EasyPost
EasyPost integrates with carriers for shipping, labels, tracking, and address verification.
Connect
Use a Production or Test API key from EasyPost Account Settings → API Keys (EZAK… / EZTK…). Both use the same API host (api.easypost.com/v2); the key prefix selects test vs production mode. The REST API uses that key alone — not your EasyPost dashboard email or password.
Onboarding: Test keys are free and ideal for trying rate quotes, address verify, and label flows without buying postage. Production keys (EZAK…) are required for live labels and for reading the account user profile.
Data Model
- User (account behind the API key), Shipments (rates, labels, tracking), Addresses, Trackers, Carrier Accounts, Batches, End Shippers, Webhooks, Insurances, API Keys, Metadata Carriers, Child users (parent accounts).
Operational order
- Confirm the connected account with the user read.
- List or fetch shipments, addresses, and trackers (use resource ids from list responses for single-resource reads).
- Create shipments to rate; buy postage only when the user intends to print a label (billable on production keys).
- Use carrier metadata when interpreting service level names.
Writes and CRUD shape
EasyPost is not uniform CRUD on every object:
- Addresses — create and verify only (no update; create a new address instead).
- Shipments — create for rates; buy purchases the label; refund / insure are separate actions.
- Webhooks, carrier accounts, end shippers — create + update (upsert tools) + delete where the API allows (end shippers have no delete — stop referencing the id).
- Trackers — create + delete; list/get for status.
- Batches — create plus actions (add/remove shipments, buy batch, label PDF, scan form).
- Parcels — create + get by id (no list).
Mutating tools accept a data object matching the EasyPost REST body (including wrapped keys like shipment, address, webhook).
Gotchas
- Read tools accept an optional resource id; omit it to list. Lists paginate with page_size and before_id (cursor), not limit or page numbers.
- Production keys create billable labels when buying shipments or batches; prefer test keys (EZTK…) for experiments.
- Linking carrier accounts requires a production key for most carriers.
