Quickstart

This guide takes you from no account to a booked demo shipment with a PDF label in about 10 minutes. Every call goes to https://api.transdirect.com.au with your key in the api-key header. Demo bookings are free and are never sent to a courier.

You need curl, and jq if you want to copy values out of responses automatically. The SDK tabs use Node.js 18 or later.

1. Create a member account

   Sign up at members.transdirect.com.au/sign-up. Signing up is free.

2. Get an API key

   1. Sign in at members.transdirect.com.au and go to Settings, then Integrations (direct link).
   2. Find Custom API and click Connect. If you already have a Custom API key, the button is Add another store.
   3. In the Connect Custom API dialog, enter the URL of the site or app that will use the key, tick the box to accept the Terms and Conditions and the Transit Warranty terms, then click Connect.
   4. Your key appears on the new row. Click the copy icon next to it.

   Keep the key in an environment variable for the rest of this guide:

   export TD_API_KEY="paste-your-key-here"

   Authentication covers rotating and deactivating keys.

3. Switch on the demo courier

   On the same row, open the ⋯ (More actions) menu and tick Demo courier, then accept the prompt. Within about a minute, quotes for this key include a courier called demo that you can book for free. See testing with demo mode.

4. Check the key works

   curl https://api.transdirect.com.au/api/v5/member \
     -H "api-key: $TD_API_KEY"

   A 200 with your account details means the key works. A 401 with {"error":"missing_api_key"} or {"error":"invalid_api_key"} means the header is missing or the key is wrong.

5. Get quotes

   Send the pickup address, the delivery address and the items. Weights are in kilograms and dimensions in centimetres. Item description is the package type (Carton, Satchel, Pallet and so on); what is inside goes in goods_description. A booking with no goods description can be held for review after payment, so always send one.

   The name, email, phone and street address are optional for a quote, but a booking cannot be confirmed without them (and a business address also needs company_name), so include them now.

   curl

   curl https://api.transdirect.com.au/api/v5/quotes \
     -H "api-key: $TD_API_KEY" \
     -H "content-type: application/json" \
     -d '{
       "declared_value": 0,
       "goods_description": "Books",
       "sender": {
         "name": "Alex Chen",
         "company_name": "Example Pty Ltd",
         "email": "dispatch@example.com",
         "phone": "0291234567",
         "address": "1 George Street",
         "suburb": "SYDNEY",
         "postcode": "2000",
         "state": "NSW",
         "country": "AU",
         "type": "business"
       },
       "receiver": {
         "name": "Sam Taylor",
         "email": "sam@example.com",
         "phone": "0412345678",
         "address": "200 Collins Street",
         "suburb": "MELBOURNE",
         "postcode": "3000",
         "state": "VIC",
         "country": "AU",
         "type": "residential"
       },
       "items": [
         { "description": "Carton", "weight": 5, "length": 40, "width": 30, "height": 20, "quantity": 1 }
       ]
     }' > quote.json
   
   export BOOKING_ID=$(jq -r '.id' quote.json)
   jq '.quotes | keys' quote.json

   TypeScript SDK

   npm install @transdirect/api-sdk

   import { client, postApiV5Quotes } from '@transdirect/api-sdk';
   
   client.setConfig({ headers: { 'api-key': process.env.TD_API_KEY! } });
   
   const { data: quote, error } = await postApiV5Quotes({
     body: {
       declared_value: 0,
       goods_description: 'Books',
       sender: {
         name: 'Alex Chen', company_name: 'Example Pty Ltd',
         email: 'dispatch@example.com', phone: '0291234567',
         address: '1 George Street', suburb: 'SYDNEY', postcode: '2000',
         state: 'NSW', country: 'AU', type: 'business',
       },
       receiver: {
         name: 'Sam Taylor', email: 'sam@example.com', phone: '0412345678',
         address: '200 Collins Street', suburb: 'MELBOURNE', postcode: '3000',
         state: 'VIC', country: 'AU', type: 'residential',
       },
       items: [{ description: 'Carton', weight: 5, length: 40, width: 30, height: 20, quantity: 1 }],
     },
   });
   if (error || !quote) throw new Error(JSON.stringify(error));
   
   const bookingId = String(quote.id);
   console.log(bookingId, Object.keys(quote.quotes));

   The response is 201. It is trimmed here, and your prices depend on your account’s rates:

   {
     "id": 34512345,
     "status": "new",
     "status_code": "new",
     "created_at": "2026-10-16T15:32:38+1100",
     "quotes": {
       "aramex": {
         "total": 12.93,
         "price_insurance_ex": 12.93,
         "applied_gst": 1.18,
         "service": "road",
         "transit_time": "2 Business Days",
         "pickup_dates": ["2026-10-19", "2026-10-20", "2026-10-21"],
         "pickup_time": { "from": "09:00", "to": "16:00" }
       },
       "demo": {
         "total": 42.9,
         "service": "demo",
         "transit_time": "2-4 Business Days",
         "rate_card_code": "DEMO",
         "pickup_dates": ["2026-10-19", "2026-10-20", "2026-10-21"],
         "pickup_time": { "from": "12:00", "to": "17:00" }
       }
     },
     "quote_errors": [
       { "courier": "allied_pallet", "code": "no_service", "serviceability": "route.no_residential", "retryable": false }
     ]
   }

   • id is the Transdirect booking id. Every quote creates a draft booking (status new); you use this id for every later call. A draft you never confirm is never charged.
   • quotes is keyed by courier. The key (aramex, demo) is the value you send as courier when you confirm. It is an object, so sort by total yourself.
   • total is in AUD and includes GST.
   • quote_errors lists couriers that did not return a price, and why.

   If there is no demo key in quotes, check that Demo courier is ticked for this key (step 3), wait a minute and quote again.

6. Confirm on the demo courier

   Pick a pickup date from the demo quote’s pickup_dates. A pickup_time is a window written HH:MM-HH:MM that must sit inside that courier’s pickup_time; leave it out to use the courier’s default window (for today, the first window still open).

   curl

   PICKUP_DATE=$(jq -r '.quotes.demo.pickup_dates[0]' quote.json)
   
   curl -i https://api.transdirect.com.au/api/v5/bookings/$BOOKING_ID/confirm \
     -H "api-key: $TD_API_KEY" \
     -H "content-type: application/json" \
     -d "{
       \"courier\": \"demo\",
       \"pickup_date\": \"$PICKUP_DATE\",
       \"pickup_time\": \"12:00-17:00\",
       \"payment_method\": \"demo\"
     }"

   TypeScript SDK

   import { postApiV5BookingsByIdConfirm } from '@transdirect/api-sdk';
   
   const { error: confirmError, response } = await postApiV5BookingsByIdConfirm({
     path: { id: bookingId },
     body: {
       courier: 'demo',
       pickup_date: quote.quotes.demo.pickup_dates[0],
       pickup_time: '12:00-17:00',
       payment_method: 'demo',
     },
   });
   if (confirmError) throw new Error(JSON.stringify(confirmError));
   console.log(response.status); // 204

   Success is 204 No Content with an empty body. The booking gets a DEMO- connote and moves to confirmed. Nothing is charged and nothing is sent to a courier.

   A 400 names what is wrong: for example Pickup dates invalid. when the date is not in pickup_dates, or the address fields that are missing.

7. Download the label

   Ask with HEAD whether the label is ready (200 ready, 400 not yet), then download it with GET. The demo label is watermarked DEMO.

   curl

   curl -I https://api.transdirect.com.au/api/v5/bookings/$BOOKING_ID/label \
     -H "api-key: $TD_API_KEY"
   
   curl https://api.transdirect.com.au/api/v5/bookings/$BOOKING_ID/label \
     -H "api-key: $TD_API_KEY" \
     -o label.pdf

   TypeScript SDK

   import { writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
   import { headApiV5BookingsByIdLabel, getApiV5BookingsByIdLabel } from '@transdirect/api-sdk';
   
   const head = await headApiV5BookingsByIdLabel({ path: { id: bookingId } });
   if (head.response.status === 200) {
     const { data: pdf } = await getApiV5BookingsByIdLabel({
       path: { id: bookingId },
       parseAs: 'arrayBuffer',
     });
     await writeFile('label.pdf', Buffer.from(pdf as ArrayBuffer));
   }

   If GET returns 409 with "error": "label_not_ready", wait a few seconds and try again. Use this endpoint rather than the label URL in the quote response. See get a label for A6 labels and other documents.

8. Track it

   Tracking takes the booking id, the connote or the courier’s reference:

   curl

   curl https://api.transdirect.com.au/api/v5/tracking/$BOOKING_ID

   TypeScript SDK

   import { getApiV5TrackingByReference } from '@transdirect/api-sdk';
   
   const { data: tracking } = await getApiV5TrackingByReference({
     path: { reference: bookingId },
   });
   console.log(tracking?.state, tracking?.statusPhrase);

   The response gives an overall state (such as pending, in_transit or delivered), a readable headline and summary, and the events per item. A demo booking is never picked up, so it never gets courier scans. There are no webhooks: poll for updates. See tracking.

You can also check the booking itself at any time with GET /api/v5/bookings/$BOOKING_ID. Read status_code (confirmed) in your code; status is a display label such as “Confirmed”.

Going live

A live booking is the same two calls on a real courier, with a real payment method. There is no separate live host or live key.

1. Add a card or PayPal account in the members area under Billing, then Payment Methods. Then list what your key can charge:

   curl https://api.transdirect.com.au/api/v5/members/payment-methods \
     -H "api-key: $TD_API_KEY"

   [
     { "id": "nab_1234", "type": "credit_card", "masked_label": "VISA ending 444433......1111", "is_default": true }
   ]

2. Confirm with a real courier key from quotes and that id as payment_method:

   { "courier": "aramex", "pickup_date": "2026-10-19", "payment_method": "nab_1234" }

403 NO_PAYMENT_METHOD

If you leave out payment_method, the booking is billed to a Transdirect credit account. Most accounts do not have one, so the confirm is refused with 403 and "access_error": {"code": "NO_PAYMENT_METHOD", ...}, even when a card is saved. Always send the payment_method you want charged.

How payments work covers credit accounts, PayPal and payment errors.

Next steps

API Explorer Send these requests from your browser with your key.

Testing with demo mode What demo bookings do and do not do.

How quoting works Every quote field, warranty and quote errors.

Booking lifecycle Statuses from draft to delivered.

API overview Errors, rate limits and conventions.

Plugins Using WooCommerce, Shopify or Magento instead?