Core Concept
Firmly acts as a standardization layer between your application and merchant systems, providing consistent cart operations regardless of the underlying platform.
What Firmly Provides
- Unified API: Same endpoints work across all merchant platforms
- Standardized Responses: Consistent data format regardless of merchant
- Device Authentication: Secure, session-based access control
- Real-time Operations: Direct integration with merchant systems
Authentication Flow
Cart States
Carts have dynamically determined states based on their current condition:- active: Default state, all operations allowed
- submitted: Order completed (has platform_order_number)
- item_not_shippable: Items cannot ship to selected address
- checkout_blocked: Has errors preventing checkout
Key Identifiers
Every response includes:- platform_id: The e-commerce platform type
- shop_id: The specific merchant domain
- cart_id: Unique cart identifier
Next Steps
- Authentication - Set up API access
- Cart Lifecycle - Detailed state management
- Implementation Guides - Build your first integration