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API Documentation

Integrate your LIMS, ERP, or procurement system with Labcritics to access product catalogs, real-time vendor pricing by country, and place orders programmatically.

Getting Started

The Labcritics API provides RESTful endpoints under /api/v1/. All responses return JSON.

To start using the API:

Contact us or request an API key through your account
Store your API key securely — it is shown only once at creation
Include the key in every request via the Authorization header
Start querying products and pricing

Base URL

https://your-domain.com/api/v1

Authentication

All API requests must include your API key. We support two methods:

Option 1: Authorization Header (Recommended)

curl

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_your_api_key_here" \
  https://your-domain.com/api/v1/products

Option 2: X-API-Key Header

curl

curl -H "X-API-Key: lc_your_api_key_here" \
  https://your-domain.com/api/v1/products

Test Your Key

Use the /api/v1/me endpoint to verify your key is working:

curl

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_your_api_key_here" \
  https://your-domain.com/api/v1/me

Response

{
  "id": "abc-123",
  "name": "Lab LIMS Production",
  "organization": "Acme Labs",
  "email": "lab@acme.com",
  "permissions": ["products:read", "pricing:read", "orders:create"],
  "rateLimit": 60,
  "createdAt": "2026-04-01T10:00:00.000Z"
}

Rate Limiting

Each API key has a per-minute rate limit (default: 60 requests/min). When exceeded, the API returns 429 Too Many Requests.

Rate limit info is included in response headers:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 60
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 42
Retry-After: 60

Error Handling

All errors follow a consistent format:

Error Response

{
  "error": "Human-readable error message"
}

Status	Meaning
400	Invalid request body or parameters
401	Missing or invalid API key
403	Insufficient permissions or revoked key
404	Resource not found
429	Rate limit exceeded

Products

GET/api/v1/productsproducts:read

Search and list products with optional filters and pagination. Pass a country parameter to include vendor pricing inline.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`q`	string	Full-text search query (name, manufacturer, SKU)
`category`	string	Filter by category slug
`manufacturer`	string	Filter by manufacturer slug
`country`	string	Include vendor pricing for this country (requires pricing:read)
`page`	integer	Page number (default: 1)
`limit`	integer	Items per page (default: 25, max: 100)

Example: Search for pipette tips with US pricing

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_your_key" \
  "https://your-domain.com/api/v1/products?q=pipette+tips&country=USA&limit=10"

Response

{
  "data": [
    {
      "slug": "pipette-tips-960-pieces-10-racks",
      "name": "Pipette Tips 960 Pieces 10 Racks",
      "manufacturer": "Eppendorf",
      "model": "EP-960",
      "sku": "022491504",
      "category": "Pipette Tips",
      "categorySlug": "pipette-tips",
      "imageUrl": "https://...",
      "rating": 4.5,
      "reviewCount": 12,
      "specs": { "Volume": "0.1-10 µL", "Material": "Polypropylene" },
      "pricing": [
        {
          "vendorSlug": "fisher-scientific",
          "vendorName": "Fisher Scientific",
          "price": "149.99",
          "currency": "USD",
          "url": "https://fishersci.com/..."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "pagination": { "page": 1, "limit": 10, "total": 42, "totalPages": 5 }
}

GET/api/v1/products/:slugproducts:read

Get full details for a single product including specifications, documents, and vendor pricing.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`country`	string	Filter vendor pricing to a specific country

Example

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_your_key" \
  "https://your-domain.com/api/v1/products/pipette-tips-960-pieces-10-racks?country=UK"

Pricing

GET/api/v1/products/:slug/pricingpricing:read

Get all vendor pricing for a product. Returns every vendor who supplies this product, with price, currency, and country.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`country`	string	Filter to vendors serving this country

Example

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_your_key" \
  "https://your-domain.com/api/v1/products/pipette-tips-960-pieces-10-racks/pricing?country=Germany"

Response

{
  "productSlug": "pipette-tips-960-pieces-10-racks",
  "productName": "Pipette Tips 960 Pieces 10 Racks",
  "country": "Germany",
  "pricing": [
    {
      "vendorSlug": "vwr-international",
      "vendorName": "VWR International",
      "country": "Germany",
      "price": "139.50",
      "currency": "EUR",
      "url": "https://vwr.com/..."
    },
    {
      "vendorSlug": "fisher-scientific-de",
      "vendorName": "Fisher Scientific DE",
      "country": "Germany",
      "price": "142.00",
      "currency": "EUR",
      "url": ""
    }
  ]
}

Orders

POST/api/v1/ordersorders:create

Place an order for a product from a specific vendor. The order is created with status 'pending' and the vendor will be notified.

Request Body (JSON)

Parameter	Type	Description
`productSlug`*	string	Product to order
`vendorSlug`*	string	Vendor to order from
`quantity`*	integer	Quantity (min: 1)
`country`*	string	Delivery country (used for pricing lookup)
`shippingAddress`	string	Full shipping address
`notes`	string	Special instructions or notes
`referenceNumber`	string	Your internal PO or reference number

Example

curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "productSlug": "pipette-tips-960-pieces-10-racks",
    "vendorSlug": "fisher-scientific",
    "quantity": 5,
    "country": "USA",
    "shippingAddress": "123 Lab Street, Boston, MA 02101",
    "referenceNumber": "PO-2026-0042"
  }' \
  https://your-domain.com/api/v1/orders

Response (201 Created)

{
  "message": "Order placed successfully. The vendor will be notified.",
  "order": {
    "id": "a1b2c3d4-...",
    "productSlug": "pipette-tips-960-pieces-10-racks",
    "vendorSlug": "fisher-scientific",
    "quantity": 5,
    "country": "USA",
    "currency": "USD",
    "unitPrice": "149.99",
    "totalPrice": "749.95",
    "status": "pending",
    "referenceNumber": "PO-2026-0042",
    "createdAt": "2026-04-06T14:30:00.000Z"
  }
}

GET/api/v1/ordersorders:read

List all orders placed by your API key, newest first.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`page`	integer	Page number (default: 1)
`limit`	integer	Items per page (default: 25, max: 100)

GET/api/v1/orders/:idorders:read

Get details for a single order. Only returns orders belonging to your API key.

Order statuses: pending → confirmed → processing → shipped → delivered

LIMS Integration Guide

Here is a typical integration workflow for connecting your Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) or procurement platform with the Labcritics API.

1. Sync Product Catalog

Periodically fetch the product catalog to keep your LIMS in sync. Use pagination to handle large datasets.

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "lc_your_key_here"
BASE_URL = "https://your-domain.com/api/v1"
headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# Fetch all products page by page
page = 1
all_products = []
while True:
    resp = requests.get(
        f"{BASE_URL}/products",
        headers=headers,
        params={"page": page, "limit": 100, "country": "USA"}
    )
    data = resp.json()
    all_products.extend(data["data"])
    if page >= data["pagination"]["totalPages"]:
        break
    page += 1

print(f"Synced {len(all_products)} products")

2. Look Up Pricing Before Ordering

When a lab user selects a product in your LIMS, fetch the latest pricing from all vendors in their country.

Python

# Get pricing for a specific product in Germany
resp = requests.get(
    f"{BASE_URL}/products/pipette-tips-960-pieces-10-racks/pricing",
    headers=headers,
    params={"country": "Germany"}
)
pricing = resp.json()["pricing"]

# Find the cheapest vendor
best = min(pricing, key=lambda p: float(p["price"] or "9999"))
print(f"Best price: {best['currency']} {best['price']} from {best['vendorName']}")

3. Place Orders

Submit orders programmatically with your internal reference numbers for tracking.

Python

# Place an order
order_resp = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/orders",
    headers={**headers, "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    json={
        "productSlug": "pipette-tips-960-pieces-10-racks",
        "vendorSlug": best["vendorSlug"],
        "quantity": 10,
        "country": "Germany",
        "shippingAddress": "Universitätsstr. 1, 69120 Heidelberg",
        "referenceNumber": "LIMS-REQ-2026-0815"
    }
)
order = order_resp.json()["order"]
print(f"Order {order['id']} placed: {order['totalPrice']} {order['currency']}")

4. Track Order Status

Poll order status to update your LIMS when orders are confirmed, shipped, or delivered.

Python

# Check order status
resp = requests.get(
    f"{BASE_URL}/orders/{order['id']}",
    headers=headers
)
status = resp.json()["status"]
print(f"Order status: {status}")  # pending → confirmed → processing → shipped → delivered

Permissions Reference

Each API key is assigned specific permissions that control which endpoints it can access.

Permission	Grants Access To
`products:read`	List/search products, product details, categories
`pricing:read`	Vendor pricing endpoints and inline pricing on product queries
`orders:create`	Place new orders via POST /api/v1/orders
`orders:read`	List and view order details and status
`*`	Full access to all endpoints

Need Help?

If you need an API key, have questions about integration, or need higher rate limits, please contact us.

API Documentation

Contents

Getting Started

Authentication

Option 1: Authorization Header (Recommended)

Option 2: X-API-Key Header

Test Your Key

Rate Limiting

Error Handling

Products

Query Parameters

Query Parameters

Pricing

Query Parameters

Categories

Orders

Request Body (JSON)

Query Parameters

LIMS Integration Guide

1. Sync Product Catalog

2. Look Up Pricing Before Ordering

3. Place Orders

4. Track Order Status

Permissions Reference

Need Help?