Amazon Vendor Central API Essential Guide

What type of API does Amazon Vendor Central provide?

Key Points:

1. Amazon offers multiple API types for different services:

• Amazon API Gateway supports REST APIs.
• AWS AppSync supports GraphQL APIs.
• Amazon Marketplace Web Service (MWS) allows sellers to exchange data.

2. REST and GraphQL are two common API types used for modern applications:

• REST APIs use HTTP methods and are good for simple data sources.
• GraphQL APIs allow flexible querying and are suited for complex, interrelated data.

3. When choosing an API type, consider factors like:

• Project requirements
• Security needs
• Scalability
• Ease of integration
• Documentation quality
• Available support

Considerations for Amazon Vendor Central:

While I don't have specific information on Vendor Central's API, here are some possibilities to consider:

1. It may use REST APIs, as these are common for many Amazon services.
2. It could potentially use GraphQL, especially if dealing with complex, interrelated vendor data.
3. It might have its own proprietary API format tailored for vendor interactions.

To get definitive information about Amazon Vendor Central's API type, you would need to:

1. Check the official Amazon Vendor Central documentation.
2. Contact Amazon Vendor Central support directly.
3. Look for any developer resources specifically for Vendor Central integrations.

Does the Amazon Vendor Central API have webhooks?

Official Amazon Vendor Central API Webhooks

1. The official Amazon Vendor Central API does not have built-in support for webhooks.

2. The search results do not provide any specific information about webhook events that can be subscribed to for the Amazon Vendor Central API.

Alternative Solutions

1. While not specifically for Vendor Central, Amazon does offer a Notifications API for the Selling Partner API that provides similar functionality to webhooks:

   • The Notifications API allows subscribing to notifications relevant to a selling partner's business.
   • It can be used to create destinations to receive notifications, subscribe to notifications, and delete subscriptions.
   • This API supports both sellers and vendors, depending on the notification type.

2. The Notifications API uses Amazon EventBridge for event delivery:

   • Users need to configure Amazon EventBridge to handle notifications.
   • An AWS account is required to receive notifications.

3. For Vendor Central specifically, a third-party integration tool like Zapier might be used to set up webhook-like functionality, though this is not an official Amazon solution.

Key Considerations

1. Authorization from selling partners (sellers or vendors) is required to make calls to the Notifications API.

2. Users should implement a backup mechanism to retrieve information in case of outages or delays in notification delivery.

3. The Notifications API allows filtering notifications by marketplace IDs.

4. Multiple subscriptions with different payload versions are supported per application, notification type, and party (seller/vendor).

In summary, while the official Amazon Vendor Central API does not have built-in webhook support, Amazon does offer a Notifications API that provides similar functionality for the broader Selling Partner API. For Vendor Central specifically, third-party integration tools might be necessary to achieve webhook-like functionality.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Based on the search results provided, here are the key points about API rate limits for Amazon's Selling Partner API (SP-API), which is likely the closest equivalent to the Amazon Vendor Central API:

Rate Limiting Mechanism

• The SP-API uses a token bucket algorithm for rate limiting [1].
• Each API operation has a specific rate limit defined by two parameters:
  1. Rate: The number of requests per second that can be made without throttling.
  2. Burst: The maximum number of requests that can be made simultaneously if the token bucket is full [1].

Standard Usage Plans

• Most SP-API operations have standard usage plans with static rate limits for all callers [1].
• Default usage plan rates are published in the API reference for each API section [1].

Dynamic Usage Plans

• Some API operations may have dynamic usage plans that adjust based on business context [1].

Rate Limit Information

• The current rate limits for an operation are returned in the x-amzn-RateLimit-Limit response header, on a best-effort basis [1].
• This header is only provided for HTTP status codes 20x, 400, and 404 [1].

Best Practices for Managing Rate Limits

1. Monitor API activity against your rate limit [2].
2. Catch errors caused by rate limiting (HTTP 429 responses) [2].
3. Reduce the number of API requests by optimizing code and caching data [2].
4. Implement a rate limiter in your code to manage high volumes of traffic [2].

Considerations for Application Design

• Regulate the rate of requests for smoother distribution when using multiple SP-APIs [2].
• Some APIs may have functional limits on the frequency of data requests or writes for a given seller [2].

Important Note

The search results do not provide specific rate limit values for the Amazon Vendor Central API. The information provided is primarily for the Selling Partner API, which may have different rate limits. For accurate and up-to-date rate limit information for the Amazon Vendor Central API, it would be best to consult the official Amazon Vendor Central API documentation or contact Amazon directly.

Latest API Version

Based on the search results provided, I can answer your question about the most recent version of the Amazon Vendor Central API. Here's the information:

The most recent version of the Amazon Vendor Central API appears to be part of the Selling Partner API (SP-API) suite. Specifically, for Vendor Central functionality, the following API versions are the most recent:

1. Vendor Direct Fulfillment Orders API v2021-12-28
2. Vendor Direct Fulfillment Shipping API v2021-12-28
3. Vendor Direct Fulfillment Transactions API v2021-12-28

These APIs provide programmatic access to various aspects of vendor operations, including order data, shipping data, and transaction status [1].

Key points to consider:

• The Vendor Direct Fulfillment APIs are part of the broader SP-API ecosystem, which has replaced the older Marketplace Web Service (MWS) [2].
• These APIs are designed for vendors using Vendor Central or Amazon Advantage [2].
• Amazon provides sandbox environments for testing these APIs before using them in production [1].

Best practices:

1. Register as a developer in Vendor Central before using these APIs [2].
2. Test your integration using the sandbox endpoints before moving to production [2].
3. Familiarize yourself with the Vendor Direct Fulfillment Dynamic Sandbox Guide for effective testing [1].
4. Stay updated with the latest release notes and documentation updates, as Amazon frequently enhances and updates its APIs [1].

It's important to note that while these are the most recent versions mentioned in the search results, Amazon may release newer versions in the future. Always check the official Amazon developer documentation for the most up-to-date information on API versions and capabilities.

How to get a Amazon Vendor Central developer account and API Keys?

1. Log in to your Vendor Central account.

2. Go to Support -> Contact Us in Vendor Central.

3. Look for "API Integration" under the Contact Us options. If you don't see it, you may need to contact Vendor Central support to request access.

4. Under API Integration, select "Registration and access" and then "Send an email".

5. In your email request, include:

   • Your IAM (Identity and Access Management) information
   • Your ARN (Amazon Resource Name) information
   • Confirmation that you are an administrator in Vendor Central
   • Your vendor code

6. Submit the ticket to request developer access for API integration.

7. Wait for a response from Amazon approving your developer access.

8. Once approved, you should be able to access the Developer Central page in Vendor Central.

9. On the Developer Central page, you can register your application and get the necessary credentials for API integration.

What can you do with the Amazon Vendor Central API?

Based on the search results provided, here is a list of data models that can be interacted with using the Amazon Vendor Central API, along with what is possible for each:

Product Data

• Product Type Definitions API:
  • Get attribute and data requirements for product types in the Amazon catalog
  • Request requirements for a specific product type in a given marketplace
  • Receive JSON schemas describing all requirements, attributes, and conditionality

Listings Data

• Listings Items API:
  • Create new SKUs and update attributes like price and inventory
  • Update attributes of existing SKUs
  • Delete SKUs
  • Retrieve information about specific SKUs

Catalog Data

• Catalog Items API:
  • Discover contents of the Amazon catalog
  • Query data for ASINs
  • Query and traverse the Amazon catalog hierarchy (classifications, browse nodes)

Reporting Data

• Vendor Reports API:
  • Access multiple report types within minutes
  • Retrieve sales, forecasting, and inventory data
  • Get expanded historical daily data (up to 3 years)

Order and Fulfillment Data

• Retail API:

  • Automate retail fulfillment processes
  • Manage vendor trading relationships

• Direct Fulfillment API:

  • Automate direct fulfillment processes
  • Optimize supply chain operations

Notifications

• Notifications API:
  • Receive updates about listings
  • Enable event-driven workflows

Warehousing and Distribution Data

• Amazon Warehousing and Distribution API:
  • Interact with warehousing and distribution data (specific capabilities not detailed in results)

It's worth noting that the API provides programmatic access to many of the same capabilities available in Vendor Central, allowing for automation of various vendor workflows and data retrieval processes. The exact data models and operations may vary depending on the specific API version and the vendor's access level.