---
description: "Customers place orders to purchase products from an ecommerce business. Learn about the available features and guides."
---

import DocCardList from '@theme/DocCardList';
import Icons from '@theme/Icon';

# Orders

Customers place orders to purchase products from an ecommerce business. This overview introduces the available features related to orders.

:::note

Not a developer? Check out the [Orders user guide](../../user-guide/orders/index.md).

:::

## Features

### Order Management

Admins can manage orders placed by customers, including capturing payment and fulfilling items in the order. Admins can also export orders into CSV files.

Customers can view their previous orders.

<DocCardList colSize={4} items={[
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/admin/manage-orders',
    label: 'Admin: Manage Orders',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Learn how to manage orders using Admin APIs.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/manage',
    label: 'User Guide: Manage Orders',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Manage orders in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/export',
    label: 'User Guide: Export Orders',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Export orders into CSV files in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
]} />

<DocCardList colSize={4} items={[
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/payments',
    label: 'User Guide: Manage Payments',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Manage an order\'s payment in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/fulfillments',
    label: 'User Guide: Manage Fulfillment',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Manage an order\'s fulfillment in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/storefront/retrieve-order-details',
    label: 'Storefront: Retrieve Order Details',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: "Learn the different ways to retrieve an order's details",
    }
  },
]} />

### Edit Orders

Admins can perform edits on items in an order, such as add, remove, or update items. Admins can request confirmation from the customer or force apply the edit.

Customers can review order edit requests and authorize additional payments if necessary.

<DocCardList colSize={4} items={[
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/admin/edit-order',
    label: 'Admin: Edit an Order',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Learn how to edit an order using Admin APIs.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/edit',
    label: 'User Guide: Edit Order',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Edit an order in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/storefront/handle-order-edits',
    label: 'Storefront: Order Edits',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Handle order edits in a storefront.'
    }
  },
]} />

### Draft Orders

Admins can create draft orders that don’t require involvement from a customer. They can specify all details including items in the order, payment method, and more.

<DocCardList colSize={4} items={[
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/admin/manage-draft-orders',
    label: 'Admin: Manage Draft Orders',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Learn how to manage draft orders using Admin APIs.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/edit',
    label: 'User Guide: Draft Orders',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Manage draft orders in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: 'https://docs.medusajs.com/api/admin#draft-orders_getdraftorders',
    label: 'Admin APIs: Draft Orders',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['server-solid'],
      description: 'Check available Admin REST APIs for Draft Orders.'
    }
  },
]} />

### Returns, Swaps, and Claims

Admins can return order items, or create swaps to return an item to be replaced by a new one.

Customers can also request to return or swap items. This allows for implementing an automated Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) flow.

<DocCardList colSize={4} items={[
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/admin/manage-returns',
    label: 'Admin: Manage Returns',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Learn how to manage returns using Admin APIs.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/admin/manage-swaps',
    label: 'Admin: Manage Swaps',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Learn how to manage swaps using Admin APIs.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/admin/manage-claims',
    label: 'Admin: Manage Claims',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Learn how to manage claims using Admin APIs.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/returns',
    label: 'User Guide: Manage Returns',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Manage order returns in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/exchange',
    label: 'User Guide: Exchanges',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Manage order exchanges in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/user-guide/orders/claims',
    label: 'User Guide: Manage Claims',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['users-solid'],
      description: 'Manage order claims in Medusa Admin.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/storefront/create-return',
    label: 'Storefront: Create a Return',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Learn how to create a return as a customer.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/storefront/create-swap',
    label: 'Storefront: Create a Swap',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['academic-cap-solid'],
      description: 'Learn how to create a swap as a customer.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: 'https://docs.medusajs.com/api/store#returns',
    label: 'Storefront APIs: Returns',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['server-solid'],
      description: 'Check available Storefront REST APIs for Returns.'
    }
  },
]} />

---

## Understand the Architecture

Learn how order-related entities are built, their relation to other modules, and more.

<DocCardList colSize={4} items={[
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders',
    label: 'Architecture: Order',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['circle-stack-solid'],
      description: 'Learn about the Order architecture.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/swaps',
    label: 'Architecture: Swap',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['circle-stack-solid'],
      description: 'Learn about the Swap architecture.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/returns',
    label: 'Architecture: Return',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['circle-stack-solid'],
      description: 'Learn about the Return architecture.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/claims',
    label: 'Architecture: Claim',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['circle-stack-solid'],
      description: 'Learn about the Claim architecture.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/draft-orders',
    label: 'Architecture: Draft Order',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['circle-stack-solid'],
      description: 'Learn about the Draft Order architecture.',
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/orders/fulfillments',
    label: 'Architecture: Fulfillment',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['circle-stack-solid'],
      description: 'Learn about the Fulfillment architecture.',
    }
  },
]} />

---

## Related Modules

Discover Order’s relation to other modules in Medusa

<DocCardList colSize={4} items={[
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/carts-and-checkout/overview',
    label: 'Carts and Checkout',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['shopping-cart-solid'],
      description: 'Customers can place an order using a virtual cart.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/products/overview',
    label: 'Products',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['tag-solid'],
      description: 'Customers can browse products to purchase them.'
    }
  },
  {
    type: 'link',
    href: '/modules/sales-channels/overview',
    label: 'Sales Channels',
    customProps: {
      icon: Icons['channels-solid'],
      description: 'Orders can be associated with specific channels.',
    }
  },
]} />