In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses depend on numerous systems to manage operations ranging from HR to finance. To keep things running smoothly, these systems need to work well together. That’s where Workday’s REST APIs come in. As a widely used platform for HR, payroll, and financial operations, Workday offers APIs that make it easier to connect with other tools and services your organization uses every day.
In this blog, we’ll break down what Workday REST APIs are, how they function, why they’re useful, and walk through a real-life example to show how they can simplify and automate your business processes.
The Workday REST API lets developers interact with Workday data and services through the web—basically, it allows systems to "talk" to Workday automatically. REST (Representational State Transfer) is a widely adopted architectural style for building web services due to its simplicity and efficiency.
With Workday’s REST API, you can connect other applications to create, read, update, or delete information like employee records, job requisitions, time-off requests, benefits, and more—helping everything stay in sync across your systems.
The API uses standard HTTP methods:
Data is typically returned in JSON format. Workday REST APIs require OAuth 2.0 authentication, ensuring secure access using access tokens.
Basic URL Structure
https://{host}/ccx/api/v1/{tenant}/{resource}
Consider the role of an HR IT consultant at a mid-sized organization utilizing Workday as its Human Capital Management (HCM) system. Your manager has requested an automated integration that can fetch employee details by worker ID, which will later be used for syncing data with the internal payroll system.
Before developing the integration, you decide to test the Get_Worker REST API using Postman to validate the data and flow.
Workday 'Register API Client for Integrations' form with fields for Client Name, a checkbox for Non-Expiring Refresh Tokens, and Scope options for selecting multiple functional areas.
Once the client is registered:
4. Click the Related Actions icon → go to API Client → click Manage Refresh Tokens for Integrations.
Expanded dropdown menu from the Related Actions icon displaying the API Client submenu, with the option 'Manage Refresh Tokens for Integrations' highlighted for selection.
5. In the prompt that appears, enter the Integration System User (ISU) in the Workday Account field.
Check how to create an ISU in Unlocking the Secrets of Workday Integration Security.
A Workday popup titled "Manage Refresh Tokens for Integrations" displays a form prompting the entry of the Integration System User (ISU) in the Workday Account field, which is essential for API authentication setup.
6. A new screen will appear. Check the "Regenerate New Refresh Token" box and click OK.
Workday interface titled "Delete or Regenerate Refresh Token" with the option "Regenerate New Refresh Token" selected, allowing users to generate a new token for the specified API client and Workday account.
A new refresh token will now be generated, which is needed to authenticate with OAuth 2.0.
Postman window with a POST request set to the Workday OAuth 2.0 token URL. The Authorization tab shows Basic Auth selected with fields for entering Client ID and Client Secret.
Postman interface with the Body tab open, set to 'x-www-form-urlencoded.' Two key-value pairs are entered: 'grant_type' as 'refresh_token' and 'refresh_token' with the generated token value.
6. Click Send.
7. If successful, the response will contain an access_token, token_type, and a new refresh_token.
Postman screen with a successful response from the Workday OAuth2 token request, displaying JSON with access_token, token_type as Bearer, refresh_token, and status code 200 OK.
Postman window with a GET request to the Workday API endpoint for workers. The Authorization tab is open, set to 'Bearer Token' with the access token entered from the OAuth authentication step.
Now click Send.
Postman interface after a successful GET request to the Workday API endpoint '/workers', with the Body section presenting a JSON response containing worker details such as ID, descriptor, business title, email, and supervisory organization information.
If the API call is successful, you will receive a JSON response that includes the following details about the worker:
You’ve now successfully used the Workday REST API to retrieve worker data using the Get_Worker endpoint in Postman. This is a critical first step in validating your integration logic before automating employee data sync with external systems such as payroll, reporting dashboards, or directory services.
Tal is the Cofounder & CTO of Reco. Tal has a Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University with a focus on deep learning, computer networks, and cybersecurity and he is the former head of the cybersecurity R&D group within the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Tal is a member of the AI Controls Security Working Group with CSA.
As businesses increasingly depend on integrated digital systems, Workday’s REST API emerges as a crucial tool for secure and scalable automation. Its adherence to industry standards like OAuth 2.0 ensures robust authentication, while its RESTful architecture makes it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers.
By using Workday’s API, organizations can break down data silos and streamline everything from onboarding to payroll synchronization—without the need for manual intervention.
Whether you're a developer, a system integrator, or an IT consultant, getting comfortable with Workday’s REST APIs opens the door to smarter, faster, and more reliable business process automation.
Workday’s REST APIs give you a smart and flexible way to connect your systems and simplify everyday tasks like onboarding new employees, tracking time, or managing job changes. They offer secure, real-time access to your data, making it easier to keep everything in sync without a lot of manual effort.
Whether you’re setting up automated HR workflows, connecting Workday to other tools, or building custom dashboards, getting comfortable with these APIs gives you more control over how your organization works behind the scenes.
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