# FAQ

## Basic concepts

### What is an item?

An item represents the connection between a user and a financial institution, together with all the data returned by that connection.

### What is an application, and which types are available?

An application is the pair of `clientId` and `clientSecret` keys used to reach the API. Handle them carefully: they are the only thing standing between the outside world and your data. You can create applications in both the `Development` and `Production` environments.

### What is the difference between an apiKey and a connectToken?

The [apiKey](/reference/auth/auth-create) grants access to the API. You obtain it from your Pluggy credentials (`clientId` and `clientSecret`) and it is valid for 2 hours.

The [connectToken](/reference/auth/connect-token-create) is the key used to open the Pluggy Connect widget — the graphical interface on top of the API. Getting a connectToken requires an apiKey first, and it lasts 30 minutes.

## Connectors and financial institutions

### What is the difference between Pluggy connectors and Open Finance connectors?

|                | Pluggy connectors (unregulated)         | Open Finance connectors (regulated)      |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Technology** | Pluggy's own                            | Framework regulated by the Central Bank  |
| **Access**     | Direct to the financial institution     | Through the user's consent               |
| **Data**       | As shown in the internet banking        | Standardised and enriched                |

For more detail, see [Item](/docs/connections/item).

### How do I check which financial institutions are available?

There are three ways to look up the available institutions (connectors):

- **Documentation** — [Open Finance (regulated)](/docs/open-finance/overview#institutions-supported-by-open-finance) and [Pluggy connectors (unregulated)](/docs/connections/connectors-coverage).
- **API** — [`GET /connectors`](/reference/connector/connectors-list).
- **Dashboard** — the [Customization](https://dashboard.pluggy.ai/customization) tab.

### Which institutions need a token to connect?

The institutions that require a token are listed in [Connectors coverage](/docs/connections/connectors-coverage).

### How do I enable connectors in my application?

Open the **Customization** tab in the [dashboard](https://dashboard.pluggy.ai/customization).

### Can I skip the bank-selection step in the Pluggy Connect widget?

Yes. The `selectedConnectorId` attribute shows only the connector you pre-select. See [Environments and configurations](/docs/connect-widget/environments#available-configurations).

## Managing items and connections

### If a user connects the same account twice, are two different connections created?

Yes. Every time the user gives consent — entering credentials on a Pluggy connector, or picking which data to share on an Open Finance one — a new connection is created with a new `itemId`. To avoid this, create the connection once and update that same `itemId` whenever you need fresher data.

There is also a setting that checks whether the account has been connected before: see [avoiding duplicates](/docs/connections/item#avoiding-duplicates).

### How can I tell which of my users an `itemId` belongs to?

Send the `clientUserId` field when the item is created, or when you open the Pluggy Connect widget. It takes any string you like; we recommend `"name | email | cpf_or_cnpj"`. See the [connect token options](/reference/auth/connect-token-create).

### How do I revoke a consent (a connection)?

Delete the corresponding item through the API. That ends the connection and removes the data associated with it.

### Why did my `itemId` stop updating?

The most common cause is hitting the institution's request limit, which happens when the same account is connected many times over.

<Callout icon="🚧" theme="warning">
**Limit per CPF/CNPJ**: this limit is shared across every `itemId` belonging to the same CPF or CNPJ. Once it is reached, transactions only resume updating the **following month**.
</Callout>

### The item hit the limit — what can I do?

The limit cannot be lifted within the current month. To keep it from happening again, avoid creating multiple connections for the same account: reuse the same `itemId` and update it when you need more recent data.

### Can I list every item I have created at Pluggy?

No. Listing items is not available for security reasons, so that no data can leak across clients.

### Are new transactions on an account updated in real time?

No. New transactions become available only after the connection is updated — see [updating an item](/docs/connect-widget/updating-item).

<Callout icon="📘" theme="info">
On Open Finance (regulated) connectors, new transactions can take up to 24h to become available.
</Callout>

### How does automatic updating work?

Pluggy can update your `itemId`s on a schedule — just ask through any of our channels. You can choose the hour the updates start; items are queued and updated according to available processing capacity, so nothing is overloaded.

## Environments and production

### How do I go to production?

Create a production application in the dashboard, under `Applications`, using `Go to production`. A production application matters because:

- automatic updating is available;
- there is no limit on the number of `itemId`s;
- there is no demo page, so no customer data is exposed.

### Can I keep Development and Production separate? Does the client_id/secret change?

Yes. Create the environments in the [dashboard](https://dashboard.pluggy.ai/); each new environment gets its own `clientId` and `clientSecret`.

<Callout icon="🚧" theme="warning">
The **Development** environment is capped at **100 items**.
</Callout>

## Webhooks and events

### Which webhook events are available?

The full list is in the [webhooks reference](/docs/developer-tools/webhooks-ref).