API keys and the Optimize API
Create an API key to let your own systems optimize routes through the Routerra Teams API — how keys work, when they're shown, and how to revoke them.
If your orders live in your own dispatcher, WMS, or back office, you don't have to touch the web app at all — the Routerra Teams API lets your systems optimize routes programmatically. Access is controlled by API keys you create under Settings → Developer → API keys.
Creating a key
Open Settings → Developer → API keys
Press Create API Key.
Name it
Give the key a name that says where it's used — e.g. "Production", "Staging", "Partner sync." The name is just for you; it shows in the key list.
Copy it immediately
The full key is shown once. Routerra warns you plainly: "Copy this key now — you won't be able to see it again. Store it securely." Paste it straight into your system's secret store.
Managing keys
The keys table lists each key's name, a masked key, last used, and created date, plus an Enabled toggle:
- Disable a key to pause it without deleting it — flip Enabled off and integrations using it stop working until you switch it back on.
- Revoke a key to kill it permanently: "Any integrations using this key will stop working immediately." Use this if a key leaks or a system is retired.
What the API does
The Optimize API takes your stops and constraints and returns optimized routes — the same engine the web app uses, driven by your code instead of the UI. The full request/response reference lives in the Optimize API reference.
API keys vs data sources vs webhooks
Three developer tools, three jobs:
- API keys (this page) — your code calls Routerra to optimize.
- Data sources — Routerra calls your endpoint to pull stops when you press "Pull from data source" in the import menu (set up under Settings → Developer → Data sources; a dedicated guide is coming soon).
- Webhooks — Routerra notifies your code when plans, routes, and stops change.
Many integrations use all three together. Start with whichever direction you need first.
What's next
- Optimize API reference — the endpoints, fields, and errors
- Webhooks — get notified when things happen
- Import stops — where a connected data source shows up in the UI