# Request vs Book

When you create a delivery with Rendr, there are two modes of operation: **Request** and **Book**. Understanding the difference is important for determining when carrier allocation, label generation, and consignment creation happen in your workflow.

***

## Default Behaviour — Request State

By default, a delivery created via the API is placed in a **requested** state. In this mode:

* The delivery record is created in Rendr
* No carrier is allocated immediately
* No label is generated
* No consignment number is assigned

This is the recommended approach when your workflow requires store staff to confirm that stock is picked, packed, and ready before a carrier booking is made. The delivery sits in `requested` state in Rendr until staff verify the order is ready, at which point the separate **Book** request is made to trigger carrier allocation and label generation.

If you need to explicitly trigger booking yourself — for example, after a staff confirmation step in your workflow — you can send a separate **Book** request.

### Book a Requested Delivery

```
PATCH {{domain}}/{{tenant_id}}/deliveries/{{delivery_id_or_reference}}/book
```

**Authentication:** Bearer token required via the `Authorization` header.

This call transitions the delivery from `requested` to `booked`, triggering carrier allocation, label generation, and consignment creation at that point in time.

***

## Book on Create

If you want the delivery to be fully booked at the moment the Create Delivery call is made — with a label and consignment number returned immediately in the response — set `book_delivery_now: true` in your request payload.

```json title="POST /{{tenant_id}}/deliveries — Book on Create"
{
    "store_id": "rendr-test",
    "reference": "myorder-001",
    "book_delivery_now": true,
    "ready_for_pickup_at": "2026-02-04T11:21:13+11:00",
    ...
}
```

When `book_delivery_now` is `true`:

* Carrier allocation happens immediately
* A consignment number is assigned and returned in the response
* A shipping label is generated and the `label_url` is populated in the response
* The delivery status is returned as `booked`

<Note>
  When using `book_delivery_now: true`, ensure the order is already packed and ready for collection. Booking triggers carrier-side processes immediately, and amendments after booking may not be possible depending on the carrier.
</Note>

***

## Comparison

|                                         | Request (default)           | Book on Create |
| --------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | -------------- |
| `book_delivery_now`                     | `false` (or omitted)        | `true`         |
| Initial status                          | `requested`                 | `booked`       |
| Label generated immediately             | No                          | Yes            |
| Consignment number assigned immediately | No                          | Yes            |
| Carrier allocated immediately           | No                          | Yes            |
| Additional Book call required           | Yes, if manually triggering | No             |

***

## Choosing the Right Approach

**Use Request (default)** when:

* Your workflow requires store staff to confirm stock is picked and ready before a carrier is booked
* You want a delivery record created in Rendr ahead of fulfilment, with booking triggered separately once the order is confirmed ready

**Use Book on Create** when:

* Your workflow enforces inventory verification before the Create Delivery call is made — by the time you're calling the API, stock is already confirmed and ready
* You need a label generated immediately to attach to the parcel at the point of creation