Getting Started

These steps will guide you through signup and requesting of USPS APIs 

  1. Sign-Up
    From anywhere in the API Manager Developer Portal » Click the `Sign-in/Sign-up` button

  2. A pop up window appears where you can log your credentials or sign up for a new one.

    1. Click the `Sign-up Now` button underneath “Don't have an Informed Innovations account?” If you’re a first-time user. 

    2. Complete the following fields to create an Informed Innovations account: 

      • First Name

      • Last Name 

      • Email 

      • Username 

      • Password

      • Confirm Password

      • Access Key

    3. Then Click Register

      • Accept terms and conditions 

  3.  Sign-in with your newly created credentials 

    1.  You will receive a welcome email confirming successful account creation. 

  4. Subscribe to a Product 

    1. Until the API management team provides you with full access to the API catalog, new users will only be able to test the Address & Tracking APIs by heading to: Products » Test » Your new product subscription name (enter a custom name for your API Subscription) then click ‘Subscribe’  

  5. Test API Calls 

    1. Now that you have access to the developer portal: 

    2. Head back to the APIs tab and select any one of the available APIs, which would be  Address and Tracking 

    3. On the page for the API you selected, choose an Endpoint to test from the list on the left 

    4. Click the green ‘Try it’ tab to the right of the screen 

    5. A side panel will appear and the subscription key field at the top will pre-populate with the key. Clicking the dropdown arrow will allow you to switch between active subscriptions with access to the current API. 

    6. Fill out the necessary remaining values, then click ‘Send’ 

  6. HTTP Response A successful request will populate the response text code and is ready for use. 

  7. Implement Code Under the HTTPS Request dropdown, you can select your preferred language to see examples of how to implement the API into your code base. 

Helpful Terms

API - A set of operations/endpoints available such as GET and POST requests. For example: The Address API has the Address Validate, ZIP Lookup and City&State lookup endpoints. 

Product - A group of one or more API's. For example, the Test product has access to the Address and Tracking APIs.  

Subscription key - The authentication key needed to access secure APIs. Without a subscription key, the calls will be rejected and not submitted to the USPS backend.  

Subscription - A named container for a pair of subscription keys attached to a Product. 

FAQs

How do I regenerate my Subscription Keys?

You may regenerate Subscription Keys at any time via the Developer Portal. 

  1. If you are not already signed in to the Developer Portal, do so. 

  2. Navigate to your Profile page. 

  3. Locate the Subscription for which you would like to regenerate a key for in the list under the Subscriptions section. 

  4. Click the “Regenerate” link next to either the Primary or Secondary key. The selected key will disappear momentarily and a new one will take its place. 

  5. When the new key appears, you may then click the “Show” link in order to display it and copy to your code. 

How do I cancel a Subscription? 

  1. If you are not already signed in to the Developer Portal, do so. 

  2. Navigate to your Profile page. 

  3. Locate the Subscription you would like to cancel in the list under the Subscriptions section and select the “Cancel” link. 

  4. Your Subscription will now be cancelled. 

How do I get access to additional APIs? 

Currently, access to APIs beyond those available in the Test Product is dependent upon existing agreements with USPS. 

I’m receiving a 401 Unauthorized response when making request with the API test console, what does this mean? 

You are most likely missing a valid subscription key in your request. Verify that the request contains a key in the `Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key` header and that the Subscription for the key is active.