API Connectivity | Descartes
API Connectivity
Use the full potential of EDI and API
Those who want to automate business processes cannot ignore EDI and API.
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Tony's Chocolonely Connects with International Retail and Distribution Customers Using Descartes
Unlock the power of real-time data exchange with API (Application Programming Interface) connectivity
API is a powerful tool for synchronizing web and Cloud SaaS applications, which adds new capabilities and possibilities to the traditional electronic data interchange. Real-time synchronous connections can handle data transfer in less than a second and take care of multiple requests in both directions at the same time. By enabling this level of automation companies can increase their efficiency and improve response time to customers, resulting in more sales and better customer service. Descartes can help set-up your API connectivity and make integration easy.
API connectivity with marketplaces such as Amazon and bol.com
Connecting to online marketplaces via API allows companies to automatically exchange data on listings, orders, payments, reports, and more in real-time.
Carrier API Connectivity
Connect to (multimodal) carriers via API to automatically exchange rate information, shipment & booking information, compliant carrier labels, waybills and more in real-time.
EDI and API, the best of both worlds
API’s are complementary to traditional EDI and allow B2B ecosystems to modernize and prepare for future growth. By combining the two technologies, companies can benefit from all the advantages of a real-time integration and still use the more robust EDI for batch data exchanges with a vast network of trading partners.
| EDI | API |
|---|---|
| Proven solution for B2B message exchange | Main focus on integrating applications |
| Standardized, ‘easy’ to implement, robust | No standards, each company has its own way. Implementing API needs programming & an IT (development) team |
| (Near) real-time (a-synchronous), push technology | Real time (synchronous), pull technology (polling, webhooks) -> Request & Response process within seconds |
| Combined/multiple requests | Single requests |
Ready to implement API?
Additional Resources
EDI/API FAQ
Still have questions? They may have been answered already in our FAQ
Cloud-Based EDI
Learn about the four benefits of cloud-based EDI