Connecting to Freightview's API

If you're a Freightview customer, you can set up integrations to access quotes via our API to a myriad of software, including ERPs, E-commerce, Shopping Carts, Site Plugins, and more.

About the API

Freightview's API is considered RESTful. It uses JSON, a common and lightweight data representation that is easily consumed by most languages and frameworks. The documentation is clear and robust (check it out Here). Even if you're not a developer, this post will explain how you can test the API without writing a single line of code.

Getting started

If you've ever connected to an API, you know the biggest challenge is the first step: authentication. Who you are. If you don't include the correct authentication with each request, all calls to the Freightview API will return an"401 Unauthorized error." Reach out to our Support Team for further assistance.

Obtaining your API key

Freightview's API requires a special key to recognize your account. You can find this key in your Account Settings, then choose "API key". More Here.

Method 1: Simple API authentication with cURL

Freightview's developer documentation provides a one-line command you can run in your terminal to ensure you can successfully connect to the API. This command is called "cURL", and it simply verifies that a URL (in this case, Freightview's API URL) gives the expected response. When you run this command, along with your API key, you should get a 200 OK response like the one shown here. Notice the trailing colon (:) after the API key. This tells cURL that the password is empty.

Method 2: Simple API authentication with Postman

cURL is great, but some folks prefer a nice user interface instead. The gold standard for testing APIs is the free, cross-platform application, Postman. You can get it at https://www.getpostman.com.

As you can see in the screenshot below, you'll provide the same information as you would with cURL, but enter it in Postman's fields. Again, the password field is empty. The result should be the same: a 200 OK response.

• Ensure the method is GET.
• Enter the authenticated URL.
• On the Authorization tab, choose Basic Auth in the dropdown, and enter your API key for the Username.
• Hit Send.

Further testing

The methods above help ensure the Freightview API is up and reachable and that your account is successfully authenticated. If you want to take things further, you can use Postman to do a few rate requests, just like you would on the website.

• Change the method from GET to POST.
• Replace "authenticate" with "rates" in the URL.
• On the Headers tab, add a Content-Type header with application/json. (You can leave the Authorization header alone).
• On the Body tab, select "raw" and build your JSON request per the documentation.
• Hit Send.

Successful responses will once again return a 200 OK response, along with an array of quotes. If you get an error, check the response documentation for the corresponding HTTP status code (e.g., 400, 500) for that endpoint.

Notice that endpoints like /rates are versioned. You may specify a version in the URL using this format: https://www.freightview.com/api/v1.0/rates. If you do not specify a version, it will default to version 1.0.

API Webhooks

External API Webhooks provide real-time shipment updates and a simple way to connect Freightview with your existing business systems, helping automate downstream workflows.

To set up a webhook, navigate to your API Integrations options and follow the prompts to edit your preferences and update the webhook configuration. Each webhook includes a unique link you can use to send shipment updates to your connected system.

A note about security: Freightview generates a signing secret for each webhook. Every request is signed with this secret and sent in the X-Freightview-Signature header, allowing you to verify that requests came from Freightview and have not been tampered with or replayed. The signing secret itself is never transmitted with the request.

See our API documentation for detailed instructions on verifying webhook requests.

They're your rates; Use them Your way

At Freightview, we strive to make every aspect of your shipping needs easier, whether you're using our website or a complementary tool. Our API makes it easy to see and use your rates however you need them. And of course, we're here to help if you have questions or comments. Happy shipping!

This post was updated in August 2026. Contact our Support Team for further questions & assistance.