FAQ

This page includes some commonly asked questions about using Blowhorn and their answers.

How do I authorize access to my APIs?

An API_KEY has to be used to access all the APIs. This is a simple encrypted string that authorizes the HTTP request in the header. You can receive this from the Blowhorn Tech team/onboarding process on the customer portal.

Getting an error "Authentication credentials were not provided"?

API_Key needs to be pass in the header section. Example - In the header section key name will be "API_Key" and the value will be " XXXXXXXXXX"

Here XXXXXXXXXX is the authentication API Key that will be provided by Business SPOC.

How do I get the Order ID / AWB number from the shipment order creation API?

There are 2 ways for Order ID/ AWB number creation.

1. There is an option to pass the AWB number in the Order creation request payload. This is useful when you want to scan inventory based on the number passed. Alternatively, you can pass a unique identifier of your shipment in the reference_number and we will create a AWB number and pass it after successfully creating the order

2. Another way is to fetch the AWB number in advance and store those in your system and then while calling this API you can start passing that one by one.

How do I test my APIs? Is there a sandbox and will production API Key be different than sandbox

Yes, we have a separate test environment and the API Key will be different for that.

What is the error - "Blowhorn doesn’t provide service in this area"?

This error comes only when you are passing a Pincode that is not serviceable by Blowhorn.

To check if the Pincode is serviceable you need to use Serviceability APIs which will help in providing a list of serviceable pincodes for the city or to check whether a given pincode is serviceable by Blowhorn.

When I hit Create New Order API I get this error in response "Unable to consume AWB number XXXX"?

This issue only occurs if there is a mismatch in the allocated waybill series or the Order ID is already consumed, so please validate the Order ID before passing in the manifestation Payload.

Every account has a different Order ID series so ensure you are using the correct Order ID series according to your account.

If there is an issue of "Duplicate Order Id"?

The root cause of this issue is pushing the same order Id again which is already consumed in the manifestation data.

How can we track our order?

You can use an order tracking API to track your order. This will be a pull request.

Can multiple Order ID/AWB be tracked in a single API request?

No, currently only a single Order ID/AWB can be tracked in a single API request.

Does the authorization for any API provided ever expire? How/when do we get one for the production environment?

Authorization never expires, this is for a lifetime. For the production environment, you will get a separate authorization , once your testing phase gets completed. The process will remain the same for getting the live key. You need to reach out to your business SPOC once testing is done successfully.

Is the API Key the same across all APIs ( order creation, order tracking API)?

Yes, the remains constant for all API's, till there is a switch in environments (Testing/Production) as the will be different for testing and production environment.

Can we assume if you did not receive the package although data was received, you will not bill us?

Sure, there is no billing until we pick-up and process the Shipments. There will be no billing in case only soft data is pushed in our system.

Do we need to perform a check for serviceability API before we call Order creation API?

Yes, this is a mandatory and recommended task for each and every shipment for Blowhorn. So if the pin-code is not serviceable then there is no point in creating order in our system as that will be marked as Non serviceable.

Could you please provide maximum length on all fields in the API below?

Pin Code: 6 (Integer). For the rest of the keys, the length can be up to 256.

We have very few orders say 500-1000 per day so instead of integrating through API's can we ship any other way and use all API service's through any frontend?

Yes, we have a Dashboard where the customers can log-in and create packages in single/bulk fashion in one go using excel upload. They can track the shipments, generate packing slips, see order details.

What is the use of pickup location? If I have multiple sellers across, how can I get pickup locations created against all the sellers?

Pickup location, in other words, is a pickup warehouse name. This holds the details of the warehouse (pickup location) from where the order has to be picked up. In order to do that, you have to share the seller details (location and name) and our team will store those details against your client id and will share a pickup location against that. Once registered you can use that pick-up location while creating an order.