Bolt.new AI and ShipBob integration: Step-by-Step Guide 2025

To integrate Bolt.new with ShipBob, you don’t “connect” Bolt itself. Instead, inside a Bolt.new project you write backend code (Node, Python, etc.) that talks to ShipBob’s real public REST API using API keys or OAuth depending on your ShipBob plan. You scaffold the integration in Bolt.new, store your ShipBob credentials in environment variables, and then call ShipBob’s endpoints (like creating orders, getting fulfillment status, inventory, webhooks). Bolt.new behaves like a normal cloud dev environment — it just hosts your code and runs your API tests. ShipBob does not provide any special Bolt-specific integration, so you use their standard REST API exactly as documented in ShipBob’s developer docs.

 

What ShipBob Actually Provides

 

ShipBob offers a real REST API for fulfillment, orders, inventory, and webhooks. You authenticate with OAuth2 client credentials or (in older accounts) an API token. Everything runs over HTTPS with standard JSON payloads.

• ShipBob API docs: https://developer.shipbob.com
• Auth: OAuth2 Client Credentials (most accounts)
• Core endpoints: /orders, /inventory, /fulfillments, /webhooks

 

How Integration Works Inside Bolt.new

 

Think of Bolt.new as a browser-based VS Code + server runtime. It does NOT give you a “ShipBob plugin”. You manually write API calls, store keys in environment variables, and run the backend locally inside Bolt.new’s sandbox.

• Set up environment variables inside Bolt.new (example: SHIPBOB_CLIENT_ID)
• Write backend code (Node/Express is the most common inside Bolt)
• Use fetch or axios to call ShipBob’s API
• Expose routes in your app to trigger fulfillment, order creation, etc.
• Optionally set up webhooks so ShipBob can push updates back to your Bolt app (e.g. fulfillment completed)

 

Setting Up ShipBob Authentication in Bolt.new

 

For OAuth2 client-credentials, you request an access token from ShipBob by sending your client ID and secret. Store these in Bolt.new’s environment editor so they never appear in your source code.

 

// backend/auth/shipbob.js

import fetch from "node-fetch";

export async function getShipBobToken() {
  const res = await fetch("https://api.shipbob.com/oauth/token", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json"
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      grant_type: "client_credentials",
      client_id: process.env.SHIPBOB_CLIENT_ID,      // set in Bolt env
      client_secret: process.env.SHIPBOB_CLIENT_SECRET // set in Bolt env
    })
  });

  if (!res.ok) throw new Error("Unable to fetch ShipBob OAuth token");
  const data = await res.json();
  return data.access_token;
}

 

Example: Create an Order from Bolt.new

 

This example shows how you would call ShipBob’s Create Order endpoint from inside a Bolt.new backend project.

 

// backend/routes/shipbob.js

import express from "express";
import { getShipBobToken } from "../auth/shipbob.js";
import fetch from "node-fetch";

const router = express.Router();

router.post("/create-order", async (req, res) => {
  try {
    const token = await getShipBobToken();

    const orderPayload = {
      // This is just a typical ShipBob order structure.
      // You must customize it based on your real SKU IDs and addresses.
      orderId: "YOUR-ORDER-ID-123",
      shippingAddress: {
        name: "John Doe",
        address1: "123 Main St",
        city: "Chicago",
        state: "IL",
        postalCode: "60601",
        country: "US"
      },
      items: [
        {
          productId: "YOUR-PRODUCT-ID",
          quantity: 1
        }
      ]
    };

    const resp = await fetch("https://api.shipbob.com/fulfillment/orders", {
      method: "POST",
      headers: {
        Authorization: "Bearer " + token,
        "Content-Type": "application/json"
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(orderPayload)
    });

    const data = await resp.json();
    res.json(data);
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(500).json({ error: err.message });
  }
});

export default router;

 

Handling ShipBob Webhooks in Bolt.new

 

ShipBob can push updates to your backend (order packed, shipped, inventory updated). Inside Bolt.new you expose a public route using the “Expose Port” feature. That gives you a temporary public URL you can register in the ShipBob dashboard.

• Create an Express route /webhooks/shipbob
• Expose your Bolt port to receive POST callbacks
• Validate the webhook signature if your account uses webhook signing

 

// backend/routes/shipbob-webhooks.js

import express from "express";
const router = express.Router();

router.post("/webhooks/shipbob", async (req, res) => {
  // ShipBob sends JSON payloads describing the event.
  // You store them or update your order status in DB.
  console.log("ShipBob webhook event:", req.body);

  // Respond 200 immediately so ShipBob knows it was received.
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

export default router;

 

Deploying Beyond Bolt.new

 

Bolt.new is for prototyping. When your integration works, you deploy the same code to a real backend environment (Render, Railway, AWS, GCP, Vercel). Your ShipBob OAuth credentials simply move into that environment’s secure variables.

• Bolt.dev server → real production server
• Temporary Bolt webhook URL → permanent production webhook URL
• Environment variables copied into production settings

 

Essential Constraints to Know

 

• ShipBob sandbox/testing environment is separate from production.
• Bolt.new cannot store secrets in code — use environment variables only.
• Bolt.new’s public URLs expire, so webhooks are for development only.
• ShipBob’s API has rate limits; handle HTTP 429 responses.

 

The integration is simply your backend code running inside Bolt.new, calling ShipBob’s official REST API with OAuth credentials, plus optional webhooks. No hidden features, no special Bolt plugin — just standard API engineering inside a browser-based environment.