EDI migration
Replace Freight EDI with a REST API
Stop maintaining X12 parsers, VAN providers, and carrier specific EDI mappings. Warp's REST API handles quoting, booking, tracking, and invoicing with structured JSON. One integration. All modes. Real time events.
No VAN · No X12 · No custom parsers · Integrate in one afternoon
The EDI tax on your engineering team
Every freight EDI integration starts the same way. Your team writes an X12 parser for 204 load tenders, another for 214 status messages, another for 210 invoices. Then you discover that every carrier sends slightly different segments, uses different qualifier codes, and interprets the spec differently. So you build carrier specific mappings. Then you maintain them. Then you debug them at 2 AM when a segment delimiter changes and your parser breaks silently.
On top of the engineering burden, you are paying a VAN provider thousands of dollars per month to shuttle these documents back and forth. Per document fees, monthly minimums, onboarding charges for every new carrier. The VAN adds latency too. EDI 214 status messages arrive in batches, sometimes hours after the actual event. Your operations team is making decisions on stale data while the shipment has already moved.
The hidden cost that most teams miss: EDI is invisible to modern tooling. AI coding assistants cannot read X12 segment definitions and generate integration code. Your new engineers cannot look at an ISA/GS/ST envelope and understand what it does without specialized training. Every hour your team spends on EDI is an hour they are not building features that move your business forward. A REST API with structured JSON eliminates all of this. The tooling works. The documentation is readable. The data arrives in real time.
EDI document to API endpoint mapping
Every EDI transaction set you use today has a direct REST API equivalent. No intermediate translation layer. No VAN provider in the middle.
Before and after: booking a shipment
EDI X12 204 (Load Tender)
ISA*00* *00* *ZZ*SHIPPER123 *ZZ*CARRIER456 * 230315*1042*U*00401*000000123*0*P*>~ GS*SM*SHIPPER123*CARRIER456*20230315*1042*123*X*004010~ ST*204*0001~ B2**CARRIER456**WRP-2025-031542**PP~ B2A*00~ L11*REF123*CR~ MS3*CARRIER456*B**M~ S5*1*CL~ N1*SH*Dispatch Team~ N3*123 Warehouse Blvd~ N4*Los Angeles*CA*90001~ S5*2*CU~ N1*CN*Receiving Dock~ N3*456 Distribution Dr~ N4*Phoenix*AZ*85001~ L5*1*Pallet Retail Goods*2*800*L~ SE*16*0001~ GE*1*123~ IEA*1*000000123~
REST API (JSON)
curl -X POST https://api.wearewarp.com/api/v1/freights/booking \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "apikey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"quoteId": "01HG9W6CMAWHNWTVXDKW9QYFS9",
"pickupInfo": {
"zipCode": "90001",
"city": "Los Angeles",
"state": "CA",
"street": "123 Warehouse Blvd",
"contactName": "Dispatch Team",
"phone": "3105551234"
},
"deliveryInfo": {
"zipCode": "85001",
"city": "Phoenix",
"state": "AZ",
"street": "456 Distribution Dr",
"contactName": "Receiving Dock",
"phone": "6025551234"
},
"listItems": [{
"name": "Pallet - Retail Goods",
"length": 48, "width": 40, "height": 48,
"sizeUnit": "in",
"totalWeight": 800, "weightUnit": "lb",
"quantity": 2, "packaging": "pallet"
}]
}'Migration playbook
Seven steps from EDI to API. Most teams complete steps 1 through 3 in a single afternoon. The full migration runs 4 to 8 weeks depending on how many carrier relationships you are transitioning.
Get a Warp API key
Generate a key from your Warp dashboard or request one through a quick onboarding call. No VAN provider setup required.
Test quoting with curl
Send a single POST request to the quote endpoint. You will have a freight rate back in under two seconds.
Map your existing EDI fields to API fields
Every X12 segment has a direct JSON equivalent. Origin, destination, items, reference numbers, and service codes all map to named fields in the API request body.
Run API and EDI in parallel for validation
Send the same shipments through both channels. Compare booking confirmations, tracking events, and invoices to verify data parity.
Route new carriers through API only
Stop onboarding new carriers through EDI. Every new lane and carrier relationship goes through the API from day one.
Migrate existing carriers as contracts renew
When carrier contracts come up for renewal, switch their integration from EDI to API. No need to renegotiate. The freight moves the same way.
Decommission VAN provider
Once all carriers are on the API, cancel your VAN subscription. Zero per document fees. Zero monthly platform costs.
Test quoting with a single curl commandcurl -X POST https://api.wearewarp.com/api/v1/freights/quote \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "apikey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"pickupDate": ["2025-03-15"],
"pickupInfo": { "zipCode": "90001" },
"deliveryInfo": { "zipCode": "85001" },
"listItems": [{
"name": "Pallet",
"length": 48, "width": 40, "height": 48,
"sizeUnit": "in",
"totalWeight": 800, "weightUnit": "lb",
"quantity": 2, "packaging": "pallet"
}]
}'What your team gets back
Engineering hours
No more debugging X12 segments.
Stop maintaining VAN connections, carrier specific EDI maps, and custom parsers. Your engineers ship product features instead of fixing segment delimiters.
Real time data
Webhooks instead of batched EDI 214 messages.
Shipment events push to your system the moment they happen. GPS coordinates, scan events, and status changes arrive in real time, not hours later in a batch file.
AI compatibility
Your AI tools can actually use the API.
AI coding assistants can read the API docs and generate integration code. They can parse JSON responses. They cannot do any of this with X12 EDI. Your team moves faster with every tool in the stack.
Cost savings
$0 VAN fees. $0 per document charges. $0 software license.
The entire VAN provider line item disappears from your budget. No per document fees, no monthly minimums, no onboarding charges for new carriers. You pay for the freight you ship.
Start the migration
Get an API key and send your first quote request this afternoon. No VAN provider. No X12 parsers. Just structured JSON and real time data.
The Warp network
When you connect to the Warp API, you are not just replacing EDI. You are connecting to a freight network built for programmatic access. 20,000+ local 3rd party carriers across cargo van, box truck, LTL, and FTL. 50+ cross docks for middle mile consolidation. Our AI backbone, Orbit, handles carrier matching, dispatch optimization, and exception management automatically. All inclusive pricing means the rate you get from the quote endpoint is the rate you pay. No accessorial surprises, no fuel surcharge adjustments after the fact.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the migration take?
Most teams complete the initial API integration in one afternoon. The full migration from EDI to API typically takes 4 to 8 weeks when running both in parallel, depending on how many carrier relationships you are transitioning.
Can I run EDI and the API side by side during the transition?
Yes. This is exactly what we recommend. Send the same shipments through both channels during the parallel validation phase. Once you confirm data parity, start routing new shipments exclusively through the API.
What EDI documents does the API replace?
The API replaces EDI 204 (Load Tender), EDI 214 (Shipment Status), EDI 210 (Freight Invoice), EDI 211 (Bill of Lading), and EDI 990 (Response to Load Tender). Every document type has a direct API endpoint equivalent.
Will my existing carriers work with the Warp API?
Warp connects you to 20,000+ local 3rd party carriers across cargo van, box truck, LTL, and FTL. You do not need to bring your own carrier relationships. Warp handles carrier connectivity, rate negotiation, and dispatch through a single API.
What does this cost compared to EDI?
The API itself has no per document fees, no VAN provider subscription, and no software license. You pay for the freight you ship. Most teams save thousands per month by eliminating VAN fees alone, before counting the engineering hours recovered.
Your last EDI integration.
One API replaces every X12 document, every VAN provider, and every carrier specific mapping your team maintains today. Structured JSON. Real time events. Integrate in one afternoon.
No VAN · No X12 · No custom parsers · Integrate in one afternoon