UPS

Access and limits

Authentication

UPS developer app client ID and secret (OAuth client credentials)

Plans and access

Requires a UPS.com profile, a developer app with the Rating, Address Validation, Tracking, Time in Transit, Locator and Shipping products, and a UPS shipper account for rates and labels. Negotiated rates and shipping need the shipper number linked to the app. Address Validation Street Level covers the US and Puerto Rico only.

Test environment

The Customer Integration Environment (wwwcie.ups.com) uses the same app credentials and returns test data; CIE labels are not billed.

Rate limits

UPS applies per-app transaction limits; HTTP 429 when exceeded. Tracking and Address Validation have daily volume guidance per app.

Pagination

Single responses, except packages of a shipment (offset and count) and Quantum View events (bookmark).

Provider events

Track Alert subscriptions push tracking events (separate Track Alert product). Flows run on demand, on a schedule, or when a scheduled check finds new or changed records.

Before you build a flow

• shipments.create is billable and UPS has no idempotency key; Nexra never retries it. Voiding shipments, pickups and paperless document uploads are not implemented.
• Lists are pending pickups, Quantum View events, packages and scans of a shipment, service centre facilities, delivery change eligibility and customs requirements; every other UPS operation is a lookup or a quote.
• Proof of delivery is metadata only: the POD letter content is dropped and the signature image is never requested.
• Delivery Intercept is read-only (eligibility). Redirect, will call, return to sender, reschedule and intercept cancellation are chargeable and excluded; the intercept charge quote is excluded because it requires the caller's IP address in the body.
• Customs Detail is read-only (GET requirements); POST validate-and-submit is excluded. The v2 path segment follows the API title (Customs Detail API v2) because the spec's server URL leaves {version} undefined.
• Not implemented: Global Checkout guaranteed landed cost (a priced, guaranteed quote product), Delivery Defense address scoring and CommerceGuard (separately contracted risk products), Trade Direct, Export Assure, Pickup Points (UPS Access Point operator APIs), Smart Pickup account management and Pickup Notification Preferences (both change account pickup settings or need an authorization-code user).
• Service centre search takes the origin address in the JSON body, never the URL. UPS documents it for Worldwide Express Freight pieces.
• Pickup creation, change and cancellation (they book or cancel a courier), Paperless document upload, push and delete (UPS documents no read endpoint), shipment void and the dangerous goods acceptance pre-check are intentionally excluded.
• Label recovery sends only the tracking number; recovery by reference number is not implemented.
• Complex request objects (Shipment, Package) follow the UPS JSON schema and are passed through after structural validation.
• The health check validates UPS's documented sample address (26601 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo CA 92656), so the app needs the Address Validation product.
• UPS JSON returns single elements as objects instead of arrays; Nexra normalises them to arrays.
• The date format for reference tracking (fromPickUpDate, toPickUpDate) is not documented; values are passed through as entered.

Developer reference