Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is Carfluence?
Carfluence is the shared infrastructure platform for automotive technology. We provide the data layer, integrations, and tools that every automotive product needs — so you can launch in weeks instead of years.
Who is Carfluence for?
- •Automotive startups building tools for dealers
- •Dealer groups wanting to unify their data sources
- •Technology companies needing automotive data integrations
- •Individual dealers looking for better data management
How is Carfluence different from a traditional DMS or CRM?
Carfluence is not a DMS or CRM — it's the infrastructure layer that connects them. We normalize data from 53+ sources into a single API, so you can build products on top of unified data.
Integrations
What data sources do you support?
We currently support vAuto, HomeNet, Elead, and custom CSV/pipe-delimited files via SFTP. More connectors are in active development.
How does data get into Carfluence?
Via SFTP. When you create an integration, we provision secure SFTP credentials. Your data provider pushes files to the SFTP folder, and we process them automatically.
How often does data sync?
As often as your data provider pushes files. Most providers support 4-6 hour intervals. Files are processed within minutes of upload.
Can I connect multiple data sources?
Yes. You can connect as many integrations as you need. Use Merge Configs to combine data from multiple sources with field-level priority.
API & Development
What's the API rate limit?
Default is 1000 requests per hour per API key. This is configurable per key.
Is there a sandbox environment?
Contact us for sandbox access. The sandbox has the full API with sample data pre-loaded.
What authentication methods do you support?
JWT tokens (for user sessions) and API keys (for programmatic access). Both are documented in our API Reference.
Security & Compliance
How is my data secured?
- •Encryption at rest and in transit (TLS 1.3)
- •Multi-tenant schema isolation in PostgreSQL
- •SOC 2 aligned practices
- •Full audit logging of all API requests and security events
Can other tenants see my data?
No. Each organization gets its own database schema. Data isolation is enforced at the database level.
Do you support SSO?
Yes. We use FusionAuth which supports SAML, OIDC, and social logins.
Pricing
How much does Carfluence cost?
Pricing depends on your partnership tier:
- •50/50 Partnership: You pay internal costs only (our cost)
- •80/20 Partnership: Standard rates (internal + margin)
- •100% Ownership: Premium a la carte pricing
Contact us for a custom quote at [email protected].
Is there a free tier?
We offer pilot programs for qualified partners. Contact us to discuss your use case.
Support
How do I get help?
- •Knowledge Base: You're already here! Browse our docs.
- •AI Assistant: Ask questions directly in the dashboard.
- •Email: [email protected]
- •Community: Join the Carfluence community forum.