> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usehandled.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Working with Real-Time APIs

> Important considerations when using Handled's real-time Unified APIs

## Rate Limits

Each underlying service has its own rate limits. Shopify allows different request volumes than Amazon or FedEx.

**Your responsibility:**

* Monitor rate limit headers in responses
* Implement backoff when limits are reached
* Design your sync frequency around platform limits

**Handled helps by:**

* Normalizing rate limit headers across all services
* Providing consistent `ratelimit-remaining` and `ratelimit-reset` values
* Managing rate limits automatically in RapidBridge sync jobs

## Filter Support

Not every service supports every filter. For example:

* ShipHero may support filtering orders by status
* Another WMS might not support that parameter

**How to handle this:**

* Use the `/meta` endpoint to discover supported filters per integration
* Unsupported filters are ignored (not errors)
* Test filters against each integration you use

```bash theme={null}
# Check what filters are supported for an integration
curl 'https://api.usehandled.io/api/v1/ipaas/unified/wms/orders/meta?integrated_account_id=ACCOUNT_ID' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN'
```

## Data Freshness

Real-time means current data, but also means:

* Each request hits the underlying service
* Response times depend on the service's speed
* Network issues affect availability

**Best practices:**

* Cache responses on your end when appropriate
* Use sync jobs for bulk data needs
* Reserve real-time calls for on-demand operations

## Schema Differences

Unified APIs normalize data, but some platform-specific fields exist only in certain integrations.

**Accessing raw data:**

* Enable `show_remote_data=true` to see original response alongside unified format
* Use Proxy APIs when you need full access to platform-specific fields

```bash theme={null}
# Include raw response from the underlying service
curl 'https://api.usehandled.io/api/v1/ipaas/unified/wms/orders?integrated_account_id=ACCOUNT_ID&show_remote_data=true' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN'
```