AfterShip Shipping API
★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentE CommerceShipping LogisticsapiKey28 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Compare carrier rates, generate shipping labels, build manifests, and cancel labels across UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, and regional couriers through one unified API.
Use for: I need to compare shipping rates across UPS, FedEx, and USPS for a parcel, Generate a shipping label for a 5kg package from New York to London, Cancel a previously generated label that was created in error, List all couriers configured for our AfterShip workspace
Not supported: Does not handle post-shipment tracking events, returns portals, or warehouse inventory — use for outbound rates, labels, manifests, and cancellations only (use AfterShip Tracking for delivery events).
Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for AfterShip Shipping API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. AfterShip Shipping (formerly Postmen) consolidates dozens of carrier APIs — UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, and many regional couriers — behind a single multi-carrier interface. The API covers the full outbound shipping lifecycle: comparing rates across couriers, generating labels, building manifests, listing courier accounts, and cancelling labels before pickup.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the AfterShip Shipping API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the AfterShip Shipping API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with AfterShip Shipping API.
Compare shipping rates across multiple couriers for a single shipment
Generate a shipping label by selecting a quoted rate from a carrier
Cancel a generated label before the shipment is picked up
Build manifests so couriers can pick up the day's shipments
List configured courier accounts attached to the AfterShip workspace
Validate addresses against couriers before quoting rates
Manage carrier-specific options like signature required and Saturday delivery
Use Cases
Patterns agents use AfterShip Shipping API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Multi-Carrier Rate Shopping
E-commerce platforms call POST /rates with origin, destination, and parcel details to receive a list of carrier rates ranked by price and transit time. The shopper or merchant picks the best rate and the platform generates a label by referencing the chosen rateId. This avoids the per-carrier integration cost — one API call returns UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL options.
Call POST /rates with a 2kg parcel from 10001 New York to 90001 Los Angeles and return the top three carrier options sorted by total cost
Automated Label Generation
Order management systems generate shipping labels at fulfilment time by calling POST /labels with the chosen rateId from the rate-shop step. The response includes a printable PDF or PNG label plus the tracking number, which is written back to the order record. Replaces per-carrier label SDK integrations and works across UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, and regional couriers.
After picking the cheapest UPS rate from POST /rates, call POST /labels and save the returned label PDF and tracking number to the order
End-of-Day Manifest Creation
Warehouses call POST /manifests at the end of the picking shift so each courier has a single document listing all packages to collect. The manifest groups labels generated that day into a SCAN form (UPS), end-of-day manifest (FedEx), or equivalent. Cancellations before manifest creation use POST /cancel-labels to keep the document clean.
Build today's manifest for the UPS courier account, then cancel any labels in error status from the same day
AI Agent Fulfilment Operations
Through Jentic, an agent can run shipping operations end-to-end — quote, label, manifest — without holding the AfterShip API key. The agent searches for the operation, loads the schema, and Jentic injects the as-api-key header at execution time, returning a structured response.
Search Jentic for 'generate shipping label aftership', load the POST /labels schema, and execute it for an order with the chosen UPS rateId
Key Endpoints
28 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for aftership shipping api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
POST
/rates
Compare rates across multiple couriers
GET
/rates/{rateId}
Retrieve a specific rate quote
POST
/labels
Generate a shipping label from a quoted rate
GET
/labels/{labelId}
Retrieve a generated label
POST
/manifests
Create a manifest for a courier
GET
/couriers
List configured courier accounts
POST
/cancel-labels
Cancel one or more generated labels
POST
/rates
Compare rates across multiple couriers
GET
/rates/{rateId}
Retrieve a specific rate quote
POST
/labels
Generate a shipping label from a quoted rate
GET
/labels/{labelId}
Retrieve a generated label
POST
/manifests
Create a manifest for a courier
GET
/couriers
List configured courier accounts
POST
/cancel-labels
Cancel one or more generated labels
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
AfterShip API keys are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault and injected into the as-api-key header per call. Agents never hold the raw key, which matters because the same key signs label-generation requests that incur real shipping costs.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic by intent (e.g., 'compare shipping rates') and Jentic returns the matching AfterShip Shipping operation with its schema, so the agent calls /rates or /labels without reading the docs.
Time to first call
Direct AfterShip Shipping integration: 2-4 days for auth, rate-shop, label, and manifest flows. Through Jentic: under 1 hour — search, load, execute.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using AfterShip Shipping API through Jentic.
Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for AfterShip Shipping API?
AfterShip does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call AfterShip Shipping API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.
What authentication does the AfterShip Shipping API use?
AfterShip Shipping uses an API key sent in the as-api-key request header. Through Jentic, that header is populated at execution time from the encrypted vault, so the agent never holds the raw key.
Can I generate a UPS or FedEx label with the AfterShip Shipping API?
Yes. POST /rates returns rate options across all configured couriers (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, and regional partners), then POST /labels generates the label for the chosen rateId. AfterShip handles the per-carrier API calls under the hood.
What are the rate limits for the AfterShip Shipping API?
The spec does not list explicit rate limits, but AfterShip enforces per-plan limits on calls per minute. Most fulfilment integrations stay well under the limit; back off on HTTP 429 if you hit it during peak periods like Black Friday.
How do I generate a label through Jentic?
Search Jentic for 'generate aftership shipping label', load the POST /labels schema, and execute with the chosen rateId from a prior /rates call. Jentic returns the label PDF URL and tracking number to the agent.
Is the AfterShip Shipping API the same as AfterShip Tracking?
No. This API (formerly Postmen) handles outbound shipping — rates, labels, manifests. AfterShip Tracking is a separate product covering post-shipment delivery events. Use this API to get a parcel out the door, not to track it after pickup.
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