Shopify Order API: Test Shopify orders with REST Admin API

The Shopify Order API is a powerful tool that allows developers and e-commerce professionals to programmatically interact with and manage/ create orders, particularly for testing order workflows in a safe environment. By leveraging the Order API, you can create test orders, simulate various scenarios, and validate integrations without affecting your live store data or disrupting real customer experiences. 

This article will guide you through the essentials of using the Shopify Order API to streamline your order-testing processes and ensure the smooth operation of your online store.

What is the Shopify Order API?

The Shopify Order API is a powerful tool that allows developers to programmatically interact with order data in a Shopify store. It's part of the REST Admin API, which uses standard HTTP methods (like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE) to access and manipulate Shopify resources. 

In my own work, I've used the Order API to create test orders for a new shipping integration, ensuring everything worked smoothly before launch, and to automate order fulfillment for a client with a high volume of daily sales.  With the Order API, you can create, update, retrieve, and even delete orders, giving you fine-grained control over order management within your Shopify applications.

Why Test Shopify Orders with the API?

• Isolate your testing environment: Using the Order API allows you to create and manipulate orders in a separate development store, preventing any accidental disruptions to your live shop and real customer data.
• Explore diverse order scenarios: The API lets you simulate a wide range of order situations, including different product combinations, shipping methods, discounts, and even failed payments, helping you identify potential issues in your order process.
• Automate repetitive tasks: Testing with the API can be automated, saving you time and effort compared to manually creating and processing test orders through the Shopify admin.
• Validate custom integrations: If you've built custom/ private apps or integrated third-party services, the Order API allows you to thoroughly test these integrations within your order workflow.
• Proactive problem-solving: By simulating various order scenarios, you can identify and address any errors or bottlenecks in your order process before they impact real customers and potentially harm your business.

How to Set Up Your Order Test Environment

Before entering the order testing stage, let’s explore the preparations you need to take first:

Step 1: Create a Shopify Development Store

• Sign up for a Shopify Partner account: If you don't have one already, create a Shopify Partner account. This gives you access to development stores.

• Create a new development store: In your Partner Dashboard, click "Development stores" and then "Create a development store." This will generate a free, temporary Shopify store for testing purposes.

Step 2: Obtain API Credentials

• Access your development store's admin: Log in to your newly created development store.
• Generate an API key and password: Go to Apps and sales channels > Develop apps > Allow custom app development. 

• Then, you can choose to Create an app. Give your app a name (e.g., "Order API Testing") and click "Create app." Under the "Admin API" section, you'll find your API key and password. Keep these secure!

Step 3: Set Up Your API Client

• Choose your preferred language: Select a programming language you're comfortable with (e.g., Python, Node.js).
• Install a Shopify API library: Use a library to simplify API interactions. For example:
  • Python: pip install shopifyapi
  • Node.js: npm install shopify-api-node
• Authenticate with your API credentials: Use your API key and password to authenticate your API client. Here's a basic example in Python:

import shopify 


shopify.ShopifyResource.set_site('your-development-store.myshopify.com') shopify.ShopifyResource.set_user('your_api_key') shopify.ShopifyResource.set_password('your_api_password')

Step 4: Familiarize Yourself with API Requests

• Understand REST API concepts: Learn about HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and how they are used to interact with resources.
• Explore the Shopify Order API documentation: Refer to the official Shopify API documentation for details on endpoints, request parameters, and response formats.

Step 5: Use a Tool like Postman

• Download and install Postman: Postman is a free tool that helps you make API requests, inspect responses, and debug API interactions.

• Configure Postman for Shopify:

1. Set the request method (GET, POST, etc.).
2. Enter the API endpoint URL (e.g., https://your-development-store.myshopify.com/admin/api/2024-01/orders.json).
3. Add any necessary request headers (e.g., for authentication).
4. Include request parameters in the body (if applicable).

• Send requests and analyze responses: Use Postman to send requests to the Shopify Order API and examine the responses to understand how the API works.

By following these steps, you'll have a dedicated testing environment where you can safely experiment with the Shopify Order API, create test orders, and build robust order management solutions without affecting your live store. Remember to always refer to the official Shopify API documentation for the most up-to-date information and best practices.

How to Create a Test Order Using Shopify REST Admin API

Step 1: Set Up API Access and Authentication

• Ensure you have a development store and API credentials: Follow the steps outlined in the "How to Set Up Your Order Test Environment" guide to create a development store and obtain your API key and password.
• Initialize your API client: Use your preferred programming language and a Shopify API library to authenticate your requests. Here's an example in Python:

import shopify

shopify.ShopifyResource.set_site('your-development-store.myshopify.com')
shopify.ShopifyResource.set_user('your_api_key')
shopify.ShopifyResource.set_password('your_api_password')

Step 2: Define Order Parameters

• Create a dictionary or object to hold order data: This will include details like customer information, line items (products), shipping address, and financial status. Here's an example in Python:

order_data = {
    "order": {
        "line_items": [
            {
                "variant_id": 1234567890,  # Replace with your variant ID
                "quantity": 2
            }
        ],
        "customer": {
            "first_name": "Test",
            "last_name": "Customer",
            "email": "[email protected]"
        },
        "shipping_address": {
            "first_name": "Test",
            "last_name": "Customer",
            "address1": "123 Test Street",
            "city": "Test City",
            "province": "Test Province",
            "country": "United States",
            "zip": "12345"
        },
        "financial_status": "pending"  # or "paid", "authorized" etc.
    }
}

Step 3: Send the API Request

• Use the POST /admin/api/2024-01/orders.json endpoint: This endpoint is used to create new orders.
• Send the order data in the request body: Here's how you can send the request using the Python library:

new_order = shopify.Order.create(order_data)
print(new_order.id)

Step 4: Handle the API Response

• Check the response status code: A successful request will return a 201 Created status code.
• Parse the response data: The response will contain details of the created order, including its ID.
• Handle potential errors: Implement error handling to catch and manage any issues during order creation (e.g., invalid parameters, insufficient inventory).

Example API Request and Response:

• Request:

POST /admin/api/2024-01/orders.json HTTP/1.1
Host: your-development-store.myshopify.com
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Basic [Your Base64 encoded API key and password]

{
  "order": {
    "line_items": [
      {
        "variant_id": 1234567890,
        "quantity": 2
      }
    ],
    "customer": {
      "first_name": "Test",
      "last_name": "Customer",
      "email": "[email protected]"
    },
    "shipping_address": {
      "first_name": "Test",
      "last_name": "Customer",
      "address1": "123 Test Street",
      "city": "Test City",
      "province": "Test Province",
      "country": "United States",
      "zip": "12345"
    },
    "financial_status": "pending"
  }
}

• Response:

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "order": {
    "id": 9876543210, 
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "closed_at": null,
    "created_at": "2024-10-18T11:05:00-04:00",
    "updated_at": "2024-10-18T11:05:00-04:00",
    "number": 1001, 
    "note": null,
    "token": "a9b8c7d6e5f4g3h2i1", 
    "gateway": null,
    "test": true, 
    "total_price": "20.00",
    "subtotal_price": "20.00",
    "total_weight": 0,
    "total_tax": "0.00",
    "taxes_included": false,
    "currency": "USD",
    "financial_status": "pending",
    "confirmed": true,
    "total_discounts": "0.00",
    "total_line_items_price": "20.00",
    "cart_token": null,
    "buyer_accepts_marketing": false,
    "name": "#1001",
    "referring_site": null,
    "landing_site": null,
    "cancelled_at": null,
    "cancel_reason": null,
    "total_price_usd": "20.00",
    "checkout_token": null,
    "reference": null,
    "user_id": null,
    "location_id": null,
    "source_identifier": null,
    "source_url": null,
    "processed_at": "2024-10-18T11:05:00-04:00",
    "device_id": null,
    "phone": null,
    "customer_locale": null,
    "app_id": null,
    "browser_ip": null,
    "landing_site_ref": null,
    "order_number": 1001,
    "discount_applications": [],
    "discount_codes": [],
    "note_attributes": [],
    "payment_gateway_names": [],
    "processing_method": "",
    "checkout_id": null,
    "source_name": "api",
    "fulfillment_status": null,
    "tax_lines": [],
    "tags": "",
    "contact_email": "[email protected]",
    "order_status_url": "https://your-development-store.myshopify.com/1234567890/orders/a9b8c7d6e5f4g3h2i1/authenticate?key=abcdefg1234567",
    "presentment_currency": "USD",
    "total_line_items_price_set": {
      "shop_money": {
        "amount": "20.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      },
      "presentment_money": {
        "amount": "20.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      }
    },
    "total_discounts_set": {
      "shop_money": {
        "amount": "0.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      },
      "presentment_money": {
        "amount": "0.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      }
    },
    "total_shipping_price_set": {
      "shop_money": {
        "amount": "0.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      },
      "presentment_money": {
        "amount": "0.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      }
    },
    "subtotal_price_set": {
      "shop_money": {
        "amount": "20.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      },
      "presentment_money": {
        "amount": "20.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      }
    },
    "total_price_set": {
      "shop_money": {
        "amount": "20.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      },
      "presentment_money": {
        "amount": "20.00",
        "currency_code": "USD"
      }
    },
    "total_tax_set": {

Step 5: Verify Order Creation

• Log in to your Shopify admin: Go to your development store's admin panel.
• Navigate to the Orders section: You should see the newly created test order in the list of orders.
• Inspect the order details: Verify that the order details (customer information, products, shipping address, etc.) match the data you sent in the API request.

Other Order Testing Scenarios of Shopify API

Here are other scenarios of implementing Shopify API in the order testing process:

Modifying and Updating Test Orders

• Retrieve the order: Use the GET /admin/api/2024-01/orders/{order_id}.json endpoint to fetch the existing order data.
• Modify the desired attributes: Update the retrieved order data with the new values (e.g., change the shipping address, update the financial status to "paid," add a new line item).
• Send a PUT request: Use the PUT /admin/api/2024-01/orders/{order_id}.json endpoint to send the modified order data.
• Verify the changes: Check the response status code (200 OK) and inspect the updated order data in the response.

Example (Python):

# ... (previous code to authenticate and retrieve the order) ...

order.shipping_address.city = "New City"
order.save()

Canceling and Deleting Test Orders

• Cancel the order (optional): If needed, use the PUT /admin/api/2024-01/orders/{order_id}.json endpoint to update the order's financial_status to "cancelled" and provide a cancel_reason.
• Send a DELETE request: Use the DELETE /admin/api/2024-01/orders/{order_id}.json endpoint to delete the order.
• Confirm the deletion: Check the response status code (200 OK) to verify that the order has been deleted.

Example (Python):

# ... (previous code to authenticate and retrieve the order) ...

order.cancel(reason="Customer changed their mind") 
order.destroy()

Tips for Effective Order API Testing on Shopify

• Meaningful Naming: When creating test orders, use names that clearly indicate the purpose of the order (e.g., "Test Order - Abandoned Checkout," "Test Order - International Shipping"). This makes it much easier to identify and manage your test data. I learned this the hard way early in my career when I ended up with dozens of "Test Order 1" and "Test Order 2" entries that were impossible to differentiate!
• Cleanup is Key: Always delete or archive test orders after you've finished testing. This keeps your development store organized and prevents old test data from interfering with future tests. I once had a client whose automated tests were failing because of leftover test orders from months ago. It took a while to track down the cause!
• Embrace Error Handling: Implement robust error handling in your code to catch and gracefully manage any issues that might occur during API interactions (e.g., incorrect parameters, network errors). Detailed error messages and logging can save you hours of debugging time.
• Consider a Testing Framework: For larger projects or more complex testing scenarios, consider using a dedicated testing framework (like pytest for Python or Jest for JavaScript). These frameworks provide tools for organizing tests, generating reports, and automating the testing process. In a recent project involving a complex order fulfillment integration, using a testing framework helped us ensure that every step of the process was thoroughly tested and working as expected.
• Leverage Shopify's Resources: Make full use of the official Shopify API documentation and community forums. They are invaluable resources for understanding the API, troubleshooting issues and staying up-to-date with the latest changes and best practices.

FAQs

Can I create test orders in Shopify without affecting live store data?

Yes, you can create test orders using Shopify's Order API within a development store or using Shopify’s test mode. This allows you to safely test workflows and processes without impacting real customer data.

What are the common errors when testing orders with Shopify’s REST Admin API?

Common errors include incorrect API authentication, exceeding rate limits, and using deprecated endpoints. Ensure your API keys are valid and that you’re referencing the latest API documentation for smooth testing.

How do I automate order testing using Shopify’s Order API?

You can automate order testing by writing scripts that use API calls to simulate order workflows. This ensures continuous testing, especially useful for stores with complex or custom order processes.

Can I test specific order workflows like subscriptions using Shopify Order API?

Yes, you can test specific workflows like subscriptions by creating test orders that mimic those processes. This helps ensure your custom setups, such as recurring payments, function correctly before going live.

How do I delete test orders created with Shopify REST Admin API?

You can delete test orders using the API by sending a delete request to the specific order ID. This ensures your store remains clean of test data, preventing confusion between test and real orders.

Conclusion

Mastering the Shopify Order API empowers developers to streamline testing, automate workflows, and confidently build robust ecommerce solutions. We recommend Shopify merchants explore deeper into the Shopify API documentation and community forums to unlock the full potential of this powerful tool and elevate your development capabilities.

Related posts:

• How to Do a Test Order on Shopify store
• How to Create a Draft Order on Shopify