Managing an online store is usually costly and often involves dealing with a bunch of tedious manual processes. But the good news is.WooCommerce REST API The advent of WooCommerce simplifies all this. It's like a smart assistant that allows you to programmatically control the eCommerce platform with ease, so you can better manage and scale your WooCommerce store.
Integrate, automate, and extend the functionality of your online store using the WooCommerce REST API, and the whole process is smooth and seamless. Not only will you save a lot of resources and time, making the workflow simpler and more efficient, but you'll also be able to customize the look and feel of your store as you wish with flexible external applications. With the WooCommerce REST API, managing your online store has never been easier! Below, let's dive into the WooCommerce REST API to programmatically automate many tasks and further improve the efficiency of your e-commerce business.
Conditions for using the WooCommerce REST API
- WooCommerce version 3.5 or higher.
- WordPress version 4.4 or higher.
- Postman maybeInsomnia For API testing and interaction.
Generating API credentials in WooCommerce
Create a WordPress website and then generate API credentials in WooCommerce. To generate WooCommerce API credentials, follow these steps:
1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and select from the sidebarplug-in (software component)>Installed plug-ins Then activate the WooCommerce plug-in.
2. After activating the plug-in, selectWooCommerce >set up. Then click"Advanced" tab to access the WooCommerce Advanced Settings page.
3. Next, clickREST APIThe
4. Click"Create API key" maybe"Add key" to generate an API key.
5. Next, you will be prompted to enterKey details. They are Description, Users, and Permissions. Enter the key description, change the user as needed, and select theRead/WritePermissions.
6. ClickGenerating API Keys. Using the generated API keys, you can programmatically access and manage store data. Make a note of the user key and secret, as they will be used to make API requests in the next section.
Understanding the WooCommerce REST API Architecture
The WooCommerce API is built on a REST architecture. This allows you to read and perform write operations on WooCommerce data such as orders, products, and customers by sending requests to the endpoint via the appropriate methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
An endpoint consists of a request method and a standard URL. Through the endpoint, different stored data can be accessed using the tool of your choice (Postman or Insomnia).
Get Product List
Make sure you have added some products to the store before getting the product list. The permalink structure must be changed toPlainstructures other than the one in question. Click in the sidebar on theset up >Permanent link and change the permalink structure. If this change is not made, the standard URL endpoint will not work properly. Click"Save changes"The
Next, open Postman and add a new request. In the URL section, use thehttps:///wp-json/wc/v3/products. Ensure that the replacement<yourdomain> for your WooCommerce web domain.
In the Authorization tab, selectBasic authentication and then enter the consumer key as theuser ID The input consumer key is used as thecryptographic. This authorization must be added to every request you send to the WooCommerce REST API. Send the request and you should receive a list of all the products in the store.
Managing Products via REST API
Product objects have a list of attributes that allow you to directly group products, manage inventory, and set prices - all programmatically.
Assuming you want to add the new product to the created product group, all you need is the product group ID in the property grouped_products The
To manage inventory, use themanage_stock cap (a poem)stock_status attributes, which are set totrue maybefalse ,instock,onbackordercap (a poem)outofstock The
Next, let's look at how to add and update existing product details.
Adding products using the WooCommerce API
1. In Postman, add a new request and change the request method toPOSTThe endpoint URL is used to reuse the endpoint URL used in the previous section. Reuse the endpoint URL used in the previous section. click the"Text"tab, selectrawand then selectJSONas the body format. The JSON payload contains the product name, type (simple, variable or grouped), description and a short description. It also contains categories, tags and images that you can add as needed.
{
"name": "iPhone 15 Pro Max",
"type": "simple",
"description": "",
"short_description": "",
"categories": [
],, "tags".
"tags": [],
"images": []
}2. Execute the request. If the product was created successfully, you should receive a Product object in response. Make a note of the product ID, as you'll use it in the next section.
Editing Products with the WooCommerce API
Edit the record you just created.
1. In "main body (of a book) " tab, add the following JSON text:
{
"name": "iPhone 15 Pro"
}Since only the fields are updatedname In this case, change it to "iPhone 15 Pro". In this case, change it to "iPhone 15 Pro". The endpoint URL should behttps://yourdomain/wp-json/wc/v3/products/<id>.
2. Replacementid is the ID of the product created in the previous section. don't forget to change the request method toPUT. Execute the request and should receive a product object as a response. The product name in the response can be checked to confirm that it was updated successfully.
Order management using REST API
The WooCommerce REST API facilitates automated order processing by seamlessly retrieving orders and updating their status. It programmatically retrieves orders, filters them based on various criteria such as date, status, or customer, and then processes them efficiently.
This includes updating order statuses to reflect various stages of fulfillment or processing. The WooCommerce REST API then ensures accurate tracking and communication with your customers. Additionally, you can manage refunds through the API, including processing refund requests, automating refunds, and updating order status (after refunds).
Getting Recent Orders with the WooCommerce API
1,In Postman, add an example of using the GETA new request to get an order. The endpoint URL should look like the following:
https:///wp-json/wc/v3/orders2. In"Parameters"aftertab, enter the keys and values for the date the order was created. In this case, use the2024-03-08t00:00:00. Feel free to modify this date as needed. Orders can be filtered to show only orders after the given date. Leave other Postman settings as default.
3. Make sure that you have placed some orders in your WooCommerce store to avoid returning an empty list. Executing this request will get a list of all orders placed to your store that meet the specified criteria.
Update Order Status
To update the order status, get the ID of the order you have placed. add a new request in Postman and change its request to PUT. Use the following endpoint for updates: https://yourdomain/wp-json/wc/v3/orders/. In the Body tab, add the following JSON :
{
"status": "completed"
}After executing the request, a response is received and the order is marked as completed.
Client management and engagement
With the WooCommerce REST API, it's easy to create new customer profiles, modify the details of existing customers, and easily access comprehensive information about their purchase history and preferences. With this information, businesses can more accurately understand their customers' shopping habits, so they can tailor personalized marketing strategies for them. Whether it's launching targeted promotions, recommending the right products, or offering loyalty rewards, customers can feel more attentive.
This kind of granular customer data management not only helps companies build closer relationships with their customers, but also greatly improves customer satisfaction and encourages them to buy again.
Adding Customers Using the WooCommerce API
1. Send a message to this endpoint URLPOSThttps:///wp-json/wc/v3/customersRequest: . Don't forget to add authorization as before.
2. In"Text"tab, create a client using this JSON object:
{
"email": "a.briann@gmail.com",
"first_name": "Brian",
"role": "customer", "username": "briann.abraham", "abraham", "abraham
"username": "briann.abraham", "billing": {{briann.abraham
"billing": {
"first_name": "brian",
"last_name": "Abraham", "company": ",
"company": "", "address_1".
"address_1": "969 Market", "address_2": "".
"address_2": "", "city": "San Francisco".
"state": "CA", "postcode": "9410
"postcode": "94103", "country": "US", "country".
"email": "a.brian@gmail.com", "email": "a.brian@gmail.com", "phone":"(555)
"phone": "(555) 555-5555"
},
"shipping": {
"last_name": "Abraham", "company": ",
"company": "", "address_1".
"address_1": "969 Market", "address_2": ",
"address_2": "", "city": "San Francisco".
"state": "CA", "postcode": "9410
"postcode": "94103", "country": "US".
"country": "US"
}
}The JSON object contains basic customer details such as email, name, role and username. It also provides billing and shipping information, including the customer's address, location, and phone number.
3. Execute the request and you will receive a response containing the client object. Remember the client ID, you will use it to retrieve the client in the next section.
summarize
WooCommerce REST API is a powerful tool that allows you to easily manage store data programmatically, enhance your e-commerce shopping experience, and also extend the functionality of your online store. With it, an ordinary WordPress setup can be transformed into a more powerful platform. To get started, all you need to do is install the WooCommerce plugin in your WordPress app and refer to the examples in this article to explore the various features of the REST API. These examples will be the basis of your customized solution.
Speed is a key factor for e-commerce sites; the faster a page loads, the better the shopping experience for customers. And the WooCommerce API supports multiple requests from the front-end to the WordPress back-end, which emphasizes the importance of optimizing back-end performance. With it, your website will run smoother and give your customers a better shopping experience.
