The Connector framework provides a consistent, generic layer between calling applications and the Connector bundles that access target resources. Each target resource may be a system or application in its own right, but a Connector bundle enables any calling application to manage objects that exist on the target resource.

Calling applications use the Connector API; Connector bundles implement the Connector SPI. The Connector API (interfaces within the Org.IdentityConnectors.Framework.Api namespace) is generic (in that it can be used to manipulate any type of object, not merely accounts), but the Connector API is optimized to support provisioning operations and password management. Every supported operation is synchronous to the caller.

This Toolkit is designed to support development with minimal dependencies of Connector bundles that implement the SPI. The Toolkit allows a developer to implement a Connector bundle and to test the bundle within the Connector framework so there is no need to implement it or test it within the context of each calling application.

The developer of a Connector bundle is expected to implement the operations (interfaces within the Org.IdentityConnectors.Framework.Spi.Operations namespace) that make the most sense for the target resource the developer intends to support. The developer is expected to be appropriately flexible in tolerating inputs, to be as reasonably robust in handling errors, and to throw errors whenever it is prudent to do so.

One of the main functions of this framework is to prevent coupling between a Connector and any application that uses it. A calling application will be coupled only to this framework and not to any specific Connector. Each Connector implementation must be easy to replace and should not depend on a specific version of the framework.