How to Add a New Provider Integration

This guide walks you through the process of adding a new fitness data provider (e.g. Strava, Samsung Health, Xiaomi, WHOOP) to the OpenWearables platform. The architecture uses design patterns like Strategy, Factory, and Template Method to make adding new providers straightforward and consistent.

Architecture Overview

Before diving into implementation, understand the main components:

Strategy - Defines the provider’s identity, capabilities, and wires together all components
Strategy Factory - Central management of strategy instantiation (used by routes)
OAuth Handler - Manages authentication flow (if provider uses cloud API)
Workouts Handler - Fetches and normalizes workout/activity data
247 Data Handler - Fetches continuous health metrics (sleep, recovery, HR, etc.)
Webhook Handler - Receives and processes incoming push events from the provider

Each provider declares its data delivery modes via ProviderCapabilities:

Capability	Description	Example providers
`supports_pull`	REST API polling (OAuth)	Garmin, Oura, Whoop, Strava
`supports_push`	Incoming webhooks	Garmin, Oura, Strava, Suunto, Polar
`supports_async_export`	Provider initiates async export delivered via webhook	Garmin
`supports_sdk`	Data from mobile SDK client	Apple, Samsung, Google
`supports_xml_import`	File-based data import	Apple Health
`webhook_notify_only`	Webhook is a lightweight notification; actual data must be fetched via REST	Oura, Strava, Fitbit

For reference: Garmin sends the full data payload inside every webhook (webhook_notify_only=False). Oura and Strava send only a notification and you must fetch actual data via REST (webhook_notify_only=True).

Custom providers architecture showing Strategy, OAuth, Workouts, 247 Data, and Webhook Handler components

Prerequisites

Before starting, gather the following information about your provider:

Provider API Information

Base API URL (e.g. https://cloudapi.suunto.com)
Authentication method (usually OAuth 2.0)
Available data endpoints (activities, workouts, health metrics)
Rate limits and pagination

OAuth Configuration (if applicable)

Authorization URL
Token exchange URL
Required scopes
PKCE required (yes/no)
Credentials being sent via Authorization header or request body
Client credentials (ID and Secret)
Where redirect URL should be registered

Data Format

Workout/activity data structure
Timestamp format (Unix, ISO 8601, etc.)
Available metrics (heart rate, distance, calories, etc.)
Workout type mappings

Please, remember to provide svg icon for a new provider. It should be named <lowercase_provider_name>.svg and be placed in /backend/app/static/provider-icons.

Step 1: Create Provider Directory Structure

Create a new directory for your provider in backend/app/services/providers/. For a provider named Suunto, create:

backend/app/services/providers/suunto/
├── __init__.py
├── strategy.py        # Provider strategy + capabilities declaration
├── oauth.py           # OAuth handler (skip if PUSH-only with no REST API)
├── workouts.py        # Workout/activity data handler
├── data_247.py        # 24/7 continuous health data (optional)
└── webhook_handler.py # Incoming webhook handler (optional, if supports_push)

Use lowercase for the provider name in directory and file names to maintain consistency with existing providers.

Step 2: Implement the Strategy Class

The strategy class is the entry point for your provider. It defines the provider’s identity, declares its capabilities, and initializes its components. Create backend/app/services/providers/suunto/strategy.py:

from app.services.providers.base_strategy import BaseProviderStrategy, ProviderCapabilities
from app.services.providers.suunto.oauth import SuuntoOAuth
from app.services.providers.suunto.workouts import SuuntoWorkouts


class SuuntoStrategy(BaseProviderStrategy):
    """Suunto provider implementation."""

    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__()
        
        # Initialize OAuth component (skip for SDK/XML-only providers)
        self.oauth = SuuntoOAuth(
            user_repo=self.user_repo,
            connection_repo=self.connection_repo,
            provider_name=self.name,
            api_base_url=self.api_base_url,
        )
        
        # Initialize workouts component
        self.workouts = SuuntoWorkouts(
            workout_repo=self.workout_repo,
            connection_repo=self.connection_repo,
            provider_name=self.name,
            api_base_url=self.api_base_url,
            oauth=self.oauth,
        )

        # Webhook handler — only set if supports_push=True (see below)
        # self.webhooks = SuuntoWebhookHandler(...)

    @property
    def name(self) -> str:
        """Unique identifier for the provider (lowercase)."""
        return "suunto"

    @property
    def api_base_url(self) -> str:
        """Base URL for the provider's API."""
        return "https://cloudapi.suunto.com"

    @property
    def capabilities(self) -> ProviderCapabilities:
        """Declare what data delivery modes this provider supports."""
        return ProviderCapabilities(
            supports_pull=True,
            supports_push=True,
            webhook_notify_only=True,  # Suunto sends notifications, not full payloads
        )

Key Points:

name: Must be unique and lowercase (used in URLs and database)
api_base_url: Used by the API client to construct requests
display_name: Optional, shown in UI (defaults to name.capitalize())
capabilities: Required — tells the unified router and sync scheduler how this provider delivers data
Set self.webhooks = None (default) if your provider has no incoming webhooks
Set self.oauth = None for SDK/file-upload-only providers like Apple Health

Provider strategy class diagram showing capabilities, components, and their relationships

Inherited BaseProviderStrategy will init all required repositories so you don’t need to take care about database manipulations. You can read more about repositories role in our System Overview.

Step 3: Implement OAuth Handler (PULL providers)

If your provider uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication, implement the OAuth handler. Create backend/app/services/providers/suunto/oauth.py:

import httpx
from app.config import settings
from app.schemas import (
    AuthenticationMethod,
    OAuthTokenResponse,
    ProviderCredentials,
    ProviderEndpoints,
)
from app.services.providers.templates.base_oauth import BaseOAuthTemplate


class SuuntoOAuth(BaseOAuthTemplate):
    """Suunto OAuth 2.0 implementation."""

    @property
    def endpoints(self) -> ProviderEndpoints:
        """OAuth endpoints for authorization and token exchange."""
        return ProviderEndpoints(
            authorize_url="https://cloudapi-oauth.suunto.com/oauth/authorize",
            token_url="https://cloudapi-oauth.suunto.com/oauth/token",
        )

    @property
    def credentials(self) -> ProviderCredentials:
        """OAuth credentials from environment variables."""
         return ProviderCredentials(
            client_id=settings.suunto_client_id or "",
            client_secret=(settings.suunto_client_secret.get_secret_value() if settings.suunto_client_secret else ""),
            redirect_uri=settings.suunto_redirect_uri,
            default_scope=settings.suunto_default_scope,
            subscription_key=(
                settings.suunto_subscription_key.get_secret_value() if settings.suunto_subscription_key else ""
            ),
        )

    # OAuth configuration
    use_pkce: bool = False  # Set True if provider requires PKCE
    auth_method: AuthenticationMethod = AuthenticationMethod.BASIC_AUTH  # or BODY

    def _get_provider_user_info(
        self, 
        token_response: OAuthTokenResponse, 
        user_id: str
    ) -> dict[str, str | None]:
        # implement your method here
        pass

Here you can also create all provider-specific methods, like _register_user in Polar’s case.

Configuration Options:

use_pkce

Set to True if provider requires PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange). Garmin enforces PKCE, Polar and Suunto don’t.

auth_method

BASIC_AUTH: Credentials in Authorization header (Polar, Suunto)
BODY: Credentials in request body (Garmin)

Add Environment Variables:

Add your OAuth credentials to .env:

SUUNTO_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
SUUNTO_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
SUUNTO_REDIRECT_URI=https://yourdomain.com/api/v1/oauth/suunto/callback
SUUNTO_DEFAULT_SCOPE=activity:read_all

And update backend/app/config.py:

class Settings(BaseSettings):
    # ... existing settings ...
    
    # Suunto OAuth
    suunto_client_id: str | None = None
    suunto_client_secret: SecretStr | None = None
    suunto_redirect_uri: str = "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/oauth/suunto/callback"
    suunto_default_scope: str = "activity:read_all"

Step 4: Implement Workouts Handler

The workouts handler fetches and normalizes workout data from the provider’s API. Create backend/app/services/providers/suunto/workouts.py:

from datetime import datetime
from decimal import Decimal
from typing import Any
from uuid import UUID, uuid4

from app.database import DbSession
from app.schemas import EventRecordCreate, EventRecordDetailCreate, EventRecordMetrics
from app.services.providers.templates.base_workouts import BaseWorkoutsTemplate


class SuuntoWorkouts(BaseWorkoutsTemplate):
    """Suunto workouts implementation."""

    def _extract_dates(self, start_timestamp: int, end_timestamp: int) -> tuple[datetime, datetime]:
        """Extract start and end dates from timestamps."""
        start_date = datetime.fromtimestamp(start_timestamp / 1000)
        end_date = datetime.fromtimestamp(end_timestamp / 1000)
        return start_date, end_date

    def _build_metrics(self, raw_workout: SuuntoWorkoutJSON) -> EventRecordMetrics:
        hr_data = ...
        heart_rate_avg = ...
        heart_rate_max = ...
        steps_count = ...
        steps_avg = ...

        return {
            "heart_rate_min": ...
            "heart_rate_max": ...
            "heart_rate_avg": heart_rate_avg,
            "steps_min": steps_count,
            "steps_max": steps_count,
            "steps_avg": steps_avg,
            "steps_total": steps_count,
        }

    def _normalize_workout(
        self,
        raw_workout: SuuntoWorkoutJSON,
        user_id: UUID,
    ) -> tuple[EventRecordCreate, EventRecordDetailCreate]:
        """Normalize Suunto workout to EventRecordCreate."""
        workout_id = uuid4()

        workout_type = get_unified_workout_type(raw_workout.activityId)

        start_date, end_date = self._extract_dates(raw_workout.startTime, raw_workout.stopTime)
        duration_seconds = int(raw_workout.totalTime)

        source_name = ...

        device_id = ...

        metrics = self._build_metrics(raw_workout)

        workout_create = EventRecordCreate(
            category="workout",
            type=workout_type.value,
            source_name=source_name,
            device_id=device_id,
            duration_seconds=duration_seconds,
            start_datetime=start_date,
            end_datetime=end_date,
            id=workout_id,
            provider_id=str(raw_workout.workoutId),
            user_id=user_id,
        )

        workout_detail_create = EventRecordDetailCreate(
            record_id=workout_id,
            **metrics,
        )

        return workout_create, workout_detail_create

    def _build_bundles(
        self,
        raw: list[SuuntoWorkoutJSON],
        user_id: UUID,
    ) -> Iterable[tuple[EventRecordCreate, EventRecordDetailCreate]]:
        """Build event record payloads for Suunto workouts."""
        for raw_workout in raw:
            record, details = self._normalize_workout(raw_workout, user_id)
            yield record, details

    def load_data(
        self,
        db: DbSession,
        user_id: UUID,
        **kwargs: Any,
    ) -> bool:
        """Load data from Suunto API."""
        response = self.get_workouts_from_api(db, user_id, **kwargs)
        workouts_data = response.get("payload", [])
        workouts = [SuuntoWorkoutJSON(**w) for w in workouts_data]

        for record, details in self._build_bundles(workouts, user_id):
            event_record_service.create(db, record)
            event_record_service.create_detail(db, details)

        return True

Key Methods to Implement:

_normalize_workout()

Most important! Convert provider’s data format to OpenWearables unified schema.

_extract_dates()

Handle provider-specific timestamp formats (Unix, ISO 8601, custom strings)

_build_metrics()

Creates statistics for Workout.

_build_bundles()

Optimize query by bundling workout records into packages.

load_data()

Main sync method that orchestrates fetching and saving data

There are also utils modules, like app/backend/services/providers/api_client.py, which provides utilities for making oauth api requests.

Step 5: Create Workout Type Mapping

Create a mapping file to convert provider-specific workout types to unified types. Create backend/app/constants/workout_types/suunto.py:

"""Suunto activity type to OpenWearables unified workout type mapping."""
from app.schemas.workout_types import WorkoutType

SUUNTO_WORKOUT_TYPE_MAPPINGS: list[tuple[int, str, WorkoutType]] = [
    (0, "Walking", WorkoutType.WALKING),
    (1, "Running", WorkoutType.RUNNING),
    (2, "Cycling", WorkoutType.CYCLING),

    # [...]
}

SUUNTO_ID_TO_UNIFIED: dict[int, WorkoutType] = {
    activity_id: unified_type for activity_id, _, unified_type in SUUNTO_WORKOUT_TYPE_MAPPINGS
}

SUUNTO_ID_TO_NAME: dict[int, str] = {activity_id: name for activity_id, name, _ in SUUNTO_WORKOUT_TYPE_MAPPINGS}


def get_unified_workout_type(suunto_activity_id: int) -> WorkoutType:
  return SUUNTO_ID_TO_UNIFIED.get(suunto_activity_id, WorkoutType.OTHER)

def get_activity_name(suunto_activity_id: int) -> str:
    """Get the Suunto activity name for a given ID."""
    return SUUNTO_ID_TO_NAME.get(suunto_activity_id, "Unknown")

Review the existing unified workout types in your system before mapping. You may need to add new unified types to accommodate provider-specific activities.

Step 6: Register Provider in Factory

Add your new provider to the factory so it can be instantiated by the system. Edit backend/app/services/providers/factory.py:

from app.services.providers.apple.strategy import AppleStrategy
from app.services.providers.base_strategy import BaseProviderStrategy
from app.services.providers.garmin.strategy import GarminStrategy
from app.services.providers.polar.strategy import PolarStrategy
from app.services.providers.suunto.strategy import SuuntoStrategy


class ProviderFactory:
    """Factory for creating provider instances."""

    def get_provider(self, provider_name: str) -> BaseProviderStrategy:
        match provider_name:
            case "apple":
                return AppleStrategy()
            case "garmin":
                return GarminStrategy()
            case "suunto":
                return SuuntoStrategy()
            case "polar":
                return PolarStrategy()
            case _:
                raise ValueError(f"Unknown provider: {provider_name}")

Factory will be used by routes endpoints to fetch correct strategy.

Step 7: Add Provider to Schema Enums

Update the ProviderName enum to include your new provider. Edit backend/app/schemas/oauth.py:

from enum import Enum


class ProviderName(str, Enum):
    """Supported fitness data providers."""
    
    APPLE = "apple"
    GARMIN = "garmin"
    POLAR = "polar"
    SUUNTO = "suunto"

This enables:

Type validation in API endpoints
Auto-generated API documentation with provider options
Enum-based routing

Step 8: Test Your Integration

Now test your implementation with these steps:

1. Test OAuth Flow (if applicable)

curl -X GET "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/oauth/suunto/authorize?user_id=YOUR_USER_ID"

Visit the authorization URL in your browser, authorize, and verify the callback works.

2. Test Data Sync

curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/sync/suunto/users/YOUR_USER_ID/sync" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

3. Verify Database

Check that workouts are saved correctly:

SELECT * FROM event_records 
WHERE user_id = 'YOUR_USER_ID' 
  AND provider_id IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY created_at DESC
LIMIT 10;

4. Check Logs

Monitor logs for errors:

# Backend logs
docker-compose logs -f backend

# Or if running locally
tail -f logs/app.log

Step 9 (Optional): Implement Webhook Handler (PUSH flow)

If your provider delivers data via incoming webhooks, implement a BaseWebhookHandler subclass and wire it into your strategy. The unified router at POST /api/v1/providers/{provider}/webhooks automatically delegates all requests to strategy.webhooks — no new routes needed.

Understand the delivery mode

First decide how your provider delivers webhook data:

Full payload (push)

Provider sends the complete data in the webhook body. dispatch() saves records directly. Example: Garmin

Notify-only

Provider sends a lightweight notification with user ID + event type. You must fetch actual data via REST inside dispatch(). Example: Oura, Strava, Fitbit

Reflect this in capabilities inside your strategy:

# Full-payload push (Garmin-style)
return ProviderCapabilities(supports_push=True, webhook_notify_only=False)

# Notify-only (Oura/Strava-style)
return ProviderCapabilities(supports_pull=True, supports_push=True, webhook_notify_only=True)

Create the webhook handler

Create backend/app/services/providers/suunto/webhook_handler.py:

from typing import Any

from fastapi import HTTPException, Request

from app.config import settings
from app.database import DbSession
from app.services.providers.templates.base_webhook_handler import BaseWebhookHandler


class SuuntoWebhookHandler(BaseWebhookHandler):
    """Webhook handler for Suunto push events."""

    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__("suunto")

    def verify_signature(self, request: Request, body: bytes) -> bool:
        """Verify the incoming request is authentically from Suunto.
        
        Use the appropriate scheme for your provider:
        - HMAC-SHA256: use self._verify_hmac_sha256(secret, body, provided_sig)
        - Plain token: use self._verify_token(expected, provided)
        - Header check: inspect request.headers directly
        """
        token = request.headers.get("x-suunto-token", "")
        return self._verify_token(settings.suunto_webhook_secret or "", token)

    def parse_payload(self, body: bytes) -> dict[str, Any]:
        """Parse the raw webhook body into a Python dict / Pydantic model."""
        import json
        try:
            return json.loads(body)
        except (json.JSONDecodeError, ValueError) as exc:
            raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Invalid JSON body") from exc

    def dispatch(self, db: DbSession, payload: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
        """Route the payload to the appropriate service method.
        
        For notify-only webhooks: schedule a Celery task or call the REST API here.
        For full-payload webhooks: save data directly.
        """
        # Example for notify-only:
        user_id = payload.get("user_id")
        event_type = payload.get("event_type")
        
        # Trigger async fetch of actual data
        # celery_app.send_task("app.tasks.suunto.fetch_data", args=[user_id, event_type])
        
        return {"received": True, "event_type": event_type}

    def supported_event_types(self) -> list[str]:
        return ["workout_create", "workout_update"]

    def handle_challenge(self, request: Request) -> dict[str, Any]:
        """Handle GET-based subscription verification (if your provider requires it).
        
        Override only if your provider uses a GET challenge/response handshake
        (like Strava hub.challenge or Oura verification_token).
        Default raises 501.
        """
        token = request.query_params.get("verification_token", "")
        if token != settings.suunto_webhook_verify_token:
            raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="Invalid verification token")
        return {"verification_token": token}

BaseWebhookHandler provides two signature-verification helpers so you never reimplement cryptographic primitives:

_verify_hmac_sha256(secret, body, provided_signature) — for HMAC-SHA256 providers (Oura, Fitbit)
_verify_token(expected, provided) — for plain shared-secret header/query-param verification

Wire the handler into your strategy

# In suunto/strategy.py
from app.services.providers.suunto.webhook_handler import SuuntoWebhookHandler

class SuuntoStrategy(BaseProviderStrategy):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__()
        # ... other components ...
        self.webhooks = SuuntoWebhookHandler()

    @property
    def capabilities(self) -> ProviderCapabilities:
        return ProviderCapabilities(
            supports_pull=True,
            supports_push=True,
            webhook_notify_only=True,
        )

That’s all — no new route files needed. The unified router at /api/v1/providers/suunto/webhooks will route all POST and GET requests to your handler automatically.

GET /api/v1/providers/{provider}/webhooks → strategy.webhooks.handle_challenge(request)
POST /api/v1/providers/{provider}/webhooks → strategy.webhooks.handle(request, body, db)

Troubleshooting

Data not normalizing correctly

Add detailed logging in _normalize_workout to inspect raw data structure. Compare against provider’s API documentation.

Duplicate workouts being created

Implement duplicate detection in _save_workout based on provider_id. Check if workout with same provider_id already exists.

Missing workout types

Add missing types to your mapping file. Consider adding a fallback type (“other”) and logging unmapped types for future updates.

Summary Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure you’ve completed all steps:

Congratulations! You’ve successfully integrated a new provider into OpenWearables. 🎉

Getting started

Architecture

Providers

Open Wearables Mobile App

Sync SDK

MCP Server

Developer Guides

Configuration

Deployment

Support

Add a Wearable Provider Integration | Open Wearables

How to Add a New Provider Integration

Architecture Overview

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create Provider Directory Structure

Step 2: Implement the Strategy Class

Key Points:

Step 3: Implement OAuth Handler (PULL providers)

Configuration Options:

use_pkce

auth_method

Add Environment Variables:

Step 4: Implement Workouts Handler

Key Methods to Implement:

Step 5: Create Workout Type Mapping

Step 6: Register Provider in Factory

Step 7: Add Provider to Schema Enums

Step 8: Test Your Integration

1. Test OAuth Flow (if applicable)

2. Test Data Sync

3. Verify Database

4. Check Logs

Step 9 (Optional): Implement Webhook Handler (PUSH flow)

Understand the delivery mode

Full payload (push)

Notify-only

Create the webhook handler

Wire the handler into your strategy

Troubleshooting

Summary Checklist

Getting started

Architecture

Providers

Open Wearables Mobile App

Sync SDK

MCP Server

Developer Guides

Configuration

Deployment

Support

​How to Add a New Provider Integration

​Architecture Overview

​Prerequisites

​Step 1: Create Provider Directory Structure

​Step 2: Implement the Strategy Class

​Key Points:

​Step 3: Implement OAuth Handler (PULL providers)

​Configuration Options:

use_pkce

auth_method

​Add Environment Variables:

​Step 4: Implement Workouts Handler

​Key Methods to Implement:

​Step 5: Create Workout Type Mapping

​Step 6: Register Provider in Factory

​Step 7: Add Provider to Schema Enums

​Step 8: Test Your Integration

​1. Test OAuth Flow (if applicable)

​2. Test Data Sync

​3. Verify Database

​4. Check Logs

​Step 9 (Optional): Implement Webhook Handler (PUSH flow)

​Understand the delivery mode

Full payload (push)

Notify-only

​Create the webhook handler

​Wire the handler into your strategy

​Troubleshooting

​Summary Checklist

How to Add a New Provider Integration

Architecture Overview

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create Provider Directory Structure

Step 2: Implement the Strategy Class

Key Points:

Step 3: Implement OAuth Handler (PULL providers)

Configuration Options:

Add Environment Variables:

Step 4: Implement Workouts Handler

Key Methods to Implement:

Step 5: Create Workout Type Mapping

Step 6: Register Provider in Factory

Step 7: Add Provider to Schema Enums

Step 8: Test Your Integration

1. Test OAuth Flow (if applicable)

2. Test Data Sync

3. Verify Database

4. Check Logs

Step 9 (Optional): Implement Webhook Handler (PUSH flow)

Understand the delivery mode

Create the webhook handler

Wire the handler into your strategy

Troubleshooting

Summary Checklist