FourKites® API Reference
This is the reference documentation for Version 1 (v1) of the FourKites® API. It's organized around REST principles: predictable, resource-oriented URLs, JSON-encoded request and response bodies, and standard HTTP verbs and status codes.
This reference is for developers integrating with FourKites — whether you're sending shipment, order, or facility data to FourKites, pulling data out for your own systems, or receiving real-time updates via webhooks.
The basics
Property | Value |
|---|---|
Protocol | HTTPS only — plain HTTP requests will fail |
Format | JSON in, JSON out |
Production base URL | https://api.fourkites.com |
Staging base URL | https://api-staging.fourkites.com |
Current version | v1, set via an Accept header (defaults to latest if omitted) |
A minimal request looks like this:
curl 'https://api.fourkites.com/shipments' \
-H 'apikey: your_api_key' \
-H 'Accept: application/vnd.fourkites.v1+json' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json'Most endpoints authenticate with an API key, but a few (noted in each article) use Basic Auth or OAuth2 instead, and some live under a separate tracking-api.fourkites.com host. The Authentication article covers all three methods in detail, and Making Requests covers versioning, pagination, rate limits, and date/time formatting.
To get an API key, ask your Company Admin — keys are managed directly in the FourKites platform. See API Credentials for details.
What's in this reference
Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
Create ShipmentReal-Time Transportation Visibility | Create, update, and track shipments across Truckload, LTL, Parcel, Rail/Intermodal, Ocean, and Air — plus documents, temperature monitoring, and shareable tracking links (E-URLs) |
Order Lifecycle VisibilityOrder Lifecycle Visibility | Track purchase orders and their associated deliveries independently of load-level tracking |
Inventory VisibilityInventory Visibility | Stockout risk and OTIF impact forecasting based on inventory and tracking data |
Appointment ManagerAppointment Manager | Facility appointment scheduling — book, reschedule, cancel, and check in/out of dock slots |
WebhooksWebhooks | Real-time callback events for shipment, order, and facility updates, delivered to your own endpoint |
Insights APIInsights API | Bulk data extracts for tracking quality and analytics reporting |
Not everything here is included by default. Ocean and LTL/Parcel tracking, Order Lifecycle Visibility, Inventory Visibility, Appointment Manager, Webhooks, and the Insights API are all separately licensed add-ons; see Subscriptions for the full list, or check with your Customer Success Manager if you're not sure what's enabled on your account.
A practical starting point
If you're integrating shipment tracking for the first time, this is roughly the order things come together:
- Get an API key and confirm your base URL (API Credentials, Authentication)
- Create a shipment for your mode (Create Shipment)
- Pull shipment status as needed (Get Shipment Details), or subscribe to Webhooks for real-time updates instead of polling
- Share live tracking with your own customers via an E-URL
For anything beyond core tracking — orders, inventory, appointments, analytics — see the relevant section above.
Getting help
For account-specific questions (enabling a licensed feature, requesting a rate limit increase, or getting IP ranges for webhooks), reach out to your Customer Success Manager or Implementation Manager. For everything else, submit a request through the Customer Support Portal.