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

# Spree Admin API introduction and SDK quick start

> Overview of the Spree Admin REST API for managing products, orders, customers, and fulfillments, with SDK install and quick start examples.

export const Since = ({version, from}) => {
  const knownPrevious = {
    '5.0': '4.10',
    '6.0': '5.4'
  };
  const previous = (from ?? knownPrevious[version]) ?? (() => {
    const [major, minor] = version.split('.').map(Number);
    if (Number.isNaN(major) || Number.isNaN(minor) || minor < 1) {
      throw new Error(`<Since version="${version}" />: cannot derive previous version automatically. ` + `Pass an explicit "from" prop, e.g. <Since version="${version}" from="X.Y" />.`);
    }
    return `${major}.${minor - 1}`;
  })();
  return <Tooltip tip={`Available since Spree ${version}+.`} cta="Upgrade instructions" href={`/developer/upgrades/${previous}-to-${version}`}>
      <Badge icon="lock">Spree {version}+</Badge>
    </Tooltip>;
};

<Since version="5.5" />

The Admin API is a REST API for managing Spree stores programmatically — products, orders, customers, fulfillments, payments, and more. It is intended for backend integrations, custom admin tooling, and automation.

All routes are prefixed with `/api/v3/admin`. During development the API is available under `http://localhost:3000/api/v3/admin`. For production, replace `http://localhost:3000` with your Spree application URL.

## Admin API vs Store API

|                      | Admin API                                                              | Store API                                                  |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Purpose**          | Manage store data                                                      | Power storefronts                                          |
| **Audience**         | Staff users, backend integrations                                      | Customers, storefronts                                     |
| **Authentication**   | Secret API key (`sk_…`) or admin JWT                                   | Publishable API key (`pk_…`), customer JWT, order token    |
| **Permissions**      | API key scopes (API key authentication) or Admin Staff permission sets | Customer can only read/modify their own data               |
| **Write operations** | Full CRUD on most resources                                            | Limited to the current customer's cart, addresses, profile |

If you're building a storefront, use the [Store API](/api-reference/store-api/introduction). The Admin API exposes administrative operations that should never be invoked from a browser.

## Using the SDK

We recommend using `@spree/admin-sdk` to interact with the Admin API. It provides typed clients, automatic retries, and idempotency support.

### Installation

```bash theme={"theme":"night-owl"}
npm install @spree/admin-sdk
# or
yarn add @spree/admin-sdk
# or
pnpm add @spree/admin-sdk
```

### Quick start

```typescript theme={"theme":"night-owl"}
import { createAdminClient } from '@spree/admin-sdk'

const client = createAdminClient({
  baseUrl: 'http://localhost:3000',
  secretKey: 'sk_xxx',
})

const { data: orders } = await client.orders.list({
  status_eq: 'complete',
  limit: 25,
})
```

## From the command line

Every endpoint can also be called with the [Spree CLI](/developer/cli/admin-api) — a generic HTTP client (`get`/`post`/`patch`/`delete`) built into `@spree/cli`. It's the fastest way to explore the API from a terminal or drive it from scripts and AI agents, with zero-config credentials in local development:

```bash theme={"theme":"night-owl"}
spree api get /orders -q status_eq=complete --limit 25
```

Each endpoint page below shows the matching **Spree CLI** command alongside the SDK example. To browse the whole surface offline, use `spree api endpoints` and `spree api schema "<METHOD> <path>"`.

Before integrating, read:

* [Authentication](/api-reference/admin-api/authentication) — secret API keys, scopes, and JWT tokens
* [Errors](/api-reference/admin-api/errors) — error format and admin-specific codes
* [Querying](/api-reference/admin-api/querying) — filtering, sorting, pagination, and `expand`
* [Spree CLI](/developer/cli/admin-api) — call the Admin API from your terminal