The E-POSTBUSINESS API allows business software developer (supplier) to implement varied mail shipments of Deutsche Post within their software.

Scope

The E-POSTBUSINESS API can handle different software distribution models, from distributed software through server instances. Due the standard accesshandling with in the business software, only technical logins are needed without any additinal role handling. The E-POSTBUSINESS API expects single PDF documents for the provided mail shipments as one by one or bulk upload. The detailed shipment processing information is provided also as bulk status requests as well as focused information for supplier. The core funtionality is:

• Login for activating / setting the password an healtch check
• Letter for uploading and status requests
• Client for changing client data like mobile number
• Vendor for requesting and setting focused information for supplier
• Campagne for accessing an easy focussed print-mailing

Using the API

The API has been designed for use by developers. You will need basic knowledge of REST APIs, JSON, and HTTPS.
Additionally a knowledge of PDF creation, especially PDF/A-1b as well as the requirements of adresses and positioning for mail shipment ist needed.

Example Use Cases

• Send the payrole mail with your HR application
  • create/adjust once your payrole documents to the layout provided by the API
  • create the monthly payrole documents as PDF/A-1b
  • upload the documents with the additinonal metadata like printing options and adresses for mail shipping
    to german or international receivers
  • check the process state for delivery informations or errors
• Sending registered letters for dunning letter
  • create/adjust once your dunning letter to the layout provided by the API
  • create the dunning letters as PDF/A-1b
  • upload the documents like other letters but with registered letter options for registered mail shipping
  • check the process state for especially for the registered delivery informations or errors

The following provides an overview on how to get access to the API.

    Technical Details on the API calls can be found here: API Specification
    Further hints on API usage are given in section "Hints" and following.

Get Access

In order to use the E-POSTBUSINESS API your organization has to agree to the terms and conditions for the E-POSTBUSINESS API as a dedicated contract. After that we'll enable your API account (vendorID and Deutsche Post account number) for activating the API and implementing it into your software.

Please note: The API is at that point in test mode and can not transmitt mail shipments to the printing system.

You must first activate the API with your given API account data, linke vendorID and Deutsche Post account number, called EKP. To do this, you must have access to your mobile device, stated during the contract process.
During the activation you set your password and receive a salt.

For switching from test mode to production mode, a e-mail request to the E-POSTBUSSINES API-Support ist needed.

Authentication

Every call to the API requires a vaild JWS (json web token), except the Login, setPassword, smsRequest and HealthCheck. Several logins with different JWS and tokenDuration are supportet. The Login with your vendorID, EKP, password and salt will provide you the required JWS as a bearer token for the supported functionality.

Environments

The addressable API base URL/URI environments are:  

Rate limits

Rate limits protect the DHL infrastructure from suspicious requests that exceed defined thresholds.

The table below details the main request limits, like discribed within the error schema:

When the limit is reached, you will receive an HTTP Status code: 

429: Too many requests with <Rate Text>.