Bridge, also called Bridge Interactive or Bridge Data Output, is one of the platforms MLSs use to deliver RESO Web API data. It issues a single server token, and that token is all MLSImport needs once your MLS has approved your dataset.
The token is the short part. Getting your MLS to approve the dataset behind it is the part that takes time.
Before you start
- Confirm your MLS delivers through Bridge. Open your MLS on the RESO certification directory and read the Web API Server line.
- Know whether you apply as an agent or as a broker. Several MLSs route members to Bridge and brokerages to a different platform. Miami Association of REALTORS is one of them.
- Have your broker ready to act. On most boards the designated broker has to sign or enable access before an agent’s request can proceed.
Getting the access
- Start at your MLS, not at Bridge. Find their IDX or Web API page and follow the route they document for your role.
- Complete the agreement your MLS requires. This is where the domain your listings will appear on is recorded, so use the real domain.
- Register or sign in at bridgedataoutput.com and set up your API application when the agreement is executed.
- In the API application, open Data Access and request access to your MLS dataset.
- Wait for your MLS to approve it. Approvals are reviewed by people at the MLS, not granted automatically.
Expected result: your dataset shows as approved in Bridge, and your credentials list contains a server token.
Do not restrict the token to a specific IP address while you are setting up. Verification runs before your domain starts pulling data, and an IP restriction blocks that first handshake even though the token itself is valid.
Entering the token in MLSImport
- Copy the Server Token from your Bridge credentials list. It is one long string, not a client ID and secret pair.
- In WordPress, open MLS Import Settings and find your MLS in the Your MLS search.
- Paste the token into Your API Server token – provided by your MLS and save.
- Run the connection test. Saving clears any previous test result, so the test always runs against what you saved.
If the connection fails
- The dataset is Pending, not Approved. The most common cause. Open Bridge, look at your dataset status, and contact your MLS if it has not moved.
- The token is IP restricted. Remove the restriction, save the token again, and re-test.
- You copied the wrong value. Bridge shows more than one item in a credentials list. The one that goes in the plugin is the server token.
- Your MLS is not yet activated on our side. If the MLS does not appear in the Your MLS search at all, that is a different problem. Tell us the exact MLS name.
Where an MLS publishes through both Bridge and another platform, the feeds are not identical. Miami through Bridge carries latitude and longitude, and Miami through Trestle does not, which decides whether map search works on your site. Ask which fields each feed includes before you choose.
What Bridge access costs
Bridge itself is the delivery platform. What you pay is set by your MLS, and it varies more than people expect. Some boards give members one courtesy IDX feed at no charge. Others charge an application fee, a monthly data fee, or both, and some waive the fee for member brokerages while charging third party vendors.
Ask your MLS for their current pricing page rather than relying on what another board charges. None of it is billed by us.
Frequently asked questions
Bridge approved my registration but the plugin still fails. Why?
Registering with Bridge and being approved for a dataset are two separate things. A Bridge account with no approved dataset returns no data. Check that your MLS dataset itself shows as approved in your Bridge account.
My broker has not logged in to Bridge. Does that block me?
On most boards, yes. The broker is usually a required signing party on the data agreement, and until they act the request can sit in a pending state or show an error with no obvious cause. Chase the broker step first when an application stalls.
Can I use one Bridge token for two websites?
Not with MLSImport. The plugin connects one MLS per WordPress install, and your MLS agreement names the domain that may display the data. A second site needs its own approval and its own subscription.
Which MLSs use Bridge?
Many, and the list changes. Rather than working from a list, look your own MLS up on the RESO certification directory and read the Web API Server line. That is the answer for your market on the day you check it.
Related
- What RESO Web API access is and why you need it
- MLS approval processes that take time
- Who needs to hold the credentials
- Verifying your MLS connection
If your dataset is approved in Bridge and the connection still fails, send us your MLS name and we will check what the feed returns.