DHL eCommerce API

Name: DHL eCommerce API API
Brand: DHL eCommerce API
Availability: InStock

✓ Official Vendor SpecE CommerceShipping Logisticsbearer6 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Generate DHL parcel labels, track shipments, look up delivery options, and find parcel-shop locations across the Netherlands and Belgium.

Connect the DHL eCommerce API to your agent

Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the DHL eCommerce 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.

Install Jentic One Beta (Self-Hosted)

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 | sh

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 instance

Jentic 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 DHL eCommerce API API.

Exchange a long-lived DHL API key for a short-lived JWT via /authenticate/api-key

Create parcel labels with /labels for shipments going through the DHL eCommerce network

Track a parcel by its tracking reference with /track-trace and surface the latest status

Look up the delivery options available for a recipient address via /shipment-options

GET STARTED

Start building with DHL eCommerce API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Use for: I need to create a DHL shipping label for a parcel from a Dutch warehouse, Get the latest tracking status for a DHL parcel by tracking number, Find the available delivery options for a customer in Amsterdam, List all parcel shops within 2 kilometres of a postal code

Not supported: Does not handle customs paperwork, returns processing, or non-DHL carriers — use for DHL eCommerce NL and BE label generation, tracking, and parcel-shop lookup only.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use DHL eCommerce API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ E-Commerce Order Fulfilment

When an order is paid, an e-commerce backend exchanges its DHL API key for a JWT, calls /shipment-options for the recipient address, then calls /labels with the chosen option to receive a printable label and tracking code. The tracking code is returned to the customer immediately and the label is queued for warehouse printing. This covers Netherlands and Belgium domestic and outbound flows.

Call /authenticate/api-key with the API key, call /shipment-options for the recipient postcode, then call /labels with the chosen optionId to receive the label PDF and tracking reference

Customer Tracking Page

Build a branded order-tracking page that takes the customer's order id, looks up the stored DHL tracking reference, and calls /track-trace to surface the current status. The endpoint returns the parcel state and event history without redirecting the customer to dhl.com. This keeps the tracking experience inside the merchant's own brand.

Call /track-trace with the parcel's tracking reference and render the latest event description, timestamp, and final status in the merchant's tracking page

Parcel-Shop Drop-Off Selector

Offer the customer a list of nearby DHL parcel shops at checkout by calling /parcel-shop-locations with the delivery postcode. The response includes the shop address, opening hours, and distance, which can be presented in a map widget so the customer can choose a drop-off or pickup point. This converts higher than home delivery for some product categories.

Call /parcel-shop-locations with postal code 1011AB and radius 2km, then return the three closest shops with their addresses and opening hours

Agent Integration via Jentic

An AI agent built on Jentic can search for the DHL eCommerce label, tracking, and shop-locator operations by intent and execute them without holding the long-lived API key in agent context. Jentic's MAXsystem holds the credential and the JWT exchange is handled in the call layer, so the agent's instructions stay focused on the shipping logic rather than the auth dance.

Use Jentic search for 'create a dhl ecommerce shipping label', load the /labels operation, execute it with the recipient address and the chosen shipment option, and return the tracking reference

Key Endpoints

6 endpoints — dhl ecommerce api for the netherlands and belgium provides programmatic access to label generation, shipment tracking, delivery option lookup, and parcel-shop locator queries.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

POST

/authenticate/api-key

Exchange an API key for a JWT bearer token

POST

/labels

Create a parcel label and tracking reference

GET

/track-trace

Get the status and event history for a parcel

GET

/shipment-options

Look up delivery options for a recipient address

GET

/parcel-shop-locations

Find nearby parcel shops and lockers

POST

/authenticate/api-key

Exchange an API key for a JWT bearer token

POST

/labels

Create a parcel label and tracking reference

GET

/track-trace

Get the status and event history for a parcel

GET

/shipment-options

Look up delivery options for a recipient address

GET

/parcel-shop-locations

Find nearby parcel shops and lockers

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

The long-lived DHL API key is stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. The /authenticate/api-key JWT exchange happens in the call layer so agents never hold the raw key or the short-lived JWT.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent such as 'create a dhl ecommerce shipping label' or 'track a dhl parcel' and Jentic returns the matching operation with its full input schema, so the agent can call the right endpoint without reading the docs.

Time to first call

Direct integration: 1-2 days to wire the API-key-to-JWT exchange, label payload mapping, and tracking polling. Through Jentic: under 1 hour from search to first executed call.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Complementary

DHL Shipment Tracking Unified API

Cross-DHL global tracking surface across DHL Express, eCommerce, and others

Use the unified tracker when you ship via multiple DHL business units; use api-gw.dhlparcel.nl when you specifically need NL/BE eCommerce label generation

Complementary

DHL Tracking API

DHL's general tracking API for shipments worldwide

Use the global DHL tracking API when the parcel is outside the NL/BE eCommerce flow

Alternative

FedEx API

FedEx label generation and tracking for international parcels

Choose FedEx when the merchant ships internationally outside DHL's primary network

Complementary

AfterShip

Multi-carrier tracking aggregation across hundreds of providers

Use AfterShip on top of DHL eCommerce when you need a unified tracking dashboard across many carriers

FAQs

Specific to using DHL eCommerce API API through Jentic.

What authentication does the DHL eCommerce API use?

Authentication is HTTP bearer with a JWT. The JWT is obtained by POSTing your long-lived DHL API key to /authenticate/api-key. When the API is called through Jentic, the long-lived key is held in the Jentic vault and the JWT exchange happens in the call layer, so the agent never sees the raw key.

Can I create shipping labels with this API?

Yes. POST /labels with the sender, recipient, and chosen shipment option to receive a printable label PDF and a tracking reference. Use /shipment-options first to discover the valid options for the recipient address.

What are the rate limits for the DHL eCommerce API?

The OpenAPI spec does not declare explicit rate limits. Treat the API as standard HTTPS with JWT bearer auth, respect any 429 responses with exponential backoff, and check your DHL account dashboard for the contractual ceiling.

How do I track a parcel through Jentic?

Install the Jentic SDK with pip install jentic, search for 'track a dhl parcel', load the GET /track-trace operation, and execute it with the parcel's tracking reference. Sign up at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up to get a Jentic agent key.

Does this API cover Belgium as well as the Netherlands?

Yes. The api-gw.dhlparcel.nl host serves DHL eCommerce flows for the Netherlands and Belgium. Use /shipment-options with the recipient postal code and country to confirm the available delivery options for a given address.

Can I find nearby DHL parcel shops at checkout?

Yes. GET /parcel-shop-locations returns DHL parcel shops and lockers near a postal code with their address, opening hours, and distance. Render them in a checkout map widget to let the customer choose a drop-off or pickup point.