HubSpot CMS API: Unraveling the `updatedAt` Sorting Challenge for Developers

At ESHOPMAN, we understand that the backbone of any thriving e-commerce operation, especially one powered by HubSpot, is its data. From product listings and inventory levels to customer interactions and content updates, accurate and timely information is non-negotiable. That's why when a critical API sorting issue surfaced in the HubSpot Community, it immediately caught our attention.

A recent discussion, initiated by a diligent developer in the HubSpot Community, highlighted a significant challenge with the HubSpot CMS Blog Authors API endpoint. The original poster was attempting a seemingly straightforward task: sorting blog authors by their updatedAt property. This is a common requirement for displaying the most recently modified content or entities first, ensuring users always see the freshest information. However, regardless of the sort parameter's direction (e.g., ?sort=-updatedAt for descending or ?sort=updatedAt for ascending), the API consistently returned unsorted results.

The Core Problem: HubSpot API's `updatedAt` Sorting Challenge

What made this issue particularly puzzling was that sorting by the created property (for creation date) worked flawlessly. This immediately suggested that the problem wasn't with the API's sorting mechanism in general, but specifically with how the updatedAt property was being handled, or perhaps an internal naming conflict. The original poster tried various permutations like ?sort=-updated and ?sort=updated, all to no avail.

Adding another layer of complexity, the community member also pointed out a notable discrepancy in HubSpot's API documentation. While the reference clearly indicated a GET request for the endpoint, an accompanying example inexplicably suggested a POST request with a body. Such mixed signals can lead to considerable frustration and wasted development time, especially for those new to HubSpot's API ecosystem or trying to integrate quickly.

Community Validation: Replicating the Bug

The issue quickly gained traction, with another community member stepping in to validate and replicate the problem. This expert confirmed that two identical curl requests, one for ?sort=-updatedAt and another for ?sort=updatedAt, produced the exact same response body. This concrete evidence solidified the observation: the sort parameter was indeed failing to order results based on the updatedAt timestamp for this specific endpoint.

curl --location 'https://api.hubapi.com/cms/blogs/2026-03/authors?sort=-updatedAt' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer pat-xxx-redacted-xxx'

curl --location 'https://api.hubapi.com/cms/blogs/2026-03/authors?sort=updatedAt' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer pat-xxx-redacted-xxx'

Both requests returned an identical list of authors, ignoring the specified sort order for updatedAt.

Why `updatedAt` Sorting is Critical for E-commerce and RevOps

For ESHOPMAN users and any business leveraging HubSpot for their e-commerce and RevOps strategies, the ability to accurately sort by updatedAt is not just a 'nice-to-have'—it's fundamental. Imagine a scenario where you need to:

• Display Recently Updated Products: Your storefront needs to highlight new arrivals or products that have just been restocked or had their descriptions refined. Without reliable updatedAt sorting, this becomes a manual, error-prone process.
• Synchronize Inventory: For complex integrations, knowing the last time a product record was updated in HubSpot can be crucial for syncing inventory levels with an external warehouse or ERP system.
• Content Freshness: Beyond blog authors, if similar sorting issues were to affect other content types, it could impact how fresh content is presented, affecting SEO and user engagement.
• RevOps Reporting: Tracking the last time a deal, contact, or company record was updated is vital for sales teams and RevOps professionals to prioritize follow-ups and analyze pipeline velocity.

This isn't just a developer's headache; it directly impacts the efficiency, accuracy, and ultimately, the profitability of your online store and operational workflows. Even for those migrating from a wix ecommerce website builder to a more robust HubSpot-integrated solution, the expectation for reliable API functionality is paramount.

Navigating the Challenge: Workarounds and Best Practices

While HubSpot's team has been notified and is actively investigating this specific bug, developers and store operators need strategies to mitigate its impact. Here are some actionable insights and workarounds:

• Client-Side Sorting (for smaller datasets): If the number of records you're fetching is relatively small, you can retrieve all data and then sort it within your application's front-end or back-end logic. However, this isn't scalable for large datasets due to performance and bandwidth considerations.
• Leverage the created Property: As the original poster noted, sorting by created works. If your use case can tolerate sorting by creation date instead of update date, this can be a temporary fallback.
• Implement Webhooks for Real-time Updates: For critical data, consider using HubSpot webhooks. Instead of polling the API and relying on updatedAt for changes, webhooks push real-time notifications to your system whenever a specified event occurs (e.g., a blog post is updated). This can be a more robust solution for keeping data synchronized.
• Maintain a Local Data Store: For complex e-commerce platforms, maintaining a local database that mirrors essential HubSpot data can be beneficial. You can then manage and sort data within your own system, only fetching updates from HubSpot when necessary (e.g., using a combination of webhooks and periodic fetches for new records).
• Stay Informed and Engage: Keep an eye on the HubSpot Community forums and official API documentation for updates on this specific issue. Engaging with the community can also provide insights into how others are tackling similar challenges.
• Robust Error Handling: Always build your integrations with robust error handling and fallback mechanisms. Assume APIs might not always behave as expected and design your system to gracefully handle such scenarios.

ESHOPMAN's Commitment to Seamless Integration

At ESHOPMAN, our mission is to provide a seamless, powerful e-commerce experience fully integrated with HubSpot. We continuously monitor HubSpot's API landscape to ensure our platform and your storefronts operate flawlessly. Issues like the updatedAt sorting bug underscore the importance of well-documented, reliable APIs for developers building sophisticated e-commerce solutions. We advocate for and contribute to a robust HubSpot ecosystem where such challenges are quickly addressed, ensuring that your ESHOPMAN storefront remains dynamic, accurate, and always up-to-date.

The HubSpot Community thread concerning the updatedAt sorting issue serves as a valuable reminder of the complexities inherent in API integrations. While specific bugs can arise, the collaborative nature of the HubSpot developer community, combined with proactive problem-solving, ensures that these challenges are identified and addressed. By understanding the problem, implementing smart workarounds, and staying engaged, developers and store operators can continue to build powerful, data-driven e-commerce experiences on HubSpot. We'll keep you posted as HubSpot rolls out a fix for this, ensuring your data is always sorted exactly as you need it.