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

# Introduction

> A provider-neutral fulfillment API for professional photography.

Batch Relay is a provider-neutral fulfillment API for professional photography.

It sits between photography commerce, automation tools, and professional print
labs. Your application sends one canonical, prepared-media order; Batch Relay
validates it, prices it, checks the selected provider's compatibility, and
freezes one fulfillment route before payment and submission.

You do not integrate directly with lab-specific product identifiers, XML
payloads, or ordering software. Provider-native mappings remain inside Batch
Relay adapters.

## How it works

1. Create a scoped API key in the sandbox or production lane.
2. Send a canonical order with already-prepared assets.
3. Preview compatibility and create an immutable quote.
4. Submit the matching order with an idempotency key.
5. Track the resulting Batch Relay order while the enabled provider fulfills it.

Each quote and order uses exactly one provider. Batch Relay never splits an
order between labs or silently substitutes a product when the selected provider
cannot fulfill it.

## What Batch Relay does not do

Batch Relay is not an image editor or a generic file host. It does not crop,
rotate, retouch, compose, or upload arbitrary image pixels. Send assets already
prepared for the canonical product and role you are ordering.

## Provider availability

WHCC is the first hosted fulfillment provider. Richmond Pro Lab is represented
in compatibility tooling as preview-only while its production API and product
semantics are verified. Selecting a preview provider fails before payment; it
does not fall back to another lab.

## Use it from your workflow

The API is designed for custom applications and automation tools. n8n, Zapier,
and Make guidance is published as each integration becomes supported; the
canonical API contract remains the same underneath.

## Base URLs

```text theme={null}
Staging:    https://batchrelay-api-staging.up.railway.app
Production: https://api.batchrelay.com
```

Start with the [Quickstart](/quickstart) to validate a prepared order and
preview provider compatibility safely.