External API docs

Use these docs to connect an approved external system to Alva Digital Downloads: create assets, map Shopify products, assign customer downloads, and manage order access.

Last updated - June 5, 2026 Read time - 5 min Author - Tom Rushmore

API documentation

The API uses JSON over HTTPS. Send API keys as Bearer tokens, include idempotency keys on every write, and use Shopify product and variant GIDs when creating mappings.

Start here

Quickstart

Run the basic workflow from ping to order assignment.

Security

Authentication

Create, store, rotate, and revoke API keys.

Retries

Idempotency

Make write retries safe and predictable.

Limits

Rate limits

Handle token bucket headers and resend limits.

Routes

Endpoint reference

See every customer-facing API endpoint.

Support

Errors

Understand error envelopes and public error codes.

Downloads

Use the machine-readable spec and Postman collection when building an integration.

API docs

Start here

API quickstart

Ping the API, import an asset, map it to a product, and assign access to an order.

Reference

Endpoint reference

Review the available endpoints for assets, mappings, orders, access changes, and status.

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Last updated 2026-06-05