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Integration requirements

API: Drive (classic)

This doc covers the Drive (classic) API. If you're using the Drive API, see the Drive integration requirements.

Our mission is simple: we want to be the easiest, most reliable local delivery service available, while protecting the merchants, customers, and Dashers making it happen. We achieve this through a self-serve Portal that allows developers to leverage DoorDash’s extensive network of Dashers in their own business, where every integration is reviewed by our team to ensure that our technological and legal standards are met.

Before you request production access​

In order to access our production environment and start doing live deliveries, the DoorDash team will review and approve your finished product. To ensure that this process goes smoothly, review the below checklist before requesting production access. Note that approval is not guaranteed if you check all of the below items, but it’s a great start.

Ensure that:

  • You have sufficient guardrails in place to prevent pickup or delivery of restricted items. These include tobacco, cannabis or other illicit drugs, weapons and explosives. See the full list of Restricted Items below for more detail on items that DoorDash cannot deliver.
  • You’ve read and agreed to our Technology License and Terms of Use.
  • You’ve used the Delivery Simulator to create test deliveries and familiarize yourself with how DoorDash operates.
  • You’re ready to conduct a live demo with the DoorDash team. You’ll screenshare and take us through an end-to-end test delivery, demonstrating the full user experience.
  • Required fields are being passed in all API calls. All required fields are noted in our API reference.
  • Key delivery details such as the DoorDash-supplied delivery/support ID are surfaced to applicable users in your UI. You can read more about our minimum UI requirements below, as well as on our How to > Get Production Access page.

DoorDash is committed to the safety and security of all users who use its platform and services, including Dashers, Merchants, and Customers. Our priority is to ensure that anyone requesting or facilitating delivery through DoorDash can do so safely and confidently. We’ve listed the major points below, but note that this list is not exhaustive. If your business and/or product do not meet these requirements, the DoorDash team may reject your request for production access, or if you have already been approved for production, we reserve the right to disable your production credentials.

Restricted items​

DoorDash restricts the sale of certain items (including but not limited to those listed below) to maintain a high-quality user experience in addition to complying with legal requirements. You are responsible for having sufficient guardrails in place to prevent pickup or delivery of restricted items.

The below list provides examples of restricted items, but is not exhaustive. DoorDash may modify this list at its discretion and reserves the right to remove or decline to list, transport, ship, deliver, or otherwise make available through its service any of the below items or any other items that DoorDash in its sole discretion deems may be unsafe or inappropriate.

  • People, wildlife, animals, or remains/parts;
  • Illegal items; stolen goods;
  • Fireworks, explosives, firearms, weaponry, ammunition, and their parts; information on how to make such devices;
  • Items encouraging violent or illegal activity;
  • Sexually explicit or obscene adult items or materials;
  • Any of the following without a signed addendum with DoorDash:
    • Alcohol
    • Tobacco/vape products
    • Cold medicine, pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, medical devices, or supplements
  • Recreational drugs or drug paraphernalia, including but not limited to cannabis or CBD products, Kratom, or inhalants including nitrous oxide;
  • Toxic substances and poisons
  • Any single item exceeding 50 lbs;
  • Any other item that is prohibited for delivery without a permit or license under applicable local laws;
  • Hazardous materials, including medical waste, or poisonous or flammable items, except for materials that are:
    • (i) ORM-D or (ii) limited quantity shipment AND a Consumer Commodity, AND
    • In quantities that do not require placarding
  • Money, gift cards, lottery tickets, or transferable securities;
  • Counterfeit Products;
  • Raw meats or shellfish;
  • Endangered animal or wildlife products; items made of endangered animal or wildlife products (including but not limited to ivory, rhino horn, eurasian caviar, bushmeat);
  • Items that promote hate or terrorist groups;
  • Products that claim or promote specific medical outcomes;
  • Any items that are likely to be perceived as threatening, obscene, harassing, inappropriate, or otherwise violate any applicable terms and conditions that govern your relationship with DoorDash.

Compliance with laws & regulations​

Your business, including employees, agents, representatives, subcontractors, and your product itself, must comply with all applicable laws and regulations in all markets in which it operates.

Technical/UI​

Our goal is to offer a delivery service that is seamless, simple, and reliable for all parties involved. Designing and building a great product is up to you, but the technical/UI guidelines below are meant to ensure that your customers have the best possible pickup and delivery experience. Read our How To > Get Production Access page for more detail on the demo process and how the DoorDash team will evaluate your submission for production access.

Requirements​

  • The DoorDash Delivery ID (id) must be exposed to merchants, store operators, and/or users facilitating pickups within your UI. This integer ID, included in our API responses, is required for all support inbounds, including Drive Merchant Support (for non-technical questions/issues related to deliveries, such as refunds) and Developer Support (for technical/API questions/issues related to deliveries).
  • Pickup time must be surfaced to the user(s) facilitating pickup. This is most commonly the merchant or store operator.
  • Pickup Business Name must be passed in delivery requests for all cases where the pickup address is a place of business.
  • There is a clear feedback loop to the end user if DoorDash rejects the quote and/or delivery request. For example, if DoorDash returns an error in the API due to an invalid dropoff address, the end user should be prompted to correct their address before completing checkout.
  • External Business Name: Must be passed in all Estimate, Validate, and Create requests. Used for platform partners representing multiple restaurant partners, this is usually the brand name, eg “McDonald’s”. This field is not required in testing, but is required in production. This field is surfaced to the Dasher if pickup_business_name is not passed.
  • External Store ID: Must be passed in all Estimate, Validate, and Create requests. This can be any unique, alphanumeric identifier for a particular pickup location, which DoorDash will store internally and reference in monthly invoices.
  • Tips must be pre-selected at 20% within your customer-facing UI and passed to DoorDash at delivery creation. 100% of tips go directly to Dashers, and are a major component of Dasher compensation. For all products including an online ordering component, we will verify during the live demo that tips are pre-selected at 20%. Customers may of course choose to tip more or less than that, but it is required that your UI make it as easy as possible for customers to tip, and that the full tip amount is communicated to DoorDash in the delivery creation request.
  • Pickup or delivery time is passed in UTC.

Recommendations​

These items are not required, but are strongly recommended to ensure a high quality pickup and delivery experience.

  • Pass clear pickup and dropoff instructions when creating deliveries.
  • Surface the DoorDash-supplied delivery tracking link to merchants and customers.
  • Build functionality allowing internal admins and/or your merchant customers to view and manage deliveries. For example, if your business is a platform that allows customers to order flowers from local florists, we recommend building a dashboard that florists can use to view the details for live and past deliveries.