AliExpress
Connect AliExpress to search products for dropshipping, read prices and stock, quote shipping, place and pay orders, track deliveries, and generate affiliate links.
You end up with two values from an approved AliExpress Open Platform app. The App Key, a short numeric ID, and the App Secret. Paste both into PopMCP before running the OAuth handshake.
Developer account approval before this connector works
AliExpress Open Platform staff must approve both your developer account and each app's API permission request before an App Key and Secret are issued.
- Typical wait
- AliExpress does not publish an SLA. Developers commonly report the app sitting "Under Review" for roughly 1-5 working days; treat any figure as community-reported, not vendor-stated.
- Cost
- Free - registering as a developer and submitting an app costs nothing.
- Blocked until approved
- Every API call. Without an approved app you have no App Key or App Secret, so there is no OAuth authorization URL and no signed request to make - affiliate, dropshipping (DS) and seller/solution API families each need their permission granted explicitly.
- Works meanwhile
- Create the UAC account, sign the Open Platform agreement, read the API reference and the MD5/SHA256 signature rules, and build against the documented request/response shapes. Nothing live works.
Where to apply: Register a UAC account at openservice.aliexpress.com, sign up as a developer and accept the Open Platform Agreement, then in the App Console click Create, pick the app category (e.g. dropshipping or affiliate), fill in company details and submit for review; request API permission for the app on its detail page. The decision is emailed to the address on the developer account.
- Vague or generic business descriptions are the top reason for rejection - state the concrete integration use case and the app's callback URL.
- You may be asked to upload a business licence or company ID; individuals without a registered entity often stall here.
- Affiliate API access is tied to an approved AliExpress Affiliate/Portals account, and seller-side APIs to a seller account available in a limited set of countries - the developer approval alone is not enough.
- A denial email names the reason and you must edit and resubmit, restarting the review clock.
- Approved apps start on a default call-rate ceiling and raising it is a separate request, so plan for throttling before launch.
- Setup time
- 20 min, plus 1 to 2 business days waiting for AliExpress to approve the app
- Auth
- OAuth authorization
- API base URL
- https://api-sg.aliexpress.com/sync
- Rate limits
- Each approved app gets a call-volume quota set at approval, commonly 5,000 calls to start. Per-API limits appear in the console, where you can also request an increase.
Before you begin
- An AliExpress account you can sign into the Open Platform with. A seller or store account is expected for the dropshipping solution.
- Company details, a contact phone number and an email you can receive a verification code on. Developer registration asks for all of these.
- Approval of the dropshipping API permission group on the app. AliExpress reviews new apps and usually replies within 1 to 2 business days.
- PopMCP's callback URL, copied from the connect screen before you start. It has to be saved on the app before authorization works.
Get your credentials
Register as an Open Platform developer
Go to open.aliexpress.com and sign in with your AliExpress account. Accept the Open Platform Developer Agreement, complete Registration certification with your dialling code, phone number and email, then click Get Check Code and enter the code.
Create an app in App Management
Open the App Management tab and click Create App, then pick Self Developer as the app type and click Click to Apply. Fill in Contact name, Contact mobile number, E-mail, your AliExpress store address, Software name and Software function, then submit.
App Management
Apps registered to this developer account.
No apps yet
Create one to receive an App Key and App Secret.
App type choices are Self Developer, Commercial Developer and Affiliate API. Self Developer is the one for your own store.
Apply for the dropshipping API permission
Open API Permission on your app and apply for the group covering the aliexpress.ds.* APIs. Attach a document describing your business need if the form asks for one.
API Permission
A new app has no product or order permissions until a group is approved.
| Permission group | API family | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| DropshippingProducts, freight, orders, tracking | aliexpress.ds.* | Not applied | Apply |
| AffiliatePromotion and link generation | aliexpress.affiliate.* | Not applied | Apply |
| LogisticsShipping quotes and tracking | aliexpress.logistics.* | Included | - |
Review is manual. Expect 1 to 2 business days before Status turns to Approved.
Save PopMCP's callback URL on the app
Open Authorization Management on the app and paste the callback URL from PopMCP's AliExpress connect screen into Callback URL. Click Save.
Authorization Management
Paste rather than type. A trailing slash or an http/https mismatch breaks the redirect.
Copy the App Key and App Secret
Once the app shows Approved in App Management, click Management on its row. Copy App Key into PopMCP, click View to reveal App Secret, and paste that in too.
PopMCP
- App Key
- 5****102
- App Secret
- ************
- App Status
- Online
- Call quota
- 5,000 / day
App Secret stays masked until you click View. Some accounts have to click Apply Unmask first.
Connect in PopMCP
Open your workspace, choose AliExpress in the marketplace, and fill in the connect dialog:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| App Keytext | Your AliExpress app's App Key from open.aliexpress.com (Console → App Management). Add the callback URL above to that app first, and make sure the app is approved for the Dropshipper solution. |
| App Secretsecret | The app's secret, on the same screen as the App Key. Stored encrypted; used server-side only and never shown again.Encrypted with AES-256-GCM on save and never shown again. |
https://app.popmcp.com/api/providers/aliexpress/callbackOnly needed if you connect with your own AliExpress app: set this exact URL as the app's Callback URL at open.aliexpress.com (Console → App Management → your app → Callback URL). It must match character for character or AliExpress rejects the authorization.
PopMCP verifies the credential against AliExpress immediately. On success the connection flips to Verified and its MCP tools are provisioned.
Verify it worked
PopMCP's AliExpress connector shows Connected after the authorization redirect returns, and a product search comes back with live listings, prices and stock.
Troubleshooting
Invalid redirect_uri, or the authorization page refuses to redirect back
Why: The callback URL saved on the app does not exactly match the one PopMCP sends.
Fix: Re-copy the callback URL from PopMCP's connect screen into Authorization Management. No trailing slash, no http against https.
IncompleteSignature or invalid signature errors
Why: The App Secret was pasted with a leading or trailing space, or the key and secret came from two different apps.
Fix: Re-copy both values from the same app's credentials panel and reconnect.
App has no permission for this API
Why: The dropshipping permission group is still pending, or was never applied for.
Fix: Open the app's API Permission tab and confirm the dropshipping group shows Approved before connecting.
Credentials never appear after creating the app
Why: The app is still under review. App Key and App Secret are issued on approval, not on submission.
Fix: Wait the 1 to 2 business days AliExpress quotes, then reopen the app from App Management.
Calls start failing after a few days
Why: The access token from the OAuth exchange expired.
Fix: Reconnect the connector in PopMCP to run authorization again. The App Key and App Secret do not change.