Step by Step Guide to Building a ShipStation API Integration in Python

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of ShipStation API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be using the nifty shipstation package to make our lives easier. Let's get shipping!

Prerequisites

Before we set sail, make sure you've got:

• A Python environment that's ship-shape
• A ShipStation account with API credentials (if you don't have these, hop over to ShipStation and get 'em)

Installation

First things first, let's get that shipstation package on board:

pip install shipstation

Easy peasy, right?

Authentication

Now, let's get you authenticated. Grab your API key and secret from ShipStation, and let's put them to work:

from shipstation import ShipStation

ss = ShipStation(key='your_api_key', secret='your_api_secret')

Basic API Interaction

With our ShipStation client ready, let's make our first API call:

stores = ss.get_stores()
print(f"You have {len(stores)} stores.")

Boom! You're now officially talking to ShipStation.

Common Operations

Retrieving Orders

Let's fetch some orders:

orders = ss.get_orders()
for order in orders:
    print(f"Order {order.order_number}: {order.order_status}")

Creating Shipments

Time to create a shipment:

shipment = ss.create_shipment(
    order_id='123456',
    carrier_code='fedex',
    service_code='fedex_2day'
)
print(f"Shipment created with ID: {shipment.id}")

Generating Labels

Let's get that label:

label = ss.create_label(shipment_id=shipment.id)
print(f"Label URL: {label.label_data}")

Error Handling

ShipStation can be a bit chatty when it comes to rate limits. Let's handle that:

from shipstation.exceptions import ShipStationRateLimitException

try:
    result = ss.some_api_call()
except ShipStationRateLimitException as e:
    print(f"Whoa there! Hit the rate limit. Retry after {e.retry_after} seconds.")
    time.sleep(e.retry_after)

Best Practices

• Cache data when possible to reduce API calls
• Use batch operations for bulk updates
• Keep an eye on your API usage to stay within limits

Advanced Topics

Webhooks

ShipStation can notify your app about events:

webhook = ss.create_webhook(
    target_url='https://your-app.com/webhook',
    event='ORDER_NOTIFY'
)
print(f"Webhook created with ID: {webhook.id}")

Batch Operations

For the bulk operators among us:

orders_to_update = [
    {'order_id': '123', 'order_status': 'shipped'},
    {'order_id': '456', 'order_status': 'shipped'}
]
ss.update_orders(orders_to_update)

Testing and Debugging

Always test your integration:

def test_get_orders():
    orders = ss.get_orders()
    assert len(orders) > 0, "No orders retrieved"

If you're stuck, check the ShipStation API docs or the shipstation package issues on GitHub.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to integrate ShipStation into your Python projects like a pro. Remember, the sea of e-commerce can be rough, but with this integration, you're the captain now. Happy shipping!