Why a Trading ERP Needs API Access

What API access means

An API is a defined way for one piece of software to talk to another. For an ERP, it means a developer can fetch or update records such as products, customers and orders using requests, instead of a person opening screens and typing. Without one, every connection to another tool becomes a manual export or a re-keying job.

Why a trading business may need one

Most traders do not need an API on day one, but the need appears as the business connects to more systems.

• A website or online catalogue that should show current products and stock
• Orders arriving from a website or a dealer app that should land in the ERP without retyping
• A reporting tool that reads sales and stock data for custom analysis
• A salesperson app your own developer builds for taking orders in the field
• A system that must be told when an order is created or dispatched

What API capabilities a distributor ERP should have

The value of an API depends on its detail. Look for the following.

• Documentation in a standard format, such as OpenAPI, so a developer can start without guessing
• Endpoints for the records you actually share: customers, suppliers, products, stock, sales orders and purchase orders
• Read and write access that can be controlled separately
• Keys that belong to one company, can be revoked and show when they were last used
• Paging for large lists, sensible limits and clear error responses
• Webhooks that notify your other systems when records change

What the TradeFlow API provides

TradeFlow provides a REST API with OpenAPI documentation, available from the API documentation page in Settings.

• Endpoints for customers, suppliers, products, sales orders and purchase orders, each with list, get and create, and update or delete where supported
• Stock movements, which can be listed, read and added but not changed or deleted, so the movement history stays intact
• Results returned in pages, 50 records by default and up to 200 at a time, with a count
• Errors returned as JSON with a standard HTTP status code

Access keys and control

Access to the API uses a key, sent in a request header. Keys are issued in Settings for one company, carry either read or write scope, can be revoked, and show when they were last used. Requests are logged, and each key is limited to 60 requests a minute. Use read-only keys wherever a tool only needs to look, keep keys out of public code, and remember that a key with write scope can create, change and delete records, and that deletes are permanent.

Webhooks

Webhooks work in the other direction: TradeFlow tells your system when something happens. Events cover sales orders created or updated, dispatches completed, payments received and purchase orders approved. Each delivery is signed with HMAC-SHA256 in a header so your system can verify it came from TradeFlow, is logged, and is retried up to five times with growing delays if your endpoint does not answer. Deliveries run on a one-minute schedule, so events arrive shortly after, not instantly.

What the API does not cover

It is worth being clear about limits. The TradeFlow API does not expose invoices, payments, GST data, financial records or job-work records, so it is not a way to create invoices or read GST records from another system. It covers the master and order records above. If your plan depends on a record that is not on that list, confirm it with TradeFlow before you build.

Who does the integration work

An API is a tool, not a finished connection. Someone, usually a developer, has to build and maintain the link between TradeFlow and your website or app. Plan for that effort, test with a read-only key first, and agree what happens when a request fails or a limit is reached.

Questions to ask any vendor

Ask specific questions before you depend on an API.

• Which records can be read, created, updated and deleted?
• How are keys issued, scoped and revoked?
• What are the rate limits, and what happens when they are reached?
• Which events can trigger a notification to my systems, and how are failures retried?
• Is the documentation complete enough for our developer to start?

Where TradeFlow fits

TradeFlow is an ERP for Indian traders, wholesalers, distributors and dealers, with a documented REST API and webhooks alongside its sales, purchasing, stock, finance and GST modules. To discuss a specific connection, book a demo and bring your developer.

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