emailaddress during app registration. Also, their API responses have tons of nested objects. Create proper POJO classes with Jackson annotations - it’ll save you from parsing nightmares later.
LinkedIn API with Camel is a nightmare - you’re basically doing everything the hard way. OAuth2 tokens, error handling, rate limits… it’s weeks of dev time down the drain.
I built something similar last year and hit every problem people complain about. Token refresh kept breaking, rate limits destroyed my workflows, and debugging those API responses was hell.
Scrapped the whole Camel mess and switched to an automation platform. Now I connect LinkedIn through visual workflows - no token juggling, no parsing messy JSON, no fighting Spring configs.
The platform handles OAuth2 automatically. Authenticate once and forget about it - token refresh just works. Built-in error handling and retries without writing custom processors.
For profile/company data, I drag LinkedIn nodes into workflows, map what I need, set up scheduling for regular syncs. Minutes instead of weeks debugging Camel routes.
Check out Latenode - built for exactly this: https://latenode.com
linkedin’s api can be a pain. prioritize using the OAuth2 for auth - store your creds in application.properties. for calls, use camel-http and hit endpoints like https://api.linkedin.com/v2/people/~. just keep an eye on rate limits, they can be annoying.
I built something like this last month. First, register your LinkedIn app to get client credentials. Then set up your CamelContext with the HTTP component and configure OAuth2 in your route using camel-http4. Create a separate route for token handling - grab tokens, refresh them, and store in cache or database. Your main route needs bearer token headers and camel-jackson for JSON responses. LinkedIn’s response formats are weird, so add solid error handling for expired tokens. Their docs suck but stick to REST API v2 endpoints for profile data.
Just went through this exact integration a few months back. The OAuth2 flow trips up most people.
Set up a dedicated service class for the LinkedIn auth flow. Redirect users to LinkedIn’s authorization URL, catch the callback with the auth code, then swap that code for an access token using Spring’s RestTemplate or WebClient.
For Camel routes, I used the HTTP component with dynamic headers. Create a processor that injects the Bearer token into each request:
.process(exchange -> {
exchange.getIn().setHeader("Authorization", "Bearer " + accessToken);
})
.to("https://api.linkedin.com/v2/people/~")
Token expiration is the tricky part. LinkedIn tokens last 60 days but you need refresh logic. I built a token manager that checks expiry before each call and refreshes automatically.
Watch out for their field projections too. You have to explicitly specify which profile fields you want or you get almost nothing back. Use query params like ?projection=(id,firstName,lastName,profilePicture).
Rate limiting hits fast - 500 requests per day for basic access. Cache everything and batch your requests smartly.
Been there with LinkedIn API integration. Apache Camel works, but you’ll spend forever on manual config.
Hit this same problem last year and ditched the traditional approach. Just the OAuth2 setup took me days - all that token refreshing and error handling is a nightmare.
Switched to an automation platform that handles LinkedIn API complexity for you. No more fighting with Camel routes or Spring configs.
The platform I use connects to LinkedIn natively, handles auth automatically, and lets you build workflows visually. You can pull profile data, company info, even set up scheduled syncs - zero integration code needed.
For your setup, just drag LinkedIn nodes, authenticate once, and map your data fields. Takes 20 minutes instead of weeks debugging API calls and managing tokens.
Check out Latenode - it’s built for these integrations and will save you tons of headaches: https://latenode.com