> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.storefront.co.za/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.storefront.co.za/release-notes/september-2026/headless-commerce-api.md).

# Headless Commerce API

OE Commerce now has a standalone Commerce API, so you can build your own storefront or connect other systems directly to your store.

**This includes:**

* A dedicated API, deployed and scaled separately from your storefront, so traffic against it does not compete with customers browsing your store
* A storefront surface covering products, categories, brands, search, cart, checkout, payment, customer accounts, profiles, orders, enquiries, wishlists, gift registries, wallet and collection locations
* An administration surface covering catalogue, inventory, pricing, promotions, customers and segmentation, orders, shipping, settings, reports, emails and data transfers
* Published reference documentation covering every endpoint, so a developer can work against the API without waiting on us
* Official libraries for .NET, PHP, Python and TypeScript, so your developers do not have to write the plumbing by hand
* A toolkit for connecting an AI assistant to your store through the same API, with the same access rules
* Access managed under System > Application APIs, where you create keys, set what each key is allowed to reach, and expire or rotate a key without affecting the others
* Webhooks, so a connected system is notified when something happens in your store rather than having to poll for it

**How it benefits the Merchant**

Until now, everything a customer could do had to go through the storefront that OE Commerce provides. That works well for most stores, but it leaves nothing for merchants who want a different front end: a mobile app, a custom-built site, an in-store kiosk, or a storefront built by their own development team.

The Commerce API removes that limit. The same catalogue, pricing, stock, customer accounts and orders that power your store are available to anything you choose to build, and an order placed through the API is an ordinary order in your back office, with the same fulfilment, invoicing and reporting behind it.

It is equally useful without a custom storefront. The administration surface is how another system keeps your store in step with it, so an ERP can push stock and pricing, a warehouse system can read orders and write back fulfilments, and a finance system can pull sales figures, all without anyone exporting a file by hand.

The documentation and the libraries matter as much as the API itself. A developer can read exactly what each endpoint expects, and start from a library in the language they already use, which turns an integration that would have needed a discovery phase into something that can be quoted and scheduled.

Because the API runs as its own service rather than inside the storefront, the two no longer share resources. A large import or a busy integration will not slow down customers browsing your store, and each can be given the capacity it needs.

{% hint style="info" %}
Reference documentation is published at [commerce-api.ordereazi.com/docs](https://commerce-api.ordereazi.com/docs), and the official libraries and AI toolkit are public at [github.com/OrderEazi/commerce-sdk](https://github.com/OrderEazi/commerce-sdk). Speak to your OE Commerce representative to have API access enabled on your store.
{% endhint %}

**Potential FAQs**

Q: Do I need to do anything?

A: No. Your store works exactly as it did. The API is there for merchants who want to build against it, and it is not used unless you choose to.

Q: Does my existing storefront still work?

A: Yes. The storefront that comes with OE Commerce is unchanged and remains fully supported. The API is an addition, not a replacement, and the two can run side by side against the same store.

Q: How do I get access?

A: Under System > Application APIs in the back office, where you can create a key and choose what it is allowed to reach. Keep a key private: anyone holding it has whatever access you granted it.

Q: Is there a library for the language my developers use?

A: There are official libraries for .NET, PHP, Python and TypeScript, all public. If your team works in something else, the API is a standard web API and can be called directly from any language.

Q: Can I connect an AI assistant to my store?

A: Yes. The toolkit published alongside the libraries lets an assistant work against the same API, under the same keys and the same limits, so it can only reach what you have allowed.

Q: Can I limit what an integration can do?

A: Yes. Each key is granted only the access it needs, so a stock feed can be allowed to update inventory without being able to read customer details. Keys can also be given an expiry date and rotated, so a key shared with a supplier or an agency can be replaced without disturbing anything else.

Q: Can I build a storefront in another language or framework?

A: Yes. The API is a standard web API and does not assume anything about what is calling it, so it can be used from a website, a mobile app, a point of sale terminal or another server.