Track and trace
Shipment, equipment and transport events for every container on an Airlift booking, in the DCSA event shape.
Bookings
Booking-level detail for shipments booked with Airlift: parties, equipment, ports, vessel and payment terms.
/bookingOcean BookingThe complete booking record for one booking reference: parties, equipment, ports, vessel, voyage and payment terms in the DCSA booking shape.POST/bookingsOcean Booking ServiceA paginated list of every booking on your account in the same DCSA booking shape, with a status filter.Shipping documents
The files attached to a booking, with a download link for each.
Invoices
Approved invoices with their line items, taxes and release status.
Who it is for
- Importers running an ERP or TMS that should show a container's gate-in, load, discharge and delivery without someone re-keying a tracking page, and that keeps the booking, the paperwork and the invoice together on one shipment record.
- Forwarders and agents who book through Airlift and relay status to their own customers from their own system.
- Finance teams matching approved freight invoices to bookings before the PDF reaches the inbox.
How access works
- Be an Airlift customer. Access is limited to approved customers currently doing business with Airlift.
- Register your application in the developer portal. Approval returns a client ID and secret.
- Get a token. Exchange the credentials at the OAuth 2.0 token endpoint (client credentials flow). The authorization guide walks through it.
- Call the endpoint with
Authorization: Bearer <token>. Each product requires its own scope, listed on its page.
Base URL for production: https://api.airliftusa.com/api/v1/api-service/external. Sandbox and development hosts are listed in the environment selector on each endpoint page.
First request
curl 'https://api.airliftusa.com/api/v1/api-service/external/trackntrace?bookingReference=AIRLCHN133184' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN'Limits and errors
60 requests a minute and 4,000 an hour per consumer, with bursts up to 100. Every response carries X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset. Errors come back as JSON with code, message, details and requestId: 401 for an invalid or expired token, 400 for a missing parameter, 429 when the limit is exceeded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get access?
The API is open to approved customers currently doing business with Airlift. Register your application in the developer portal; once it is approved you receive client credentials for the production environment.
How does authentication work?
OAuth 2.0 with the client credentials flow. Exchange your client ID and secret at the token endpoint for an access token, then send it as a Bearer token in the Authorization header on every request. Each product is gated by a scope, for example trackntrace:read or bookings:read.
Is there a sandbox?
Yes. Each product is published on production, sandbox and development hosts; the environment selector on each endpoint page shows the base URL for each. Sandbox credentials come with your approved registration.
What format do responses use?
JSON over HTTPS. The tracking and booking products follow the DCSA standard shapes (the products are published as DCSA 3.0.0 compliant), so a consumer written for DCSA-aligned carriers reads them without a custom mapping.
What are the rate limits?
60 requests a minute and 4,000 an hour per consumer, with bursts up to 100. Every response carries X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset headers; a 429 means wait for the reset or ask for a higher limit.
Is there an OpenAPI specification?
Yes. Each endpoint page has a Download OpenAPI Document link and a Swagger tab that renders the same specification, so you can generate a client in your language.
Questions about the API?
Tell us which system you are connecting and which data you need. The team replies with access steps, the right scopes and a sandbox login.