Centra APIs Used by the Global-e Integration

The Global-e integration with Centra relies on three Centra APIs working together, each responsible for a different stage of the order lifecycle. Before configuring the Global-e plugin (see Plug-In Configuration), it is important to understand which API handles which step, because each one is configured as a separate plugin in your Centra store.

API	Role in the integration	How it is configured in Centra
Checkout API/DTC API	Used by Global-e to read the shopper’s cart (the selection) from Centra before the international checkout begins. This is the entry point of the cross-border flow.	Added as a Checkout API plugin in your Centra store. Global-e calls it using a session token.
Order API	Used by Global-e to create the order in Centra once the shopper has paid, and to update the order when the payment is captured. This is the server-to-server channel Global-e uses to write into Centra.	Added as an Order API plugin in your Centra store, configured under Stores Management → Stores → Plugins. Global-e authenticates using the shared secret you generate when creating the plugin.
Integration API (GraphQL)	Used by Global-e to confirm the order after payment, and to cancel the order when an order cancellation is initiated.	Enabled by creating a GraphQL Integration API Token under System → API Tokens.

API Order Lifecycle

The diagram below shows the end-to-end order lifecycle and which Centra API handles each step:

#	Stage	Centra API used by Global-e	What happens
1	Shopper begins checkout	Checkout API/DTC API	Global-e reads the shopper’s cart from your Centra store so it can present the international checkout.
2	Shopper pays	Order API	Once payment is authorized, Global-e creates the order in your Centra store. The order is created with status Pending, based on your store configuration.
3	Payment is captured	Order API	Global-e updates the existing order in Centra with the captured payment.
4	Order is confirmed	Integration API (GraphQL)	Global-e moves the order from Pending to Confirmed in Centra.
5	Order is cancelled (if applicable)	Integration API (GraphQL)	If a cancellation is initiated, Global-e cancels the order in Centra.

Webhooks

In addition to the three APIs above, Global-e subscribes to selected Centra webhook events so that changes made on your Centra store (for example, order updates or returns) are pushed to Global-e in near real time.

What you need to provide

When you begin the integration, you will be asked to:

• Confirm which Checkout API plugin Global-e should use, if your store has more than one. Please contact Global-e to inform us of which version you are using (Checkout API/DTC API).
• Provide the shared secret generated for the Order API plugin (used for server-to-server authentication).
• Provide the GraphQL Integration API Token generated under System → API Tokens.

Step-by-step instructions for creating and configuring each of these are provided in the sections that follow.