Step by Step Guide to Building a Shippo API Integration in C#

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your shipping game? Let's dive into integrating the Shippo API with C#. Shippo's a powerhouse for all things shipping, and we're about to harness that power in our C# projects. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

Before we jump in, make sure you've got:

• Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
• .NET Core 3.1 or later
• A Shippo account (if you don't have one, go grab it – it's free to start!)
• Your Shippo API key (find it in your Shippo dashboard)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's get our project ready:

1. Fire up Visual Studio and create a new C# project.
2. Open up your terminal in the project directory and run:

dotnet add package Shippo

This will add the Shippo package to your project. Easy peasy!

Initializing the Shippo client

Now, let's get that Shippo client up and running:

using Shippo;

var client = new ShippoClient("YOUR_API_KEY_HERE");

Replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your actual Shippo API key. Keep it secret, keep it safe!

Core functionality implementation

Creating an address

Let's start by creating an address:

var address = await client.CreateAsync(new Address
{
    Name = "Mr Hippo",
    Street1 = "215 Clayton St.",
    City = "San Francisco",
    State = "CA",
    Zip = "94117",
    Country = "US"
});

Creating a parcel

Next up, let's define our parcel:

var parcel = await client.CreateAsync(new Parcel
{
    Length = 5,
    Width = 5,
    Height = 5,
    DistanceUnit = "in",
    Weight = 2,
    MassUnit = "lb"
});

Creating a shipment

Now, let's create a shipment:

var shipment = await client.CreateAsync(new Shipment
{
    AddressFrom = addressFrom.Id,
    AddressTo = addressTo.Id,
    Parcels = new List<string> { parcel.Id },
    AsyncMode = false
});

Retrieving rates

Time to get those sweet, sweet rates:

var rates = shipment.Rates;

Purchasing a label

Found a rate you like? Let's buy that label:

var transaction = await client.CreateAsync(new Transaction
{
    Rate = rates[0].Id,
    LabelFileType = "PDF",
    AsyncMode = false
});

Error handling and best practices

Always wrap your API calls in try-catch blocks:

try
{
    // Your Shippo API call here
}
catch (ShippoException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Oops! Something went wrong: {ex.Message}");
}

And don't forget about rate limiting! Shippo's pretty generous, but let's play nice:

await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1)); // Add a small delay between requests

Testing the integration

Unit testing is your friend! Here's a quick example:

[Fact]
public async Task CreateAddress_ShouldReturnValidAddress()
{
    var client = new ShippoClient("YOUR_TEST_API_KEY");
    var address = await client.CreateAsync(new Address { /* ... */ });
    Assert.NotNull(address);
    Assert.NotNull(address.Id);
}

For integration testing, use Shippo's test mode. Just swap out your live API key for your test key, and you're good to go!

Advanced features (optional)

Want to track shipments? It's a breeze:

var tracking = await client.RetrieveAsync<Tracking>(trackingNumber);

And if you're feeling adventurous, dive into webhooks for real-time updates!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Shippo API integration in C#. From creating addresses to purchasing labels, you're now equipped to handle shipping like a pro.

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Shippo's got tons more features to explore, so don't be shy – dive into their docs and see what else you can do!

Happy shipping, and may your packages always arrive on time! 📦🚚💨