Getting Started

Use this guide to send your first authenticated request to the Auction Plus REST API. It covers authentication, request structure, response structure, and the basics of rate limiting.

Before you start

Before using the Admin API, ensure your shop has:

• Auction Plus installed in Shopify.

• A plan that supports API access.

• A secure server-side environment for your token

Base URL

Send all requests to:

https://api.auctionplusapp.com/v1

Authentication

The API uses bearer token authentication.

Generate an API token

1. Open Auction Plus in Shopify.

2. Go to Settings.

3. Open API.

4. Click Generate Private Token.

Store the token securely. It is only shown once.

Send the token in the Authorization header

Include these headers with every request:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN
Accept: application/json,application/vnd.api+json

If the token is missing or invalid, the API returns 401 Unauthorized.

Make your first request

Use the auction items endpoint to test your connection.

cURL

curl --request GET \
  --url https://api.auctionplusapp.com/v1/auction-items \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  --header "Accept: application/json"

A successful request returns a data object or array. List endpoints may also return pagination details in meta.

Response format

Most endpoints return a resource-based JSON payload:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "34dhchwby12yzfhgk6d6t86e3c",
      "type": "auction-items",
      "attributes": {
        "status": "active",
        "totalBids": 12
      }
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "currentPage": 1,
    "lastPage": 1,
    "perPage": 25,
    "total": 1
  }
}

Common response fields

Field	Description
data	Primary resource or resource list
id	Resource identifier
type	Resource type
attributes	Resource fields
meta	Pagination or response metadata

Common request patterns

The API follows standard REST conventions:

• GET retrieves resources

• POST creates resources when supported

• PATCH updates resources or triggers actions

Many endpoints also support filtering, sorting, sparse fieldsets, and related resources.

Common query parameters

Parameter	Description
include	Include related resources
sort	Sort by a supported field
perPage	Set the page size for list endpoints
fields[resource-type]	Return only selected fields
filter[...]	Filter supported endpoints

Common endpoints

Start with these auction item endpoints:

• GET /auction-items — List auction items

• GET /auction-items/{id} — Retrieve one auction item

• PATCH /auction-items/{id}/end — End a listing early

• PATCH /auction-items/{id}/cancel — Cancel a listing without assigning a winner

See Auction Items for full request and response schemas.

Error handling

Use the HTTP status code first. Then inspect the response body.

Status code	Meaning
200 OK	Request succeeded
401 Unauthorized	Token is missing, expired, or invalid
404 Not Found	The resource does not exist
422 Unprocessable Entity	The request body is valid JSON but invalid for the endpoint
429 Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded

Rate limits

The API applies request limits to each authenticated user.

If you exceed the limit, the API returns 429 Too Many Requests.

See Rate Limiting for bucket values, response headers, and retry guidance.

Best practices

• Keep API tokens in trusted server-side environments

• Paginate large result sets

• Request only the fields and includes you need