Running an e-commerce business means dealing with invoices constantly. Every order, subscription renewal, or service delivery needs documentation. Manually creating invoices doesn't scale.
PineBill offers a REST API that lets you automate the entire invoicing workflow. This guide covers the practical integration steps for e-commerce platforms and any application that needs programmatic invoice generation.
What PineBill Offers
PineBill is an invoicing SaaS with 23 API endpoints covering:
Invoices: Create, read, update invoices
Customers: Full CRUD operations
Products: Inventory management with 7 endpoints
Categories: Product organization
Payment Methods: Transaction processing options
Exchange Rates: Multi-currency support
The API follows OpenAPI 3.1 specification, uses Bearer token authentication, and runs on a global CDN with 99.99% uptime.
Getting Started
1. Get Your API Key
Sign up at pinebill.app and navigate to the dashboard. Generate an API key from the API Keys section.
API access is available on:
Pro Plan ($29/month): 10,000 API calls/month
Enterprise Plan ($90/month): Unlimited API calls
2. Base URL and Authentication
All API requests go to:
https://api.pinebill.app
Include your API key in the Authorization header:
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Core Integrations for E-commerce
Creating an Invoice Programmatically
When a customer completes a purchase on your platform, trigger an invoice creation:
const createInvoice = async (orderData) => {
const response = await fetch('https://api.pinebill.app/invoices', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
products: orderData.productIds,
customerID: orderData.customerId,
paymentMethods: ['pm_card', 'pm_bank_transfer'],
invoiceMode: 'PRODUCT',
taxRate: 10,
taxType: 'PERCENT',
issueDate: new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0],
currency: 'USD'
})
});
return response.json();
};
Syncing Customers from Your Platform
When users register on your e-commerce site, create corresponding customer records in PineBill:
const syncCustomer = async (user) => {
const response = await fetch('https://api.pinebill.app/customers', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
name: user.fullName,
email: user.email,
phone: user.phone,
address: user.billingAddress
})
});
const customer = await response.json();
// Store customer.id in your database for future invoices
return customer;
};
Managing Products
Keep your product catalog in sync:
// Create a product
const createProduct = async (product) => {
const response = await fetch('https://api.pinebill.app/products', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
name: product.name,
price: product.price,
description: product.description,
categoryId: product.categoryId
})
});
return response.json();
};
// Toggle product status (active/inactive)
const toggleProductStatus = async (productId) => {
await fetch(`https://api.pinebill.app/products/${productId}/toggle-status`, {
method: 'PATCH',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
}
});
};
// Duplicate a product
const duplicateProduct = async (productId) => {
const response = await fetch(`https://api.pinebill.app/products/${productId}/duplicate`, {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
}
});
return response.json();
};
Multi-Currency Support
PineBill supports multiple currencies with real-time exchange rates:
const getExchangeRates = async () => {
const response = await fetch('https://api.pinebill.app/exchange-rates/latest', {
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
}
});
return response.json();
};
Use this when creating invoices for international customers to display amounts in their local currency.
Real-World Integration Patterns
E-commerce Order Webhook Handler
// Express.js webhook handler example
app.post('/webhooks/order-completed', async (req, res) => {
const order = req.body;
try {
// 1. Check if customer exists, create if not
let customer = await findCustomerByEmail(order.customer.email);
if (!customer) {
customer = await syncCustomer(order.customer);
}
// 2. Map order items to PineBill product IDs
const productIds = await mapOrderItemsToProducts(order.items);
// 3. Create invoice
const invoice = await createInvoice({
productIds,
customerId: customer.id
});
// 4. Store invoice reference
await saveInvoiceReference(order.id, invoice.invoiceNumber);
res.status(200).json({ success: true, invoiceNumber: invoice.invoiceNumber });
} catch (error) {
console.error('Invoice creation failed:', error);
res.status(500).json({ error: 'Failed to create invoice' });
}
});
Subscription Platform Integration
For SaaS or subscription businesses, automate recurring invoices:
// Cron job for monthly billing
const processMonthlySubscriptions = async () => {
const activeSubscriptions = await getActiveSubscriptions();
for (const subscription of activeSubscriptions) {
const invoice = await fetch('https://api.pinebill.app/invoices', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
products: [subscription.productId],
customerID: subscription.customerId,
invoiceMode: 'PRODUCT',
taxRate: subscription.taxRate,
taxType: 'PERCENT',
issueDate: new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0],
currency: subscription.currency
})
});
// Send invoice notification to customer
await notifyCustomer(subscription.email, invoice);
}
};
Batch Invoice Retrieval
Pull invoice data for reporting or accounting sync:
const getInvoices = async (filters = {}) => {
const params = new URLSearchParams(filters);
const response = await fetch(`https://api.pinebill.app/invoices?${params}`, {
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
}
});
return response.json();
};
// Get paid invoices for accounting
const paidInvoices = await getInvoices({ status: 'paid', limit: 100 });
API Endpoint Reference
| Endpoint | Methods | Description |
|---|---|---|
/invoices | GET, POST | List and create invoices |
/invoices/:id | GET, PUT | Get and update specific invoice |
/customers | GET, POST | List and create customers |
/customers/:id | GET, PUT, DELETE | Manage specific customer |
/products | GET, POST | List and create products |
/products/:id | GET, PUT, DELETE | Manage specific product |
/products/:id/toggle-status | PATCH | Toggle product active status |
/products/:id/duplicate | POST | Duplicate a product |
/categories | GET, POST | List and create categories |
/categories/:id | GET, PUT, DELETE | Manage specific category |
/payment-methods | GET | List available payment methods |
/exchange-rates/latest | GET | Get current exchange rates |
Best Practices
Store external IDs: Map your platform's user and product IDs to PineBill customer and product IDs. This prevents duplicate records and speeds up invoice creation.
Validate before creating: Check if customers and products exist before creating invoices. Use GET endpoints to verify records first.
Wrapping Up
PineBill's API gives you everything needed to automate invoicing for e-commerce platforms. The straightforward REST endpoints, multi-currency support, and reasonable pricing (API access starts at $29/month) make it practical for small to mid-sized businesses.
Full API documentation is available at api.pinebill.app/docs.
Start with the 14-day free trial to test your integration before committing to a plan.
Have questions about integrating PineBill? Drop a comment below or check the PineBill API documentation for more details.
SOCIAL SHARE CARD GENERATOR