EDI
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
EDI refers to the structured, automated exchange of business documents such as purchase orders and invoices between the computer systems of different companies.
EDI: Not to be confused with
EDI is NOT the same as a REST API. EDI follows fixed, often industry-wide message formats such as EDIFACT for exchanges between trading partners, a REST API is an open, usually vendor-specific interface for arbitrary integrations.
EDI messages follow standardised formats such as UN/EDIFACT, so that purchase orders, dispatch advices and invoices can be processed between different systems without manual re-entry (Source 1). Unlike a REST API, which is usually configured individually between exactly two systems, EDI aims at one industry-wide standard shared by many trading partners.
EDI is especially common in Retail & Wholesale and Logistics & Transport, where large buyers require their suppliers to connect via EDI.
Related terms
Sources for EDI
- GS1, "EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)" ↗