Salesforce gives you a lot of ways to integrate—REST API, Apex callouts, Named Credentials, External Services, and more. The trick isn’t knowing what’s possible. It’s knowing what’s appropriate.
My go-to rules:
For real-time sync, I use REST callouts with Named Credentials
For asynchronous or high-volume data, I lean on Platform Events or Change Data Capture
For user-initiated actions, I’ll consider Screen Flows or LWC buttons with Apex