Quick Start Guide

Get started with AS2aaS in under 10 minutes. This guide will walk you through sending your first AS2 message.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Sign up at as2aas.com
Verify your email (if required)
Access your dashboard

You'll automatically get:

✅ Startup account (5,000 messages/month)
✅ Default account with initial tenant
✅ Access to testing tools
✅ Master partner capabilities

Step 2: Generate API Keys

Navigate to API Keys in your dashboard
Click "Create API Key"
Configure your key:
- Name: "My First API Key"
- Environment: Test (for development)
- Scope: Account-Level (recommended for getting started)
- Permissions: Full Access
Copy your API key (starts with pk_test_)

Important: Save your API key securely. It won't be shown again.

Key Types

Account-Level Keys (pk_test_...): Access all tenants in your account, can manage master partners
Tenant-Level Keys (tk_test_...): Access single tenant only, inherits master partners

Step 3: Set Up Your First Partner

You can create partners at two levels:

Master Partners: Shared across all tenants in your account
Tenant Partners: Specific to individual tenants

Create Master Partner (Recommended)

Via Dashboard

Go to Account → Master Partners in your dashboard
Click "Add Master Partner"
Fill in partner details:
- Name: "Test Partner"
- AS2 ID: "TEST-PARTNER-001"
- URL: "https://test-partner.example.com/as2"
- Enable: Signing and Encryption

Via API

curl -X POST https://api.as2aas.com/v1/accounts/{account}/partners \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_test_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Test Partner",
    "as2_id": "TEST-PARTNER-001", 
    "url": "https://test-partner.example.com/as2",
    "sign": true,
    "encrypt": true,
    "mdn_mode": "async"
  }'

Create Tenant Partner (Alternative)

For tenant-specific partners, use the standard endpoint:

curl -X POST https://api.as2aas.com/v1/partners \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_test_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Tenant Specific Partner",
    "as2_id": "TENANT-PARTNER-001", 
    "url": "https://tenant-partner.example.com/as2",
    "sign": true,
    "encrypt": true,
    "mdn_mode": "async"
  }'

Step 4: Send Your First Message

Using cURL

curl -X POST https://api.as2aas.com/v1/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_test_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: msg_first_test_001" \
  -d '{
    "partner_id": "prt_000001",
    "subject": "My First AS2 Message",
    "payload": {
      "content": "ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*SENDER         *ZZ*RECEIVER       *240115*1030*U*00401*000000001*0*T*>~GS*PO*SENDER*RECEIVER*20240115*1030*1*X*004010~ST*850*0001~BEG*00*SA*12345**20240115~N1*ST*SHIP TO LOCATION~PO1*1*10*EA*25.00**BP*PRODUCT123~CTT*1~SE*7*0001~GE*1*1~IEA*1*000000001~"
    },
    "content_type": "application/edi-x12"
  }'

Expected Response

{
  "message": "Message queued for delivery",
  "data": {
    "id": "msg_000001",
    "message_id": "MSG_20240115_103000_ABC123",
    "partner": {
      "id": "prt_000001", 
      "name": "Test Partner",
      "as2_id": "TEST-PARTNER-001"
    },
    "status": "queued",
    "direction": "outbound",
    "subject": "My First AS2 Message",
    "content_type": "application/edi-x12",
    "bytes": 284,
    "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  }
}

Step 5: Monitor Your Message

Check Message Status

curl -X GET https://api.as2aas.com/v1/messages/msg_000001 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_test_YOUR_API_KEY"

Message Status Progression

queued → Message accepted and queued
processing → Message being prepared
sent → Message transmitted to partner
delivered → MDN received (delivery confirmed)

In Test Environment

Since you're using a test API key, the message will be simulated:

Status will show as "sent"
No real transmission occurs
Perfect for development and testing

Step 6: Set Up Webhooks (Optional)

Create Webhook Endpoint

curl -X POST https://api.as2aas.com/v1/webhook-endpoints \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_test_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://your-app.com/webhooks/as2",
    "events": ["message.sent", "message.delivered", "message.failed"],
    "secret": "your-webhook-secret"
  }'

Handle Webhook Events

// Express.js webhook handler
app.post('/webhooks/as2', express.raw({type: 'application/json'}), (req, res) => {
  const event = JSON.parse(req.body);
  
  console.log('Received event:', event.event);
  console.log('Message ID:', event.data.id);
  
  // Process the event
  switch (event.event) {
    case 'message.sent':
      console.log('Message sent successfully');
      break;
    case 'message.delivered':
      console.log('Message delivered, MDN received');
      break;
    case 'message.failed':
      console.log('Message failed:', event.data.error_message);
      break;
  }
  
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

Next Steps

1. Test Message Receiving

Configure a test partner to send messages to your AS2 endpoint:

Your AS2 Receiving Endpoint:

https://as2.as2aas.com/as2/receive

Your AS2 ID: Found in your dashboard settings

2. Upload Certificates

For production use, upload X.509 certificates:

Identity Certificate - Your private certificate for signing/decryption
Partner Certificates - Partners' public certificates for encryption/verification

3. Go Live

When ready for production:

Create live API key in your dashboard
Update your application to use live key
Configure real trading partners
Upload production certificates
Test thoroughly before processing real business documents

Common Integration Patterns

ERP Integration

// Integrate with your ERP system
async function sendInvoiceToPartner(invoice) {
  // Convert invoice to EDI format
  const ediContent = convertToEDI(invoice);
  
  // Send via AS2aaS
  const message = await as2.messages.create({
    partner: invoice.partner_as2_id,
    subject: `Invoice ${invoice.number}`,
    payload: { content: ediContent },
    contentType: 'application/edi-x12'
  });
  
  // Update invoice status
  await updateInvoiceStatus(invoice.id, 'sent', message.id);
  
  return message;
}

Automated Processing

// Process incoming purchase orders automatically
app.post('/webhooks/as2', async (req, res) => {
  const { event, data } = req.body;
  
  if (event === 'message.received' && data.content_type === 'application/edi-x12') {
    // Download EDI content
    const ediContent = await as2.messages.getPayload(data.id);
    
    // Parse EDI
    const purchaseOrder = parseEDI850(ediContent);
    
    // Create order in your system
    const order = await createOrder({
      partner_id: data.partner.as2_id,
      external_id: purchaseOrder.orderNumber,
      items: purchaseOrder.items,
      as2_message_id: data.id
    });
    
    console.log('Created order:', order.id);
  }
  
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

Testing and Development

Using the Sandbox

The AS2aaS testing tools provide a complete sandbox environment:

Testing Tools → Test partner connectivity
Message Validation → Validate EDI/XML formats
Incoming Messages → Simulate messages from partners
Test History → Review all test results

Sample EDI Content

ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*SENDER         *ZZ*RECEIVER       *240115*1030*U*00401*000000001*0*T*>~
GS*PO*SENDER*RECEIVER*20240115*1030*1*X*004010~
ST*850*0001~
BEG*00*SA*PO-2024-001**20240115~
N1*ST*SHIP TO LOCATION~
N3*123 MAIN STREET~
N4*ANYTOWN*NY*12345~
PO1*1*10*EA*25.00**BP*PRODUCT123*SK*SKU123~
CTT*1~
SE*8*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000001~

Sample XML Content

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<PurchaseOrder>
  <Header>
    <OrderNumber>PO-2024-001</OrderNumber>
    <OrderDate>2024-01-15</OrderDate>
    <Vendor>
      <Name>Supplier Corp</Name>
      <AS2ID>SUPPLIER-AS2</AS2ID>
    </Vendor>
  </Header>
  <LineItems>
    <Item>
      <SKU>PROD-001</SKU>
      <Description>Product 1</Description>
      <Quantity>10</Quantity>
      <UnitPrice>25.00</UnitPrice>
    </Item>
  </LineItems>
</PurchaseOrder>

Troubleshooting

Common First-Time Issues

"Partner not found" error:

Verify partner ID format: prt_000001
Check partner exists in your account
Ensure partner is active

"Invalid payload" error:

Validate EDI/XML format
Check content type matches payload
Verify payload encoding

"Rate limited" error:

Slow down request frequency
Check your plan limits
Implement retry logic

Getting Help

Documentation: Complete API reference and guides
Testing Tools: Built-in dashboard testing tools
Support: Email [email protected]
Status: Check system status at status.as2aas.com

What's Next?

Advanced Features

Message Receiving - Handle inbound AS2 messages
Webhooks - Real-time event notifications
Certificates - X.509 certificate management
Error Handling - Robust error handling patterns

Production Readiness

Security Best Practices - Production security guidelines
Monitoring - Track message delivery and performance
Billing - Understand usage and billing

Integration Examples

ERP Integration - Connect with ERP systems
EDI Processing - Handle EDI documents
Healthcare Use Cases - DSCSA and pharmaceutical workflows