AWB Generation
An AWB (Air Waybill) is the unique tracking number assigned to each shipment. Shadowfax can generate AWBs in advance, before an order is placed.
When to Pre-Generate
Pre-generating AWBs is useful when:
- You need a tracking number before the order is ready to dispatch (e.g., to print labels or share with the customer).
- Your system requires the AWB at order creation time for internal record-keeping.
- You want to decouple label generation from order placement.
How It Works
- Call the AWB generation endpoint with the number of AWBs needed.
- Store the returned AWB(s).
- When placing a pickup order, pass the pre-generated AWB in
order_details.awb_number.
If you don't pre-generate, Shadowfax auto-assigns an AWB when the order is placed.
The count field controls how many you get back. If you omit it, you receive 1,000. The maximum is 350,000 per call, and anything higher is rejected with 400.
AWB Format
Treat an AWB as an opaque string rather than matching on its shape — the format varies by account and by product. Order placement only requires that it is alphanumeric and no longer than 25 characters.
Each AWB is unique and cannot be reused. AWBs are also scoped to the account they were issued to, so an AWB belonging to another client is rejected with Invalid AWB Number.
See Generate AWB in the API Reference.