Logistics and Delivery API Integration
Logistics and delivery API integration connects your e-commerce or fulfilment system to carrier services — automating label creation, rate calculation, tracking, and dispatch management. Good logistics integration eliminates manual carrier portal usage, reduces dispatch time, and provides customers with accurate tracking information.
Core Logistics API Capabilities
- Rate calculation: Get shipping rates from one or multiple carriers for a given parcel weight, dimensions, origin, and destination
- Label creation: Generate shipping labels programmatically — returns label PDF/ZPL and tracking number
- Tracking: Retrieve real-time tracking status and milestones for shipments
- Tracking webhooks: Receive push notifications when shipment status changes — powers customer-facing tracking notifications
- Collection booking: Schedule carrier collections
- Returns management: Generate return labels and manage the return process
UK and European Carrier APIs
- Royal Mail Click and Drop API: UK domestic parcels — standard for UK e-commerce
- DPD API: Strong UK and European network, good API
- DHL API: Global reach, strong for international shipments
- Evri (Hermes) API: Cost-effective UK delivery for non-time-critical parcels
- UPS and FedEx APIs: Comprehensive international coverage
Multi-Carrier Platforms
EasyPost, ShipStation, and Shippo provide unified APIs that connect to multiple carriers — write one integration, access many carriers. Rate-shop across carriers, print labels, track all shipments in one place. Reduces carrier lock-in and simplifies label operations.