Resources · Make integration

DHL Make integrationAutomate DHL with Make.

Stop copying tracking numbers into the DHL site one by one. The DHL Make integration gives you 5 modules, 4 actions and 1 search, to read shipment status from your scenarios. This guide covers the API key, a first scenario and when to pick each module.

Try the DHL integration on MakeSee the 5 modules

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What you can automate

What can the DHL Make integration do for you?

The DHL Make integration links your DHL developer account to Make, so a scenario (the automation you build in Make, a chain of bricks called modules) can ask DHL where a shipment stands. You hand it a house bill number, it hands back status or tracking details that the next module can use.

A status column that fills itself. An operations lead keeps outgoing freight in a spreadsheet. Each new row carries a house bill number, and Get a Shipment Status adds the DHL status next to it, so nobody opens the carrier site to answer "where is it?".

Customer service with the answer ready. When a ticket mentions a shipment, Track a Shipment (Unified) returns DHL's latest report on it, and the next module posts that report into the ticket before an agent picks it up.

Freight files for forwarding. If you ship through DHL Global Forwarding, Track a Shipment (DHL Global Forwarding) pulls the shipment information for a house bill number, ready to be stored with the order.

What the app does not do: it has no trigger, so DHL never starts a scenario on its own. The run begins with another app or with Make's schedule. For anything outside the 5 modules, Make an API Call reaches the rest of the DHL API with the same connection. The same app also exists on n8n (see the DHL n8n integration and the n8n vs Make comparison). New to the editor? The Make training starts from zero.

Connect

How do you connect your DHL account to Make?

  1. 01

    Copy your API key from DHL

    You need a DHL developer account and valid API credentials first. Sign in to it, open the User Dashboard tab and copy the API key shown there. Keep it at hand for the next step.

  2. 02

    Add a DHL module in Make

    In your scenario, add any DHL module and click Create a connection. A connection is your DHL account linked to Make once, then reused by every DHL module. The Connection name field is optional, but a clear name helps when you run several accounts.

  3. 03

    Paste the key and save

    Enter the credentials you copied from DHL, or follow the on-screen instructions, then save. From that point Make can call DHL on your behalf, and every other DHL module in the scenario picks the same connection from a list.

First scenario

Your first scenario with DHL

GoalWhen a new shipment row lands in the tool your team already uses, Make asks DHL for its status and passes the answer on.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    From the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the +. DHL has no trigger, so the first module belongs to the app where your shipments are listed: a spreadsheet, a CRM or an order tool.

  2. 02

    Pick the starting module

    Search that app, choose its module that watches new rows or records, and create its connection. Each record it returns becomes a bundle, meaning one item passed to the next module, here one shipment.

  3. 03

    Add Get a Shipment Status

    Click the + on the right, search DHL and pick Get a Shipment Status. Select your DHL connection, then map the house bill number from the first module instead of typing it.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Click Run once. Make runs the scenario a single time and shows the bundles each module received. Open the DHL bubble to read the status it returned for your test shipment.

  5. 05

    Send the status and switch it on

    Add one more module with the + to write the status where your team reads it. Then set the schedule on the first module (every 15 minutes by default) and turn the scenario on.

Modules

What each DHL module does in Make

DHL gives you 5 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

DHL1

Get a House Bill Number

Action

In Make“Retrieves a house bill number.”

This action brings back a house bill number from DHL. Get a Shipment Status and Track a Shipment (DHL Global Forwarding) both ask for that number, so this module can come before them.

When to use it
your source data does not carry the house bill number yet, and the next DHL module needs one before it can look anything up.
Watch out
the documentation lists no input details, so run it once and read the bundle before you map its output.
DHL2

Get a Shipment Status

Action

In Make“Retrieves shipment status information by shipment's house bill number.”

Hand it a house bill number and it returns the status DHL holds for that shipment, as one bundle you can map into a sheet, a message or a ticket.

When to use it
you only need to know where a shipment stands, for example to fill a status column or answer a customer who asks about an order.
Watch out
each call counts as one operation on your Make plan, so filter out delivered shipments before this module.
DHL3

Make an API Call

Action

In Make“Performs an arbitrary authorized API call.”

Your escape hatch when the four ready-made modules stop short. It sends any request to the DHL API using the connection you already created, with no second login to set up.

When to use it
you found a DHL feature in its developer documentation that none of the other modules covers.
Watch out
you write the request yourself, so keep DHL's API reference open and test with Run once before the scenario goes live.
DHL4

Track a Shipment (DHL Global Forwarding)

Action

In Make“Retrieves shipment information by shipment house bill number.”

Built for freight moving through DHL Global Forwarding, it fetches the shipment information tied to a house bill number, which gives you more to store than a bare status.

When to use it
your shipments go through the forwarding service and you want the details attached to the order record, not just a one-word state.
Watch out
the name says Global Forwarding, so for other DHL services test the Unified module first.
DHL5

Track a Shipment (Unified)

Search

In Make“Retrieves up-to-the-minute shipment status report.”

The only search module of the app. It asks DHL for its latest tracking report on a shipment and can return zero, one or several bundles depending on what DHL finds.

When to use it
a customer ticket or an order update needs the most recent report DHL has on the shipment.
Watch out
since it can return several bundles, every module after it runs once per bundle; add an aggregator if you want a single message.
Need help

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FAQ

DHL and Make: common questions

01Is the DHL Make integration free?
Yes on the Make side: DHL is a standard app, available from the Free plan. That plan allows 2 active scenarios, runs them at most every 15 minutes, and stops each run after 5 minutes. Paid plans (Core, Pro, Teams, Enterprise) go down to a 1 minute interval and count usage in credits per month. On the DHL side, you still need a DHL developer account with valid API credentials, and DHL handles that subscription itself. Check the DHL pricing page before you build, since this page gives no price for either tool.
02What do you need to connect DHL to Make?
A DHL developer account and valid API credentials. Once signed in to DHL, open the User Dashboard tab and copy the API key displayed there. Back in Make, add any DHL module, click Create a connection, give it a name if you like, and paste the key. The connection is stored once and every DHL module of your scenarios can reuse it. Without the developer account there is no key to paste, so check that account first if the connection step stalls.
03Does the DHL module start a scenario in real time?
No. The DHL app has no trigger at all, so nothing in DHL can start a scenario. Two ways work instead. You can open the scenario with the trigger of another app, such as a new order or a new spreadsheet row, and let the DHL modules run right after it. Or you can let Make's schedule start it, every 15 minutes by default, down to 1 minute on paid plans. In both cases the DHL modules fetch data when the scenario runs, not when DHL updates a shipment.
04What if the DHL module you need is missing?
Use Make an API Call. It is part of the DHL app and calls any endpoint of the DHL API with the connection you already set up, so it covers what the four other modules do not. You write the request from DHL's API reference, then check the answer with Run once. One more point: Make notes that its DHL documentation is generated from DHL's own docs and may contain mistakes, so confirm the details that matter with DHL directly.
05Should you use Make or n8n for DHL?
It depends on where your other automations already run. DHL is available in Make with the 5 modules on this page, including Make an API Call for the rest of the API, and it also has a node in n8n. Nothing in this guide ranks one above the other for DHL. The practical test is simple: check that the module you need exists in the tool your team already uses, then build your first scenario there. The comparison page linked above lays out the broader differences.
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